Defense team wants Mary Winkler to have a psychiatric evaluation

NE Mississippi Journal ^ | 3/28/06 | JOE RUTHERFORD

[T-Bird45]

Ashland attorney Steve Farese, who heads Mary Winkler's legal defense team in Selmer, Tenn., says he and her other attorneys want a psychiatric evaluation for their client.

Tennessee authorities claim Winkler has confessed to killing her husband, a Church of Christ minister, in their Selmer residence last week. The couple's three children reportedly were in the house at the time of the slaying.

Winkler apparently fled with her children to southern Alabama, where she was arrested late last week. They have been placed in the custody of their maternal grandparents.

Farese, in a telephone interview after an arraignment in Selmer on Monday, described Mary Winkler as "very sad, very reserved, a flat effect, very withdrawn."

He said no bail motion was made at Monday's court appearance out of respect for the WInkler family and because the funeral is set for this morning at the Selmer church where Matthew Winkler was the preacher.

Tennessee officials have said they know a motive but have refused to disclose it. Farese said it is possible the motive will not be presented until a trial, adding, "but they will have to tell us in discovery."

How did Farese get involved with the case?

"I was called by a friend in Memphis who is an attorney and who is distantly related to Mary Winkler and was asked to enter the case," Farese said. He is a member of the Farese Law Firm, founded by his late father, John B. Farese Sr.

Farese said he has brought Memphis attorney Leslie Ballin into the defense team, as well as his son, attorney Steve Farese Jr., and Marc Garver, an attorney from Atlanta. He said third-year University of Mississippi Law School student Lynn Brown of Holly Springs is working as the team's clerk.

Scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday in Selmer is a preliminary hearing, at which Tennessee prosecutors must make only a prima facie or "sufficient evidence" case to move the investigation toward a possible indictment.

It's possible a bail motion will be made at then, Farese said.

"This is a media circus," he observed Monday. "Everybody was there except the Taiwan Times, and they probably will be there Thursday."

Farese said he thinks Tennessee prosecutors will call only one witness Thursday morning and that he does not plan on calling anyone to the stand.

[T-Bird45]

From yesterday but it is interesting they are heading toward a psychiatric evaluation without knowing the extent of what the prosecutors will present on the motive.

[uncitizen]

The police said right away that they thought they knew what the motive was. I assume it was based upon what Mary said in her confession.

Even if the prosecutors don't know the motive, they may want the psychiatrist to confirm that Mary "suffers from post-partum psychosis" just for CYA purposes.

[trebb]

"This is a media circus," he observed Monday. "Everybody was there except the Taiwan Times, and they probably will be there Thursday."

I just love it when someone uses a sense of humor to kick out a memorable line...

[demkicker]

Winkler apparently fled with her children to southern Alabama, where she was arrested late last week. They have been placed in the custody of their maternal grandparents.

I distinctly remember reading that the children were with the paternal grandparents. Wonder what's up with the change of custody?

[Dark Skies]

Isn't the murder of a husband unusual as a result of postpartum depression? I can't remember a single well-known case in which a husband was the victim.

Anyone remember any cases of that happening?

[wideawake]

If they are moving toward a psych evaluation, it means that her motive was neither self-defense nor defending her children.

Looks like a bad shoot.

[jdm]

PPD refers to harming the kids, not the spouse, I believe. The only term I've ever heard for killing a spouse is "murder."

[T-Bird45]

Based on other articles I read this morning, I don't have any information that custody has been changed. More likely this is a misfire on the part of the writer due to a lack of vocabulary skills in addition to poor editing.

[Dark Skies]

I think that is an error. All news sources are still reporting that the "paternal" GP's have custody.

[petitfour]

The story is incorrrect. The children are with their paternal grandparents. Mary's mother is deceased.

[Dark Skies]

The only term I've ever heard for killing a spouse is "murder."

Same here. I think there is another motive and infidelity has been eliminated...so that most likely leaves?

[ClancyJ]

I am getting really sick of the coverage of the Church of Christ as a "sect", the minister as charismatic and that the church is restrictive.

This is a major trash job on the Church of Christ as is always the case when any fundamental church has members that hit the news. Those interviewed as authorities as knowledgeable really show how secular and ignorant they are with their comments.

Even Geraldo was way off base calling him a Pentecostal preacher. I thought Geraldo would at least verify and investigate before he hit the air waves.

[uncitizen]

post partum depression is general broken into 3 categories (or so it was last time i checked several years ago). They are:

PP Blues- feeling sad for up to 2 months

pp Depression- deep depression lasting up to a year or more

pp Psychosis- just like it sounds. woman has psychotic symptoms and could do something psycho.

In most of these cases the victim is the baby, but psycho is psycho and who's to say the husband couldn't be the victim.

I'm not condoning this. I don't even think that any type of insanity is a defense for murder.

[stuartcr]

What do you expect at a circus??

[ClancyJ]

I'm beginning to wonder if there has been a new drug to treat post partum depression that may have serious consequences.

However, if having at least one daughter, how easy would it be to kill a husband and then claim that there was sexual abuse of the daughter/daughters?

Needless to say, I feel for the family as they see their son's reputation destroyed as well as his life taken.

If true, no problem, but we only have one side of the story and if you are willing to commit murder, you would be willing to lie to cover it up.

[sarasota]

Fact-checking must take too long in these cyberspace days. Appears to be more important to get the story out asap.

[T-Bird45]

I agree that Geraldo did not know his hat from a hole in the ground with the "Pentecostal" claim. However, I am not seeing a "trash job" within the posted article. I have seen other articles and FReeper postings that were extremely unfair or misinformed.

[ClancyJ]

True. But I have already complained to Fox and will continue to do so. This is a church that does all in its power to follow Christ afterall. It is worth defending.

[Dark Skies]

pp Psychosis- just like it sounds. woman has psychotic symptoms and could do something psycho

I imagine here psychosis refers not to going bonkers enough to rampage but a clinical "loss of contact with reality."

A clinical psychotic episode wouldn't turn a person into a psychopath. That said...it still might have been a part of the motive (i.e. delusions).

[ClancyJ]

I'm sorry - I was not clear. I was not referring to this article, just making a comment after hearing the FoxNews report where the "figure of knowledge" mentioned that he was a member of a very restrictive "sect". The newscaster called him a charismatic preacher. (Don't know if this meant a charismatic person or that he was a proponent of the charismatic movement).