GUILTY TN - Rev. Matthew Winkler, 31, shot to death, Selmer, 23 March 2006

[Squishified]

I would have been crying all over the place because I am a very emotional person. I cry at happy things and I cry at sad things that have nothing to do with me. Matthew's mother and father are both teachers, used to giving organized talks. I think they brought this into what they said. Do you remember how Mark Lunsford looked at the trial of his daughter's killer. Very solemn and looked straight ahead, some even said angry. I guess it could appear cold. But none of us know the emotions racing through them and I hope we never have to know. Some people are like me and cry at the drop of a hat. Others work hard to keep their emotions in. My husband is like that. He never cries or shows emotion in public. But he is warm and loving in private. Plays with the grandchildren, tells wonderful stories, and cares deeply.

Great post, Annie!
By the way I am a "crier" like you.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I think it was proven that Matthew was truly, at least at times, a raging bully. I'd be very afraid of a man who did the things to neighbors that Matthew was said to have done. Maybe it was because their whole life is preaching and how they coped, but I thought the grandparents were extremely strange. The speech that grandma gave on the stand was more like a person giving a religious lecture in story form than the emotions of a real feeling person. It was the same with the grandfather.

And what time(s) was that? You mean the time he was irate about a dog that had barked all night? Oh wow that is a sure sign of what? That he was human with human frailties and got ticked off just like other human beings can do? Never heard that he bullied anyone. Did he strike the old State Trooper? Never even heard about Matt Winkler even getting in a scuffle with anyone in all his 31 years of life. Sure doesn't sound like a bully to me. He was not a preacher when he got mad at the dog.

I think the entire Winkler family comported themselves with dignity and class. I found Diane Winkler very calm and her words deeply felt. Her words were haunting as she told Mary the legacy she had left behind for her little girls to have to deal with and that Mary had never even told her babies she was sorry. They are the sunshine......Mary is the darkness imo.

No wonder they are known as having an impeccable reputation. How many could sit there so dignified when the horrible creature was in the same room that killed their son?:furious: Mary needs to be thankful she had these in laws. I have seen victim's impact statements filled with cuss words and totally unbelievable anger toward the one who took their loved ones life.

But as Mary said herself "they are good people".

imo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I hardly think that the purchase of high heels and a wig is "kinky"

If it is then it says more about her repressed sexual issues then his.
This is not justice at all.

There is so danged much that irritates me about this case but this is one of them.

Not one bit of proof was ever entered that Matt Winkler bought these shoes and wig. In fact I have seen those high stack type of shoes at Walmart before and what man gets the same color wig as their spouse already has? I thought men wanted to pretend that the "new woman" was totally different from their spouse. For all we know the wig may have been purchased by Mary to wear when she was having a bad hair day.

How do we know it wasn't Mary with the kinky ideas about sex. I know I had a friend that was married to a very strict preacher's daughter and good grief the things she wanted in a sexual relationship made my mouth drop. Talk about wild and wicked! lol And if one looked at her and the way she dressed out in the public she would have looked as plain and prudish as Mary Winkler.

How can she say she never looked at the yet casually went through them on the stand and IDd them?:waitasec:

imoo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I believe a jury found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter, so there were sentencing guidelines surrounding what the Judge could do. I also believe that the Judge allowed her time served to count towards her sentencing.

Someone else correct me if I am wrong on these facts - this is just my offhand recollection.

I was on of the few that respected the Jury's decision in this case. However, I understand why people who did not agree with it see her sentence and quick release as a slap in the face.

I have always accepted the jury's verdict but on this one I will never accept it as a just and correct verdict. It is a black mark on our justice system imo.

Farese had asked for full probation and to have her record expunged. The Judge refused on both citing her crime of killing her husband as he lay in his bed, leaving him to die and the aftermath that she caused when she made her babies flee with her after shooting him as the reason it was denied. He found her crime reprehensible.

The legislative guidelines gave him 3 to 6 years to work with but to consider the 6 years she had to have a prior criminal record and she did not so therefore under the guidelines he had to go by the 3 year minimum as outlined by law for him to follow. She received time to be served (210 days) which always includes any time already served.

So if her act had not been so despicable and reprehensible she most likely would have been given full probation with a possibility of having her record expunged.

http://www.forensicnursemag.com/articles/391lifedeath.html

16% of women will get probation for killing their spouses while men who kill their spouses only get probation about 1.6 % of the time.

imoo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I think they saw him for a bully though. I do think he abused her. I am not saying that he deserved to die...but he did do harm to her. I wonder how the children are doing?

Not one shred of proof was ever entered that he abused her. Only the delayed words after giving 3 confessions to the contrary, made by a defendant that had the biggest motive to lie than anyone in that courtroom.

Not one person even saw any red flags. Everyone thought they were the ideal couple and many talked about how Matt always talked so lovingly about his little girls. Too bad that Mary made him voiceless and unable to defend himself.

I bet the children are doing very well in their wonderful surroundings. I am sure they continue to see thier therapist and still will struggle with the loss of their father they loved but imo they have a wonderful support system.

imo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I think she more than likely had some type of mental issue prior to the marriage, I think she is likely to go off again.. I hope she never gets her children back.

I read an article last night and a psychologist was talking about Mary and they said she can have another episode merely if she were to watch a violent tv show like on Law and Order.

She is a walking time bomb. She has not been defused.

Lord help these three little girls.

imoo

 

[Nore]

I read an article last night and a psychologist was talking about Mary and they said she can have another episode merely if she were to watch a violent tv show like on Law and Order.

She is a walking time bomb. She has not been defused.

Lord help these three little girls.

imoo

------------

Hi Ocean, this is what I am so afraid of! I pray she never gets the girls back, even given visitation with them there should be someone there to watch over them.IMO

 

[Jeana (DP)]

I read an article last night and a psychologist was talking about Mary and they said she can have another episode merely if she were to watch a violent tv show like on Law and Order.

She is a walking time bomb. She has not been defused.

Lord help these three little girls.

imoo

NO KIDDING!!!! I've only got one daughter (and two sons), who is 12-years old now. The drama, the PMS and the attitude would try the patience of any parent. I think she could very easily blow her top and snap at any given time. Once you've killed someone, I think the possibility of it happening again are pretty up there.

 

[j2mirish]

NO KIDDING!!!! I've only got one daughter (and two sons), who is 12-years old now. The drama, the PMS and the attitude would try the patience of any parent. I think she could very easily blow her top and snap at any given time. Once you've killed someone, I think the possibility of it happening again are pretty up there.

especialy when you get away with it------------------:banghead:

 

[oceanblueeyes]

NO KIDDING!!!! I've only got one daughter (and two sons), who is 12-years old now. The drama, the PMS and the attitude would try the patience of any parent. I think she could very easily blow her top and snap at any given time. Once you've killed someone, I think the possibility of it happening again are pretty up there.

I agree.

The part I wrestle with is I believe very little of what Mary had to say. I do believe her before she was tainted by her fancy lawyers when she told LE the truth except when she said she couldn't remember getting the gun. I think that was convenient selective memory in order to dismiss her crime.

One of the most glaring things to me was when she finally came up with the story that she was going to get the shotgun so she could point it at her big bad abuser so he would listen to her. I will never get my mind wrapped around that. One has to experience being grossly abused to realize the fear is so overwhelming and debilitating it leaves the mind and the body incapable of reacting in any way that may garner more wrath from the abuser. To a victim the mere thought of getting the gun would leave them paralyzed thinking any second the abuser could catch them and there would be hell to pay. All facets of one's life is based on that frozen fear and that is why most of the time it takes years to leave.

So I still wonder if Mary did experience a dissociative fugue state or was this diagnosis invented to cover up her crime? From minute one of the Amber alert DZ was already psychobabbling about Mary Winkler before she had ever seen her and imo I have no doubt that Farese knew exactly how she would diagnose his client. He had used her before and so had Ballin.

This is one case where I feel we are no closer to the truth than we were when it began.

It just seems awfully suspicious for a woman who is supposedly to have such serious issues and is expected to return to her normal life like nothing ever happened.



imoo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

------------

Hi Ocean, this is what I am so afraid of! I pray she never gets the girls back, even given visitation with them there should be someone there to watch over them.IMO

Hi Nore!

Justice was not served for Matthew.

I pray that his three children will have theirs and their freedom from the one that has shattered their little lives.

If they are made to go back then that would be the ultimate injustice of all.

imoo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

especialy when you get away with it------------------:banghead:

Well we sure have seen that happen before. I guess it gives them some type of arrogance that they were able to fool others.

imoo

 

[Elliemae]

I think it was proven that Matthew was truly, at least at times, a raging bully. I'd be very afraid of a man who did the things to neighbors that Matthew was said to have done. Maybe it was because their whole life is preaching and how they coped, but I thought the grandparents were extremely strange. The speech that grandma gave on the stand was more like a person giving a religious lecture in story form than the emotions of a real feeling person. It was the same with the grandfather.

Hey you guys. I thought I was supposed to be able to speak my opinoins and feelings on this board. All I got was :

:hand: :hand: :hand: and told that I was stupid.

For once I disagree or have some doubts against the public opinion on this story and I'm ostrasized.

Geez.

What is this? Nancy Grace's blog?

:truce:

e

 

[Annie]

Hey you guys. I thought I was supposed to be able to speak my opinoins and feelings on this board. All I got was :

:hand: :hand: :hand: and told that I was stupid.

For once I disagree or have some doubts against the public opinion on this story and I'm ostrasized.

Geez.

What is this? Nancy Grace's blog?

:truce:

e

I don't think anyone is saying you are stupid. Many of us just disagree with you. This is a discussion board and we all express our opinions. You have to be tough to post on a discussion board, because there will likely be those who disagree with you. Don't take it personally.

 

[luvbeaches]

I thought I'd seen it all...but this case takes the cake. I simply can't believe this woman hasn't gotten off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

Justice certainly was not served.

 

[Pepper]

I thought I'd seen it all...but this case takes the cake. I simply can't believe this woman hasn't gotten off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

Justice certainly was not served.

This case is proof positive that there is a double standard when it comes to punishment of female vs. male murderers. If she had been the victim and not the murderer, he would have received the death penalty, or at least LWOP.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Hey you guys. I thought I was supposed to be able to speak my opinoins and feelings on this board. All I got was :

:hand: :hand: :hand: and told that I was stupid.

For once I disagree or have some doubts against the public opinion on this story and I'm ostrasized.

Geez.

What is this? Nancy Grace's blog?

:truce:

e

Can you point out the post where someone called you "stupid"?

 

[fundiva]

Hey now, wasn't there a wig involved also?

I am sure for an ultra-conservative woman such as herself, that was really - demeaning to her. Along with daily assults (the way he may have talked to her or treated her) and other stuff that was alleged at trial... I can see her being mentally stressed out. That's just me. I respected the judge's decision in this case.

Ultra conservative? Are we talking about the same woman who frequented bars, smoked like a chimney, and (from previous threads here) flipped off people who drive by the cleaners where she worked. She was already dating (sleeping with) her boss, even though she had been out on bond for a short time. Not the characteristics of an ultra conservative woman IMO.

 

[fundiva]

I do recall that it was a shotgun and you make a great point. I also recall her saying she didn't remember the actual shooting.

Her selective memory doesn't surprise me. I think it is suspect that she wouldn't remember the "actual shooting" but she can remember everything else about that morning - getting up when he went in to see the baby, thinking she should make coffee, but instead going to the closet and getting the gun. Then she has a blank moment, but remembers she said she was sorry and unplugged the phone. She remembers she pack up the kids (and the gun) and run off. She can also remember other traumatic experiences like the wig and the shoes, but she can't remember the shooting. Doesn't track with my logic!

 

[luvbeaches]

This case is proof positive that there is a double standard when it comes to punishment of female vs. male murderers. If she had been the victim and not the murderer, he would have received the death penalty, or at least LWOP.

You're right, there is a double standard in this country. I still can't believe this woman got nothing more than a slap on the wrist for killing her husband. I wonder how many other women out there will think they can "pull a Mary" and get away with murder?