SELMER, Tenn. (ABP) — Mary Winkler, the wife of a slain Church of Christ pastor in Tennessee, was convicted April 19 of voluntary manslaughter, a lesser charge than the prosecution wanted.
Winkler, 33, was charged in the 2006 slaying of Matthew Winkler, 31 — a case that focused national attention on the psychological pressures faced by ministers' wives.
After hearing accusations the pastor abused his wife, jurors spent more than seven hours deliberating but ultimately rejected the more serious first-degree murder charges prosecutors had urged.
According to reports, Winkler showed no emotion as the verdict was read. She will remain free on bond pending her sentencing May 18.
Church leaders from Fourth Street Church of Christ found Matthew Winkler shot dead in the church parsonage March 22, 2006. Mary Winkler was arrested the next day, after she had fled to Alabama in the family van with her three daughters.
Tony Rankin, who serves as a pastoral and family counselor for the Tennessee Baptist Convention, said pastoral spouses like Mary Winkler often endure many pressures unknown to parishioners. Rankin said he deals each month with more than two dozen instances of silently suffering spouses.
“My overwhelming response to this case is sheer sadness,” Rankin said after the verdict was announced. “Besides someone who has been killed, you've also got a pastor's wife who is obviously in excruciating mental distress. And you've got children involved as well. All those things make it rally sad.”
Lawyers on each side of the case presented a very different picture of the Winker family. District Attorney Walter Freeland said Matthew Winkler was a loving father who died with 77 shotgun pellets in his back — a stunning number from a 12-guage shotgun that had to be pumped before being shot.
Testimony from 9-year-old Patricia Winkler supported this claim. The child said she never saw her father mistreat her mother. She also visited her mother only once after Mary Winkler's release from jail because she didn't want to see her, she said.
But defense attorney Steve Farese reportedly told jurors that Matthew Winkler physically, sexually and emotionally abused his wife. While on the witness stand, Mary Winkler said she suffered extreme criticism, physical attacks and sexual manipulation at the hands of her husband.
Farese described the marriage as “a living hell” in which Matthew Winkler would “destroy objects that [Mary] loved” and “isolate her from her family.” She needed permission even to get her hair cut, Farese told jurors.
Rankin said the dichotomy is common. Often during his counseling, he said, he uncovers two perceptions of reality: what goes on in public and what goes on behind closed doors.
“The really hard part is to really watch all of that and try to decipher what is true and what is not true,” he said. “I do think that this is a reminder that a lot of families, including ministers' families, live under an inordinate amount of stress…. It's important for all of us to remember to take care of our families before things get out of hand.”
Mary Winkler has admitted to shooting her husband but said she intended only to hold him at gunpoint that night in order to force him to talk about their problems. Earlier, he allegedly held his hand over the nose and mouth of their 1-year-old daughter when she wouldn't be quiet.
The defendant told lawyers she “just snapped.” A psychologist for the defense testified that Mary Winkler suffered from mild depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
While not commenting specifically on Mary Winkler's condition, Rankin said that psychological problems can certainly contribute to erratic behavior and mental and emotional anguish, but that doesn't necessarily mean the person suffering from them will kill his or her spouse.
“I do see women who have those particular disorders,” he said. “If statistics are right, 25 percent of Americans are depressed right now. Typically, depression and post-traumatic stress don't cause people to commit a crime.”
Prosecutors also said Mary Winkler had overdrawn her bank account by $5,000 as part of a check-kiting scheme. Freeland said the couple's finances “were in shambles.”
Mary Winkler is living with friends in McMinnville, Tenn. The children have been staying with their paternal grandparents in Henderson, Tenn.
Selmer, Tenn., a town of 4,500 people, is about 80 miles east of Memphis.
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