Mary Winkler gets 3 years for killing husband, may end up serving only 60 days

[KristinBelle]

Well, as I said, I don't know Mary Winkler's story. I do think The Burning Bed lady had no choice....she tried many times to get away from that nut and he'd track her down and beat the crap out of her everytime. She was so messed up in head after years of that sort of abuse, I can totally see why it happened and she gets a full pardon from me.

Oh yeh I agree with you on the burning bed women.

Just adding that I'm not disputing the verdict, i actually agree with that. I just think she should have received a harsher sentence, the max could have been 6 years.

 

[mickeyboat]

No one can ever get me that lost of mad.

I think that, too, right now. But I can't imagine going through years of abuse, being made to feel I am completely trapped in my marriage, threats that if I ever leave, he will kill me and or my children - especially if the kids are being abused, too. At some point, I think I might feel that I had no other choice. (I am not saying this happened in this case, only that I can imagine a scenario where even I would snap).

Manslaughter and a light sentence may just be the right punishment.

Also here, there are three young kids who have lost both parents. Maybe freeing her early to care for them will help them heal, too.

 

[mirror mirror]

I've seen the movie. I would never, ever condone that kind or any kind of abuse but I don't think people should be able to take justice into their own hands by killing their abuser like in this case. Of course I don't mean defending yourself with lethal force in self defense when being physically attacked.

Hmmm, I don't know. I can imagine someone in her situation would feel so trapped, helpless, scared, and alone that she may have felt this was her only way out.

Anyway, in this case she didn't get away with it. She was charged, sentenced, and will do her time.

 

[JadenLayne]

I just can't feel pity for a man who physically and emotionally abused not only his wife but his children. He MADE them pass out? How did he make them? That's sick. No husband or wife should FORCE their spouse to do anything.

 

[KristinBelle]

I just can't feel pity for a man who physically and emotionally abused not only his wife but his children. He MADE them pass out? How did he make them? That's sick. No husband or wife should FORCE their spouse to do anything.

Oh don't get me wrong I feel no pity for guy if he abused her, none. I just think her sentence should have been closer to the 6 years max allowed.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I just can't feel pity for a man who physically and emotionally abused not only his wife but his children. He MADE them pass out? How did he make them? That's sick. No husband or wife should FORCE their spouse to do anything.

I'm about 45 mins out of Nashville and get the Nashville channels, which of course this is all over. They did lots of interviews with other people and won't even let the poor lady work in peace at the cleaners in Selmer.

Anyways, during her trial, which of course I watched, she talked about how when the babies would start crying the husband would put his hand over the babies mouth and then close their nose until they passed out to make them stop crying.

My first thought was he wouldn't get a second chance to do that again.

 

[JunieJay]

My first thought was he wouldn't get a second chance to do that again.

Dang straight!

 

[mirror mirror]

Oh don't get me wrong I feel no pity for guy if he abused her, none. I just think her sentence should have been closer to the 6 years max allowed.

Just out of curiosity, why? You thought "bed-burning" woman was in the right, why not this one?

 

[KristinBelle]

Just out of curiosity, why? You thought "bed-burning" woman was in the right, why not this one?

Good question and I'm not 100% sure why. Just from what I've heard about this case it seems like she never made any attempt to leave him. The burning bed lady did and he kept hunting her down over and over. That's difference for me, I guess.

 

[JadenLayne]

Oh my goodness. That is horrible! I say let the women live in peace with her children after she serves her time. I can't imagine someone doing that to innocent babies!!!!

 

[OKWMom]

I'm about 45 mins out of Nashville and get the Nashville channels, which of course this is all over. They did lots of interviews with other people and won't even let the poor lady work in peace at the cleaners in Selmer.

Anyways, during her trial, which of course I watched, she talked about how when the babies would start crying the husband would put his hand over the babies mouth and then close their nose until they passed out to make them stop crying.

My first thought was he wouldn't get a second chance to do that again.

Absolutely! If my husband had done that to my baby(ies), he had better hope he had plenty of gas money in his pockets because if I ever caught up with him a shotgun blast to his back would have seemed humane.

 

[disneysnowflake]

Is what Mary Winkler said true, or was it something she made up trying to save herself during her trial?
It's easy for someone to make accusations against a dead person who can't defend themselves.

I always thought Mary went over the edge when she realized how much financial trouble she was in due to the check scheme, then her husband found out, so she shot him. Maybe I"m wrong though.

 

[Amlee]

I'm about 45 mins out of Nashville and get the Nashville channels, which of course this is all over. They did lots of interviews with other people and won't even let the poor lady work in peace at the cleaners in Selmer.

Anyways, during her trial, which of course I watched, she talked about how when the babies would start crying the husband would put his hand over the babies mouth and then close their nose until they passed out to make them stop crying.

My first thought was he wouldn't get a second chance to do that again.

Our news have been all over this also. I'm about 2 hours south of Nashville.

You and I share the same thought on this!


3 years with time off for good behaivor sounds about right. We had a man who killed his girlfriends baby. It was only after a public outcry that he was even arrested. He only served 15 months for killing that baby. Nor did he get charged as a sex offender even though his semen was found in the baby's lungs and child porn was found in the vcr.

It kills me how you can do something minor and do major time, but do something major and get minor time.

 

[mickeyboat]

Is what Mary Winkler said true, or was it something she made up trying to save herself during her trial?
It's easy for someone to make accusations against a dead person who can't defend themselves.

I always thought Mary went over the edge when she realized how much financial trouble she was in due to the check scheme, then her husband found out, so she shot him. Maybe I"m wrong though.

This is what his family believes. The jury must have believed otherwise.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Is what Mary Winkler said true, or was it something she made up trying to save herself during her trial?
It's easy for someone to make accusations against a dead person who can't defend themselves.

I always thought Mary went over the edge when she realized how much financial trouble she was in due to the check scheme, then her husband found out, so she shot him. Maybe I"m wrong though.

No one could back her up and say they saw him ever harm her children. No one can say they know for a fact he didn't, either. The only person who knows that is dead, because she killed him.

She did testify that she didn't know how to shoot a gun. Then a friend of her's said she knew that Matt had been taking Mary to the shooting range to teach her how to shoot a gun.

But you know........everything else she said is 100% true.......he was an evil conservative preacher so of course he did something to deserve it.

 

[lovetoscrap]

I am not sure that I would have been inclined to believe her story of abuse up until a few years ago when I saw a very similar situation with a friend of mine. Very similar situation. He was a well loved Pastor, she a well loved pastors wife, 2 kids, the ideal happy marriage of a great blessed church couple.

Until the the "secret" became public because he shoved her so hard she broke her arm. She had finally had enough. All the prior minor injurys we finally realized weren't little accidents. This was a major injury and the end. Shhe gathered up her children and left and didn't look back. Various church families took her in and that along with his affair got him thrown out of the church.

The point is you just never realize what is happening behind closed doors, or when the breaking point will be.

I am wondering what will happen now with her children? I know his parents are trying to get full custody and she is contesting it. I feel awful for those kids. And I am guessing that the grandparents are probably not being very complimentary about their mother to them.

 

[disney1990]

I just can't feel pity for a man who physically and emotionally abused not only his wife but his children. He MADE them pass out? How did he make them? That's sick. No husband or wife should FORCE their spouse to do anything.

If I remember correctly, he also keep her from visiting with her own family. He told her, shortly after their marriage, that HE was her family now.

Nobody knows what they would do under the same circumstances. But, people have already admitted that if he was harming the children, they would have taken action too.

People living in an abusive situation can see no way out. They are so traumatized from the abuse that they accept that there in nothing they can do to change the situation.

My younger sister use to call me crying that her husband was hitting her again -- black eyes, broken bones, etc. But, would she leave him, no. The cops would come and she wouldn't press changes. She was just too afraid of him. After years of abuse, she finally found the courage to leave him.

There but for the Grace of God goes I....................