Minister's Wife Accused of Murder- •Sept. 11, 2007:
Judge OKs Winkler's 'Oprah' appearance - •Sept. 11, 2007:
Winkler seeks custody of three daughters - •Aug. 16, 2007:
Winkler released from mental health facility - •June 21, 2007:
Winkler gets out of jail - •June 8, 2007:
Winkler gets light sentence - •April 19, 2007:
Jury convicts Mary Winkler of voluntary manslaughter - •April 19, 2007:
Jury begins deliberations in Mary Winkler trial - •April 18, 2007:
Pastor's wife says she shot husband after years of abuse - •April 16, 2007:
Girl, 9, describes finding her father fatally wounded from mother's gunshot - •April 13, 2007:
Jurors hear interrogation of woman accused of shooting her pastor husband - •April 12, 2007:
Abused wife or controlling killer? Both portaits emerge as Mary Winkler's trial opens - •April 10, 2007:
Jury selected for trial of former schoolteacher charged with killing pastor husband - •April 6, 2007:
Trial to open for pastor's wife accused of murdering her husband - •Feb. 23, 2007:
Winkler's lawyers argue to exclude search evidence - •Aug. 15, 2006:
Minister's wife released from jail on $750K bond - •July 19, 2006:
Winkler may have been tangled in financial scam - •June 30, 2006:
Town seeks answers in preacher's death - •June 14, 2006:
Mary Winkler pleads not guilty to slaying husband - •June 12, 2006:
Grand jury indicts wife in slaying of Tenn. minister Matthew Winkler
Transcribed Statement
On March 24, 2006, Mary Winkler's statement was transcribed by agent Chris Carpenter.- Interrogation Transcript
On March 23, 2006, Mary Winkler was questioned by investigators at the Orange Beach Police Department in Alabama. - Proposed Juror Questionnaire
Mary Winkler's lawyers wanted potential jurors to fill out this questionnaire to gauge their opinions on topics such as spousal abuse and gender roles, but a judge denied the request.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The woman who killed her minister husband with a shotgun is seeking custody of her three daughters, or at least frequent visits.
A petition filed in Carroll County Chancery Court argues that Mary Winkler's continued separation from the girls — ages 2, 8 and 10 — is "unconscionable and detrimental" to the children.
Winkler, 33, shot the Rev. Matthew Winkler in their parsonage of Fourth Street Church of Christ in Selmer on March 22, 2006, after what she described as an abusive marriage.
She was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, but served only five months in jail, followed by two months in a mental health treatment facility.
Her former in-laws, Dan and Diane Winkler, are seeking to terminate her parental rights and adopt the girls.
Mary Winkler's petition to the court says she has not had parenting time with the children in a year. She "would show that she does not represent a threat of substantial harm to the children and therefore they should be returned to her immediately in order to serve their best interest," the filing says.
Dan and Diane Winkler also filed a motion to try to prevent Mary Winkler from appearing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Wednesday, but Chancellor Ron Harmon denied it after hearing arguments from the parties Tuesday.
Her in-laws had argued that "it is in the best interest of the children to live normal lives and it is not in their interest for their private lives and problems to be aired in the newspaper and on television. No good can come of it."
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