Preacher?s wife remains in jail without bond
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The case against Mary Winkler now goes to the grand jury, which will determine if there is enough evidence to support the murder charges against her.
Defense attorney Steve Farese said Mary Winkler decided not to ask for bail to protect her three young daughters, although Farese said they would consider asking for bond later.
?We feel it does no one any good to hear bad things said about the mother of children. We don?t feel it does anyone any good to hear gruesome things about their late father,? Farese told reporters.
Mary Winkler, 32, is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of Matthew Winkler, who was the minister at Fourth Street Church of Christ in Selmer, a small town 80 miles east of Memphis.
Authorities say Mary Winkler confessed to shooting her 31-year-old husband March 22, then leaving town with their daughters. The minister?s body was found later that night in the parsonage when he didn’t show up for an evening service. Authorities have refused to disclose a motive.
Mary Winkler was found the next day in Orange Beach, Ala., with the children, who are now in the custody of their grandparents.
Farese said Mary Winkler has asked to see her children ? Breanna, 1, Mary Alice, 6, and Patricia, 8 ? but he was not sure when that might happen.
The grand jury is scheduled to meet in June.
?All we want is a fair trial for Mary Carol Winkler,? Farese said. ?We don?t want the field tilted in any way.?
Church members have described Mary Winkler as a quiet, unassuming woman who was a substitute teacher at an elementary school. She met her husband at Freed-Hardeman University, a Church of Christ-affiliated school in Henderson where Matthew?s father was an adjunct professor.
Authorities have said police don?t believe infidelity was a motive in the killing, but they would not comment on whether Mary Winkler had accused her husband of abuse.