2007 TOP 10 STORIES OF THE YEAR-2. Mary Winkler’s trial
During trial, Winkler claimed she suffered from years of abuse at the hands of her preacher husband, Matthew Winkler. She claimed her husband was verbally abusive, made her wear high-heel shoes, and watch pornography.
The prosecution said Winkler killed her husband on the very day he was about to have a bank meeting to learn of the family’s dire financial situation. It was said Mary Winkler fell for a scam and lost a considerable amount of money.
Prosecutors believed they had the evidence to support a first-degree murder conviction, but the jury instead returned a verdict of voluntary manslaughter. With a possible three- to six-year sentence, Winkler was ordered to serve 210 days, and up to 60 of those days were allowed to be served in a mental health facility.
‘Of course it’s a victory,’ said Steve Farese Sr., one of Winkler’s attorneys. ‘She could be in prison for life and that’s what everybody thought she was headed for to begin with.’
Winkler received a groundswell of local support here in Warren County where people gave her money, paid her bills, and provided a car and a home for her to use free of charge. Avid supporters say Winkler was pushed over the edge by a controlling husband and did the only thing possible to escape an abusive marriage.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are loud cries that justice was not served and that Winkler essentially got away with cold-blooded murder.