During her testimony in the murder trial, Mary Freeman talked about being abused verbally, emotionally, physically, and sexually.
"But Mary Winkler described nearly a decade of marital abuse when she took the witness stand on Wednesday. She said he struck and kicked her, "screamed and hollered" at her, criticized her, blamed her when things went wrong and made her watch pornography and wear "slutty" costumes for sex.""She also said he forced her to submit to sex acts that made her uncomfortable ... She testified that his sex drive was much stronger than hers, referring to it as "a weakness of his."
Source: Susan Candiotti and Ann O'Neill, CNN.com, April 19, 2007.
According to statements released by police soon after the shooting, Mary used her husband's 12-gauge shotgun that he kept in a bedroom closet in the parsonage where they lived.
Mary shot Matthew in the middle of his back while he was in bed.
Described as quiet, sweet, introverted, and unassuming, Mary was charged with first-degree, premeditated murder because she apparently loaded the shotgun prior to using it and she made reservations at a beach condo the day before she shot Matthew. She pleaded not guilty.
Mary was arrested on the Gulf Coast in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Statement by Mary: "All the girls got in the bed between 8 and 9 p.m. Matthew started ranting about (problems regarding church administration), and I didn't know what set him off. I was just listening to him. He calmed down. We started the movie, and I fell asleep. He woke me up. We went to bed sometime probably late ... He (Matthew Winkler) was still in bed. I don't think I left the room. He had a shotgun he kept in the closet in a case. I don't remember going to the closet or getting the gun. The next thing I remember was hearing a loud boom. I remember thinking it wasn't as loud as I thought it would be. I heard the boom and he rolled out of the bed onto the floor, and I saw some blood on the floor and some bleeding around his mouth. I went over and wiped his mouth off with a sheet. I told him I was sorry and that I loved him, and I went and ran. I do remember me holding the shotgun, hearing the boom and then a smell. He asked me, 'Why?' I just said I was sorry. I was scared, sad and wanted to get out of the house."
Source: JacksonSun.com
Motives for the Murder:
Some motives that have been mentioned in various news reports:- Emotional, physical, verbal, and sexual abuse along with child abuse.
- Mary is said to have had a gambling problem betting on online casinos.
- Mary and Matthew argued over money issues the night before the shooting, especially their involvement in a Nigerian check scheme.
- Mary, in statement read at her bail hearing: "I had gotten a call from the bank and we were having trouble, mostly my fault, bad bookkeeping. He was upset with me about that. He had really been on me lately, criticizing me for things -- the way I walk, what I eat, everything. It was just building up to a point. I was tired of it. I guess I got to a point and snapped."
Source: CourtTV.comSteve Farese, defense attorney, about the Nigerian check scheme: "They were always kind of living on the edge of their budget, so I'm sure this would have just wrecked their budget."
Source: CourtTv.com
Conviction and Sentencing
On June 8, 2007, Mary Winkler was sentenced to three years in prison for the killing of Matthew Winkler. It is expected that she would receive credit for the time she had previously spent in prison -- five months. She served an additional week in jail and 60 days in a mental health facility.On April 19, 2007, Mary Winkler was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Matthew Winkler.
Quotes About the Winkler Case
Mary Winkler: "I love him dearly, but gosh, he just nailed me in the ground. I just took it like a mouse ... My ugly came out. I made the choice to do something that was evil and was wrong and illegal."Source: ABCnews.go.com, "Murder in a Small Town", July 9, 2007.
