MATTHEW Winkler was a church minister in the small city of Selmer, Tennessee.
After his death shocked his small town, his wife, Mary, became the prime suspect.
Who was Matthew Winkler?
Matthew Winkler was a minister from Tennessee. He lived with his wife of almost ten years in the small city of Selmer.
The couple wed in 1996 and welcomed three daughters throughout their marriage.
In January 2005, he became the pulpit minister for a Selmer church.
What happened to Matthew Winkler?
On March 22, 2006, Matthew Winkler was found dead in the bedroom of his home.
Churchgoers had discovered that he suffered a gunshot wound after failing to attend a nighttime service that he was meant to lead.
His wife and children were not found in the home at that time.
According to the Tennessee State Medical Examiner, Dr. Bruce Levy, Matthew was killed by a single shot from a shotgun.
Dr. Levy also declared the cause of death to be bleeding as a result of the shotgun wound.
Where is Mary Winkler now?
Authorities arrested Mary Winkler in Orange Beach, Alabama, where she confessed to shooting her husband.
She was charged with first-degree murder but was convicted of a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Mary testified that her husband had beaten her and forced her to engage in sex, wear “slutty” outfits to bed, and watch pornography against her will, according to Reuters.
In June 2007, she was sentenced to three years in prison but was accredited with 143 days of served time.
She served the last 60 days of her sentence in a mental health facility and was released that August.
While Matthew’s parents had gained temporary custody of her kids after her arrest, Mary regained custody in 2008.