Mary Winkler Verdict

Mary Winkler was sentenced for no more than six years for killing her minister husband whom she said been mistreating her. I did not follow the case closely, and I did not review the evidence after the verdict. But I was surprised that she was given such a life sentence.

If she was mistreated and justified in her actions, she should have been set free. But the fact that she shot him in the back indicates to me that she was not in any imminent danger. With a gun in her hand she could have covered him as she left the house.

I am not trying to justify any missed treatments that the preacher may have inflicted upon his wife. But there are other remedies than killing someone. So to me the sentence sent a message that if you don't like what's gone on just shoot somebody in the back and point out how mistreated you been in the past, you will in effect, be told, "it's okay!"





Subscribe in a reader