I haven’t written any posts on this murder mystery, but there has certainly been a lot of interest and speculation about it pretty much everywhere.
One of the best discussions I’ve seen is at The Median Sib.
Check out the links below to follow the discussion:
Tennessee Church of Christ Minister Murdered by Wife - No Wonder?
Mary Winkler - Motive? Tragedy!
My Cruel, Callous and Mean-Spirited Opinion
Women’s Place in the Church - Is the Church of Christ Right?
She’s received some supportive and a lot of negative response - including some very hostile responses from Church of Christ members.
April 3rd, 2006 at 3:55 pm
It’s unbelievable how many Christians have posted all over the Internet their hatred for a woman they don’t even know. On Courttv.com I saw one woman who kept saying Mary ought to get the death penalty. Someone else had to remind her that in the United States, a person is innocent until proven guilty! Have we forgotten that? Much of the excitement has been over the fact that it’s a woman being accused of killing a man, and how awful it is for a woman to kill the father of her children, although men beat, maim and kill women and mothers in our society every day. All the discussion of how Christian beliefs relate to this case reminds me of the Salem Witch Trials, and the fact that all of the accused were ordinary defenseless women who were innocent, and not heretics or witches. We won’t know whether Mary is guilty, or to what extent she is guilty, until a court of law hears her case. I have never seen so much vehemance come out against a woman whom we have never met, and whose circumstances we cannot possibly know.
April 3rd, 2006 at 4:30 pm
I agree Rhian. I have a feeling there’s a whole lot more to the story. We haven’t heard from her yet.
I think it’s interesting that her attorneys (or the investigators) haven’t made her motive public. There’s a reason for that in my opinion. We wouldn’t want reports mucking up an investigation or the MSM pundits going on and on and on. This gives them a chance to figure out if her stated motive is legit.
It’ll be interesting to watch.
The woman doesn’t give the impression of a sociopath. I have heard her compared to Andrea Yates - I don’t see the comparison. She doesn’t give that impression from her persona on TV - she seems lucid.
It’s all speculation and coming to every conclusion based on a very small amount of actual information.
Check out Median Sib’s post - it’s interesting the response she’s gotten for a fairly benign statement about the Church of Christ.
June 13th, 2006 at 2:40 pm
Do you two know she confessed?? Although there may be extenuating circumstances to consider, don’t forget she took someones life. While hatred for her is uncalled for, looking for reasons for her “innocence” diminishes the seriousness of taking a life.
June 13th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
I don’t havea horse in this race Larry. But her behavior and demeaner gives the impression of someone who seems to believe she did something she had to do. Who knows, maybe she did it for her children. Taking a life is, of course, extremely serious. But there are circumstances under which it is necessary and/or the lesser of two evils.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
June 14th, 2006 at 2:25 pm
Other than in self defense is there ANY reason a person on their own can decide when it is necessary and commit murder?
June 14th, 2006 at 7:56 pm
In defense of a child comes to mind.