Winklers Caught Up in Email Scam

Mary Winkler’s defense is beginning to take shape. It looks like her lawyers intend to pin the blame on the ‘Nigerian Scam’.

A woman accused of shooting her preacher husband to death after they argued over money may have been taken in by a remarkably common scam that strained their finances and their marriage.

Mary Winkler, who is charged with murder, had gotten tangled up along with her husband in a swindle known as an advance-fee fraud, or the "Nigerian scam," in which victims are told that a sweepstakes prize or some other riches are waiting for them if they send in money to cover the processing expenses, her lawyers say.

"They were always kind of living on the edge of their budget," defense attorney Steve Farese said, "so I'm sure this would have just wrecked their budget."

No one has said how much money the Winklers may have lost, or what role the financial strain might have played in the slaying of Matthew Winkler, the popular minister at the Fourth Street Church of Christ in this small town 80 miles east of Memphis.

Matthew Winkler was shot in the back with a 12-gauge shotgun as he lay in bed March 22 and was found dead by church members.

I am continually amazed with people who are taken in by email scams, urban legends and the like. Don’t they know that search engines are their best friends? Obviously they don’t.

It’s clear that Winkler’s defense team is attempting to reveal Mary’s state of mind prior to the shooting. Given that she’s already confessed to being the shooter, her lawyers need to paint the picture that she was out of sorts, off her rocker, over the edge, if you will, when she blew her husband Matthew away. My guess is they’re simply trying to avoid a death sentence. There’s no doubt that Mary Winkler will never resume a normal life. I have zero pity for her. As I’ve said before, the real victims remain alive. Through no fault of their own, the Winkler daughters will face a lifetime without their parents.

Previously: | Shot Dead Over Family Finances | Winkler: Opening Up | Winkler Attorneys Waive Fees | The Innocent Victims | Winkler Family Fund | Possible Winkler Defense? | Mary Winkler: “Overwhelmed and Confused” | Winkler Vs. the State of Tennessee | She Did It |