I could not believe how false Mary Winklers testimony was. If this is what the jury believed over the evidence I believe no justice occured. Her interview with Oprah was painful to watch, not because I felt any sympathy for her, but because I didn't believe a word she said and had to watch Oprah practically coach her on what to say! I have a sister who escaped an abusive relationship and to this day she has clear clear memories of what that was like. I am very dissapointed in the Jury.

This was a very disturbing interview. When Oprah asked her right in the beginning when did the abuse begin and she said two months after the marriage!!! HELLO!! why for the love of GOD did she have children with this MAN!! I do not condon abuse of any nature, however, if he really was the monster she said he was then she should have taken HER PRECIOUS CHILDREN out of that DANGER!! I don't believe a word she said. I think she is a sick, dark person who does NOT DESERVE to have her children ALONE IN HER PRESCENCE. I hope and pray that the in-laws win custody of the children and try to give them a normal life. If this women get's these kids it won't be long before she is in the news again probably for killing HER OWN KIDS...

All I can say is that I agree. Now, I am not a professional in this field, but was she for real? I can honestly say I did not believe one word she said. Her evasivness to every question to me, clearly showed how she just got away with murder. I am actually shocked that Oprah would do this interview and that Mary Winkler would want to go on a show like this and tell her story. There was not one thing in the interview that was convincing to me. Poor girls. I feel for them badly and his parents for having to bury their child.

She made the entire story up. In my heart I am 100 percent sure of that fact. I know people who knew Matthew Winkler and had nothing but amazing things to say about him. I physically could not help but laughing when she said that she wanted to talk to him and then she heard the sound of the gun like it MAGICALLY went off by itself. It is just SO ridiculous some of the things that she claimed. Also, the part when she said he tried to suffocate there daughter to get her to go to sleep...hello? that made NO SENSE at all.

Am I the only one that thought that was absolutely ridiculous?

+It never ceases to amaze me how quickly folks jump in to judge when they've had no experience with abuse. If I weren't a victorious survivor of childhood abuse I might have a sense of self righteousness about what I'd do in a situation like Mary's. No one will ever really know for sure what happened between Mary and her husband except for Mary. Of course her husband can't defend himself.+ +Our personalities are shaped during our childhood a great deal by our parents. As we leave home with little life experience we can often be ripe for the picking for an abusive or controlling mate if we are accustomed to being abused or controlled. I watched my mother throughout my childhood take beatings, verbal, mental and emotional abuse from my dad. He beat us kids more than he did her and even threatened us with guns many times.+ +My mom is a very meek, gentle, loving, respectful woman. Many men with abusive personalities gravitate towards a woman such as this, and most women like my mom gravitate toward a seemingly strong, protective husband. My dad was not abusive until after they married.+ +Mix violent, raging, controlling, manipulative personalities types (husbands) with religion (God) and you've got a seriously hopeless situation for the wife and kids. I know this sounds difficult to believe but many women who follow religious faith want most to honor God (which is admirable) this also means to honor their husbands, but they don't know where the internal boundaries should be toward husbands who aren't behaving in a loving and respectful manner. My mom thought if she could just be good enough, be perfect enough, work hard enough for my dad and pray hard enough for him that he would eventually change. She did not understand that one does not honor dishonorable behavior.+ +People who have not been subjected, to and actually raised in abusive homes do not have a clue to how powerless you become. You don't even have a sense of self. This happens systematically early on. We ran from my dad so many times in the middle of the night and it is difficult to describe the terror one feels in that situation. If you are being beat, when he's finished and he just catches you looking at him, he beats you again for disrespect.+ +No one else knew what we were going through. Many of his friends were the local law enforcement. I learned to keep the abuse a secret, it is a secret of shame, it becomes your shame, and you learn to go to school and laugh just like everyone else. You don't do well in school, but you just go through the motions and fake it for one more day. Your entire life is centerned around the emotions and behaviors of the abuser. You walk on eggshells constantly and become very hyper sensitive everything in your life.+ +While growing up one of my brothers said repeatedly that when he grew up he was going to kill our father. If we had even tried it would have had to have been to shoot him in the back because, he ALWAYS had come after us...always, and he just might be able to do it even after being shot. Also it is very difficult to look your rageful abuser in the face. Such fear. Such deadness you begin to feel in your spirit as little by little slowly the abuser robs you of everything.+ +Instead, my mother is still there after 50 years, taking verbal and emotional abuse. When I first got married, my husband could have beat me and I would have never dared tried to leave. I had no will of my own. I've been through years of therapy and i'd never let anyone abuse me in any way now. I'm very strong and joyful and am blessed with an awesome family.+ +I wished my dad dead many times throughout my growing up years but I'm glad he isn't. I don't hate him. I hate his mean ways. My brothers and I don't spend much time with him, but we honor him on his birthday and father's day. I do that to remind myself that someone has to show him what it means to love. I don't want him punished in this life or the afterlife, but I sure do wish he'd see himself for how he really is before he passes on..+ +My children have heard a few of the abuse stories from my past, and they would say, "I'd never let anyone treat me treat me like that, I'd run away, I'd fight back." I smile and just think to myself....they don't understand, and I'm glad they don't.+ +If Mary was abused, her behavior makes perfect sense to me. If she wasn't, I can't imagine what would make a woman like her shoot her husband, with her children in the house too? What could be so bad to result in such irrational behavior. Thats what everyone should be asking. These things do not happen for no reason.+ ++

I couldn't agree more. NO ONE knows what really happened except for Mary & her husband. I am confused as to how people believe that he was this saint and she is the evil, diabolical woman. Really??? And why did she cover it up, why did she have children??? Because hindsight is 20/20 and we have ALL loved someone that we hoped would change. Even if it something simple, we ALL have ignored things that we thought would get better. And I TOTALLY agree with you about mixing a domineering personality with religion. It gives men a total feeling of control.

Let me say I am so very sorry for all the abuse that some women go through and I am also so very thankful that some find the strength to leave. They did find a way. I just wish Mary had done the same. She may be a quiet person but I do not get the feeling that she is particularly shy...there is a difference. As many have pointed out, she is the one that contacted Oprah to get her story out. I really don't believe however that she achieved what she was trying to set out to do. She was not able to answer most of Oprah's questions...even with help from Oprah. Mary attended a good college so I assume that she was able to do college level work yet as she spoke she didn't come across as intelligent. I've also read many postings about her in-laws and how they were blind to the fact that Matthew was abusive...as were everyone else that knew the family. However, her own father stated that he saw bruises that were covered up with heavy makeup. I guess I'm wondering why he didn't try to help his daughter? Why didn't he talk with her husband? Why didn't he talk with Matthew's parents? Why didn't he try to help in any way at all? If he says, "Mary didn't want me to do so", would that stop me from protecting my daughter?...I don't think so. People seem to want to attack Matthew and his family but I really haven't seen, heard, or read a lot about her's. Strange don't you think?