Matthew and Mary Winkler were well known in the small town of Selmer, Tennessee. Matthew was the popular young pastor of the Fourth Street Church of Christ. Mary was his cheerful wife, a stay-at-home mom who kept busy caring for the couple’s three young daughters. The Winkler’s ten-year marriage would come to a quick and violent end in March 2006.

When Matthew did not show up for a Wednesday night service, several congregants went to the Winkler home to check on him. They found Matthew dead in the bedroom, shot in the back. Mary and the girls were nowhere to be found. An Amber alert for the girls led police to Alabama, where they found Mary and her daughters safe.

The authorities promptly arrested Mary for Matthew’s murder. She confessed, telling police that she and Matthew had argued the evening of 20th March. The next morning, she retrieved a shotgun from the cupboard and shot Matthew in the back, while he lay in bed.

Mary said that between Matthew’s constant criticism and arguments over money, she had finally snapped. Police later learned that, unbeknownst to Matthew, Mary had deposited more than $17,000 worth of bad cheques into the family’s account.

Mary's lawyers claimed she was an innocent victim of a notorious cheque-scam operation. Prosecutors contended that she knew exactly what she was doing since she had withdrawn most of the money before the cheques cleared and deposited the cash into a private account.

Mary is currently out on bail and awaiting her trial. The prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek the death penalty.