by  Seamus McGraw

March 24, 2006

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SELMER, Tenn (Crime Library) —The wife of a popular and charismatic pastor who was found slain in his Selmer parsonage yesterday was in custody in Alabama this morning, facing charges of first degree murder.

Authorities say they now have enough evidence to charge Mary Winkler, 32, with the murder of her husband, Matthew. The 31-year-old preacher, known for powerful Bible-and-nothing-but-the-Bible sermons, was found shot to death late Wednesday in the bedroom of his parsonage. Congregants who had become concerned when he failed to show up for Wednesday evening services found his body.

The Winkler family

Adding to the mystery was the fact that his wife and three young children were missing. At first, authorities were puzzled, uncertain whether Mary Winkler had fled with the children or whether all four had been abducted. A nationwide Amber Alert was issued for the children.

By Thursday, authorities had tracked the parson's wife to Orange Beach, Ala, where she had fled in the family's RV, and by Thursday afternoon, they were already calling her a possible suspect.

By late Thursday, she was their only suspect, said Ed Jones, a spokesman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Mary Winkler

"We have interviewed her and based on those interviews, and evidence from a consensual search of the vehicle, we decided to charge her with first degree murder," Jones said.

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