Mary Winkler Shot Husband Accidentally

Now, I wasn't in the courtroom to hear testimony but it seems to me that Mary Winkler received a huge gift from the jury. She was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shotgun death of her husband. As I understand, he was shot in the back while sleeping and Mary Winkler contends that it was an accident.

Unbelievable, if my facts are right. As a result, Winkler may receive a mere months-long stint in jail, or probation, at sentencing on May 18th.

And all the while I'm thinking there is a Border Patrol agent named Ignacio Ramos doing 11 years in prison for shooting and wounding an illegal alien drug smuggler in the leg. A Border Patrol agent on the job enforcing laws for the American people gets 11 years for wounding a drug trafficker. Mary Winkler will probably be home for Christmas after shooting her husband in the back and fleeing as he lay bleeding to death.

There must be some grounds for appeal. This is nuts. And to top everything off, I can't help but think of similar cases where women are not held accountable for grievous murder.

There's Andrea Yates. Remember her? She drowns her five kids and last I heard she's out on bond awaiting a retrial. She probably goes to the park and listens to other people's kids playing. Not her own because she drowned them, one by one in the bathtub.

Hey, and let's not forget Lashaun Harris who threw her three young children into San Francisco Bay and was sentenced to get well at a mental hospital.

And now we have Mary Winkler who boo-hooed on the witness stand telling the jury that her husband made her get gussied up for sex. And he was controlling. And he pinched his daughter's nose. And so he died, but she didn't mean to do it. It was an accident. And the jury bought it. Hook, line, and sinker.

I don't believe that Matthew Winkler deserved to die. Apparently, Mary Winkler believed otherwise and the jury ruled that it was largely an okay thing to do.

On the other hand, Ignacio Ramos continues to serve his 11 years in prison while his victim, now fully recovered from his leg wound, presumably returned to working in the illegal drug trade.


[Update 9/23/08]

Mary Winkler got a sentence of five months and custody of her children.