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COPYRIGHT 2006 Financial Times Ltd.
(From CNN News)
Her attorneys say Winkler will plead not guilty. But what about the confession?
LESLIE BALLIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Whether or not when a person tells their side of what happened, it amounts to a confession, that is an admission of guilt, that's something else.
DORNIN (on camera): Your you're questioning that? You're questioning that?
BALLIN: I'm questioning whether or not it's a confession. It may be a statement of what happened, but I don't know what is contained in that statement.
DORNIN (voice over): Her attorneys say we may learn that the public face of the Winkler family was very different from the private one. But just what did go on behind closed doors at the Winkler home?
(on camera): Police have pretty much ruled out infidelity, but they won't comment on domestic abuse. Did you ever see any signs in school with those children of domestic abuse? KILLINGSWORTH: I never saw any signs of domestic abuse. Mary never -- she never said anything. And as much as I was with the children, nothing was ever said. There were no actions.
Usually there will be telltale signs. A child will act a certain way. Their body language -- there was never any of that with either one of those children.
DORNIN (voice over): While most who knew the Winklers describe them in glowing terms, one neighbor says she saw a different side of Matthew Winkler.
SHARYN EVERITT, NEIGHBOR: It was totally not what I expected from a preacher.
DORNIN: Sharyn Everitt says Winkler was angry about her dog's running loose in the yard and frightened her children.
EVERITT: And then he said, "If that dog comes over to my yard I'll shoot it."
DORNIN: He says he repeated the warning to her husband six months later. An isolated incident, perhaps, but Everett wonders.
EVERITT: He wasn't perfect. He absolutely -- I mean, if we're going to elevate him to sainthood, let's wait until after the court and let's see what really did happen.
DORNIN: At the preliminary hearing on Thursday police will likely use Mary Winkler's own words to say what happened. Her husband's funeral will be held at the same church where he preached for the last year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Is it known what kind of defense the -- her attorney is going to put on?
DORNIN: Well, Anderson, remember her defense team has not even read her confession yet. Nor have the police shared what they believe to be the motive. So they're talking about a lot of different things here.
They're exploring the possibility of psychological examinations, was there postpartum depression? Those are some of the avenues they're looking at. But they say at this point they're still formulating what they're going to do.
COOPER: It is such a -- where are the kids now?
DORNIN: The kids are with Matthew Winkler's parents. They did take custody right after Mary Winkler was arrested.
COOPER: All right. Rusty Dornin, thanks.
We're going to talk to Ms. Winkler's attorney in the next hour on 360.
A lot...
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