Authorities descended on the Winklers’ home in Cameron Park, Calif., after a 911 call about a death. Survey Discovery’American Monster: Edge of Reason’ focuses on the reasons behind the murder of a beloved mother, Rachel Winkler. While the police knew who killed Rachel, the circumstances surrounding the death became the talking points in the ensuing trial. So if you’re curious for more, we’ve got you covered.
How did Rachel Winkler die?
After high school, Rachel pursued a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Sonoma State University in California, later working with several small businesses. The 37-year-old had married Todd Winkler, a former Air Force pilot and pharmaceutical executive, just weeks after they met. Together they had three young children and had been married for about six years when the incident happened. At the time, Rachel was working at Cameron Airpark in California as a manager.
On the morning of February 27, 2012, the Winklers’ neighbor called authorities to report a domestic dispute that ended in death. He had received a call from Todd regarding a fight between the couple. Once they arrived at the house, the officers found Todd, who directed them to Rachel’s body. She was in one of the bedrooms and had been stabbed several times. Along with defensive wounds on her palms and abrasions on her face, she had stab wounds to her neck and eyes. The weapon used was a pair of scissors.
Who Killed Rachel Winkler?
Authorities then learned that Rachel and Todd’s marriage had been on the rocks for some time and that she had planned to file for divorce. According to a friend, Brandy Stanley, Rachel had told her in a phone call that Todd was a pathological liar, also calling him a creep in a previous email. Additionally, Rachel had begun an affair with James White, whom she met at work. Todd had known about this relationship for over a year and tried to win his wife back.
When Todd was questioned, he claimed they had a falling out over custody of their children. At one point, it got physical when Todd punched Rachel. He claimed his wife then came at him with scissors, and a struggle ensued. Then Todd claimed to have stabbed her, walked to his car and returned with his jacket. At the time, he said he feared for his life and plunged the scissors into Rachel’s neck during another struggle.
Later, police learned that this was not the first time Todd’s partner had died. His previous wife, Catherine, died in what was ruled a 1999 car accident in Georgia. At the time, he told police that Catherine was driving him to a medical center because an insect had bitten him. In Todd’s version of events, his wife ran off a dirt road down a mountain as he was thrown from the vehicle. In the end, he raised over a million in life insurance.
Plus, there was a history of Todd’s disturbing behavior to contend with. According to Rachel’s brother, Todd once physically assaulted Rachel at a San Diego bar in 2006. The prosecution also believed he lied to his employers on multiple occasions about cancer. Then, in another chilling development, Rachel’s dad said that Todd once wanted to stage a car accident with Rachel where the vehicle would fall off a cliff, to cash in on the money from the assurance.
James further said that Rachel feared for her life, adding: “She said, ‘If anything happens to me, I want you to look at Todd. And I want you to look at my kids when they’re older and tell them how much I loved them. At Todd’s trial, the prosecution drew attention to the fact that he had cleaned up the crime scene and waited several hours before calling. anybody.
As for his wounds, the prosecution considered that they were self-inflicted because none of the objects he had touched contained blood. After the attack, Todd admitted to feeding his children, who were all in the house, including the seven-month-old baby in the bedroom. The trial began in September 2014, with a flurry of evidence presented against Todd. The prosecution claimed the motive was financial as he did not want to pay child and spousal support.
Where is Todd Winkler now?
At trial, the defense claimed that Todd had a history of mental illness and was hospitalized while on duty and while working for the drug company. They further maintained that he suffered from dissociative identity disorder and that during the attack his right arm was temporarily paralyzed.
However, the jury sided with the prosecution, finding Todd guilty of Rachel’s murder. In December 2014, then aged 47, he was sentenced to 26 years in prison. Records indicate that Todd remains incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, California. He will be eligible for parole in June 2031.
Read more: How did Mohammed Robinson die?
