Minister's Wife Accused of Murder

Some of you may be following the story of a Selmer, TN, minister's wife, Mary Winkler, who shot her husband in the back while he slept and escaped to Orange Beach, AL, with their children. Here are the most recent developments in this case. Ms. Winkler is being represented by Steve Farese and Leslie Ballin -- both are excellent criminal defense lawyers. I've been told that both lawyers are representing her for free and I understand why. They're getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in free advertising. Both lawyers are constantly on Memphis & Jackson, TN, news segments. There was a featured article in People Magazine a couple of months ago and both lawyers were mentioned repeatedly with photographs. When I was on vacation last week, I saw a segment of Nancy Grace's show on CNN where both lawyers were interviewed. (Nancy Grace is terrible, by the way). What is the value of this nationwide exposure to Farese and Ballin?

I've known the Farese family since childhood. They have a long line of lawyers in the family tree. They are from Ashland, MS, which is not far from my hometown of Mt. Pleasant, MS. When I graduated from law school, Steve's brother, John Booth Farese, contacted me about working in their office. I already had a job or I probably would've taken them up on it.

Marketing opportunities come in strange ways and through strange sets of events. Although I know that Farese and Ballin will do everything they can to defend Ms. Winkler, they really aren't working for free.

Jerome