Lover of dead Cameron Park woman confronts her husband — and accused killer
By Peter Hecht, The Sacramento Bee | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
In raw courtroom drama, White, 46, of Rescue, took the stand as a prosecution witness and aimed an angry finger at Todd Winkler. White identified the defendant -- by first, last and middle name -- in a powerful voice as Winkler sat passively in his dark suit.
"Suffice to say,
"None whatsoever," White answered.
White, a former handyman at the Cameron Airpark, then discussed his extended affair withIn the predawn hours of
On Thursday, White appeared as a key prosecution witness in the murder trial of Winkler, 47, a former Air Force pilot and pharmaceutical company executive.
The divorced father talked about Rachel, the woman he called the love of his life. He told of her complaints about Todd Winkler's lavish lifestyle, reckless spending and their fights over money. He testified that she told him that Todd once tried to fake a mental collapse in
And he spoke of
"She grabbed my hands and said, 'James, I've got something I really need to tell you. I love you,' " White said. "Then she kissed me. And she said, 'If anything happens to me, I want you to look at Todd. And then as my kids grow up, I want you to tell them I love them.' "
Winkler, who has pleaded not guilty of murder, has admitted killing his wife. But he claimed he acted in fear for his life during a struggle after Rachel came at him with the scissors during an argument over the pending divorce. Defense lawyer
The murder case has attracted national media attention, with crews from three network newsmagazine programs covering trial sessions at the downtown Placerville courthouse.
It has also been energized by prosecutors introducing evidence of a fiery car accident off a
Winkler was never accused of wrongdoing in the
White, a former Marine and sheriff's deputy, said Rachel told him her husband once beat a man in a jealous rage while on vacation. He said she told him he also frightened her with risky actions -- once accelerating and nearly toppling her from a motorcycle and another time abandoning her in deep water while scuba diving.
He said Rachel was particularly unnerved when she found ashes of Todd's previous wife in their combo garage-aircraft hangar and she asked her husband, "Is this going to happen to me?"
Prosecutors say Todd Winkler had told
White testified that Rachel told him that Winkler also emailed her from a business conference in
White testified that
"She said that Todd had told her that he wanted to sue Abbott. And he was preparing the groundwork for that lawsuit," White said.
He told of financial problems that dogged the Winkler family, even as Todd Winkler was earning some
White said Rachel told him Todd had monthly payments of
Prodded by Suder, White read a text in which Rachel addressed conflicts in her marriage and expressed her devotion to him.
"Being with him (Todd Winkler) is like disappearing," she wrote. "I can't relate to his touch. I can only relate to his love for the children and desire for family. I only feel real with you, like I'm holding my breath to see you again. ... Talking to you is like going to church. It feels right and healing."
The day before her death,
Winkler would later tell an El Dorado County sheriff's detective that, after "a protracted struggle" at
On the witness stand Thursday, White admitted he felt such anger that he thought of killing Winkler if the defendant was ever released from custody.
"There is no word in the English language or any other language," he said, "to say how much I hate that man."
White testified for the prosecution for more than two hours before he was briefly cross-examined by Weiner about his professional experience, including time spent with the Marines. White said he was trained in hand-to-hand combat and was an "expert rifleman."
He also told the defense lawyer that his affair with Rachel was "probably the biggest open secret at the airport."
Defense questioning will resume Tuesday.
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