"She came at me with a 'V' of scissors" | Forensic Files

Um then she started to lay out um all the terms that she had wanted and um one of them was
primary custody of the children. So, um, I resolved to, you know, fight for custody of of of the kids. So, I went in
the bedroom where she is and crawled into bed next to her and I said, "Uh, I'm not going to agree to you having the
kids up here and having primary custody. I'm not going to fight you on this." And
uh she said that you know I'm looking to have my boyfriend get rid of you and uh never hit her.
And where did you hit her? Would her right side of the face. Okay. Yeah. And uh and she turns out she's coming at me
with a V of scissors. Uhhuh. And I got a hold of them and we had a struggle on the bed and rolled off into the bed and
I was able to get them turned around onto her and give her some some jabs. Uh it was a long long long protracted
struggle. I poked her in the eye really hard and got her to break free and I got
up and got out of the room and ran to my car. uh got to my car, thought get out of
here. And I thought, "Oh my god, I want to get the the children. The kids are sleeping." You know, I want to get the
baby out of the room that she was in. So I ran back out to the garage and think what what what to do.
Um I grabbed my motorcycle jacket at that point, put it on, zipped it up, and I rushed into the room. She wasn't at
the door. Um, I tripped and fell forward when I rushed into the room. She kicked
me in the in the face and then we got into uh another subsequent struggle um on the floor.
Um and uh uh and uh once I you know started to get the upper hand um I just I pushed the scissors in as far as
I could.

Todd Winkler waived his right to an attorney and spoke to investigators for more than an hour on Feb. 27, 2012, the day he killed his wife, Rachel. Winkler gave them his version of the events that led to her death -- beginning with an argument over their impending divorce.

Brief Summary

A custody battle escalates into a violent confrontation over children's safety.

Key points

Custody Battle Escalates. The struggle for custody intensifies as emotions run high and conflicts arise.
A Chaotic Struggle. A physical confrontation ensues, revealing the desperation of the situation.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I'm not going to agree to you having the kids up here.

A pivotal moment in the custody battle.

0:41WatchDec 12, 2014

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.