Crime & Safety

Suicide in Church and Pastor on Trial for Murder

News Next Door: A bizarre case is playing out in northeastern Pa. as a pastor stands trial for killing his second wife

Homicide, suicide and illicit sex are all factors in an unusual case under way in Monroe County court this week as a former pastor is charged with killing his wife, who was 64.

Investigators say Arthur Schirmer, 56, staged a car accident to cover up the death of his wife in 2009.

They took a closer look into Betty Schirmer's death after a parishoner killed himself inside Reeders United Methodist Church shortly after the car crash. The man was apparently distraught because the pastor was having an affair with his wife, according to a WNEP report.

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Schirmer's lawyer says adultery and church gossip don't mean his client is guilty of homicide.

Prosecutors say e-mails found on the defendant's computer show Schirmer complained that his post-menopausal wife had lost all interest in sex, according to a WFMZ report.

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Schimer is also charged with killing his first wife, Jewel, in Lebanon County. Investigators say her death was staged to make it look like she died as the result of a fall.

A grand jury said Schirmer likely used blunt objects to kill both women, according to a CBS News/Crimesider report.


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