Former Philly Pastor Stands Accused of Murdering His 1st and 2nd Wife
Former Pennsylvania pastor Arthur "A.B." Schirmer was considered a "serial philanderer, preying on women in his church" who were having trouble in their own marriages. Court documents say he's also a killer.
While Schirmer was charged two years ago in the death of his second wife, he now stands accused of killing his first wife too. A grand jury concluded her injuries weren't consistent with a fall down the stairs as reported that the time of her death. The ex-pastor intends to plead innocent, and his children say they support him.
The report says:
Schirmer, 64, has long claimed he was out for a run on April 23, 1999, when he returned home to find Jewel Schirmer's body in a pool of blood at the bottom of the basement steps. Although she had suffered a fractured skull as well as injuries to her face, body, arms and legs, the coroner made no determination as to whether her death was an accident or a homicide, and the case was closed.The victim's brother has never been convinced that his sister died the way it was told back then.
Jonathan Behney told police two days after his sister's death that "it was his opinion that her head was smashed in by someone," a police affidavit said. "He added that Arthur had been cheating on his sister for some time and has had several extramarital affairs with other women."
Police and prosecutors decided to take another look at Jewel Schirmer's death after her husband of 31 years came under investigation in the 2008 death of his second wife, Betty Jean, in the Pocono Mountains. Prosecutors in that case say Schirmer killed Betty Jean Schirmer, then staged a car accident to cover it up. He faces trial in January.
Investigators hired a biomechanical engineering firm to recreate Jewel Schirmer's supposed fall down the stairs. The firm used a test dummy fitted with various instruments to collect data on the forces to which her tumbling body would have been subjected.
"We found the 'crash dummy' evidence to be particularly compelling, as it indicated to us that Jewel could not have suffered all of her injuries by accidentally falling down a flight of stairs," the grand jury wrote.The grand jury cited medical testimony that revealed Schirmer likely used blunt objects to kill both his wives.
"We find it particularly disturbing and difficult to believe that both of A.B. Schirmer's wives could have suffered such horrific injuries by accident. To the contrary, we believe probable cause exists to believe that neither woman died from an accident," the report said.One of Schirmer's former church members, Kathy Siegrist, said she felt betrayed by the pastor who'd led her spiritual life for 20 years, so much so that she no longer attends a church.
Siegrist — who called herself Jewel Schirmer's best friend — said she had always considered A.B. Schirmer, who led Bethany United Methodist Church in Lebanon, to be gentle and kind. But there were hints of a darker side, flashes of anger that Siegrist said she never saw but that her then-husband used to talk about.
"The moment this happened, he told me he thinks A.B. killed her," Siegrist said.
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