STROUDSBURG, Pa. – A former pastor awaiting trial in the 1999 death of his first wife was convicted Tuesday of fatally bludgeoning his second wife nine years later.STROUDSBURG, Pa. – A former pastor awaiting trial in the 1999 death of his first wife was convicted Tuesday of fatally bludgeoning his second wife nine years later.
Arthur “A.B.” Schirmer, 64, was called the “sinister minister” by a prosecutor who said he clubbed Betty Schirmer on the head with a crowbar, then loaded her into their car and staged a low-speed accident in an effort to conceal the crime.
The ex-clergyman was motionless as the jury returned its verdict 90 minutes after getting the case, and he said nothing while being led from the courtroom in handcuffs.
His conviction brought cries and tears of joy from the family of Betty Schirmer, who prosecutors say suffered mortal brain injuries when he attacked her on July 15, 2008.
“Today, she can finally rest in peace,” said her son, Nate Novack, who thanked prosecutors for “bringing my mom’s killer to justice.”