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Were the deaths of a Pennsylvania pastor's two wives coincidence or murder?

From CBS News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • A Pennsylvania pastor, A.B. Schirmer, is accused of murdering his second wife.
  • His first wife died in a fall down stairs, and his second wife died in a car crash.
  • The pastor's sister-in-law, Rose Cobb, became suspicious of the circumstances surrounding both deaths.

The deaths of two wives of Pennsylvania pastor A.B. Schirmer are under scrutiny, with the pastor now accused of murdering his second wife.

It was a horrible, shocking, traumatic thing to have somebody not only shoot themselves, but shoot themselves in a church. I couldn't believe it.

โ€” Rose CobbCobb's reaction to the death of her brother, Joe Musante, who died from a gunshot wound in the church office.

Schirmer's first wife, Jewel, reportedly died after falling down stairs. His second wife, Cindy, died in a car accident in October 2008. At the time of Cindy's death, her brother, Joe Musante, died from a gunshot wound in the church office. Rose Cobb, Joe Musante's sister, expressed shock and confusion over her brother's death.

My brother was dead and I didn't know what happened to him.

โ€” Rose CobbCobb's initial confusion and distress following her brother's death.

Cobb's suspicions grew when she learned that Cindy had been having an emotional affair with Pastor Schirmer. She also found the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Schirmer's wives highly questionable. Cobb noted that Betty, Schirmer's second wife, died after a car crash where a deer reportedly ran into the road, causing Schirmer to swerve and hit a bridge. Cobb found it suspicious that two wives died under such different and seemingly accidental circumstances.

Are you having an affair? And she said, 'Well, that depends on what you mean by an affair. And then she explained that is was emotional.

โ€” Rose Cobb and Cindy SchirmerCobb's conversation with her sister-in-law, Cindy, about her relationship with Pastor Schirmer.

Cobb's investigation into the deaths revealed that Betty was Schirmer's second wife, and his first wife, Jewel, had also died suddenly. Cobb recounted that Jewel's death was attributed to a fall down the stairs, with vague details about a sweeper. The series of suspicious deaths surrounding Pastor Schirmer prompted Cobb to question the nature of these tragedies.

I said, 'what happened?' And she said, 'Well you know ... a deer ran out in front of the road. He swerved to miss the deer and - and hit the bridge or something like that, and she ended up dying.'

โ€” Rose CobbCobb recounting Cindy's explanation of the car accident that killed Betty Schirmer.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.