Homicide trial for former Lancaster County pastor slated in January

A former Lancaster County pastor charged with homicide in the death of his second wife is scheduled to go on trial in January in Monroe County.

Sixty-three-year-old Arthur Schirmer, former pastor of Reeders United Methodist Church in Jackson Township, Monroe County, is charged in the July 2008 death of Betty Jean Schirmer, which he said was due to a car accident.

The 1999 death of his first wife, Jewel Schirmer, in Lebanon County was originally said to be "undetermined," but authorities said earlier this year said it had been reclassified a homicide. No charges have been filed.

The Pocono Record says a Monroe County judge is to rule later on admissibility of evidence in that case and other motions.

Arthur Schirmer's attorney says his client denies that foul play was involved in either death.

Arthur Schirmer, known as "A.B.," served as pastor at Bainbridge and Marietta United Methodist churches in Lancaster County from 1975 through 1978, according to newspaper records. He and Jewel sang duets at the annual Rawlinsville Camp Meeting in southern Lancaster County. They first came to the two-week-long summer gathering in 1975 as youth evangelists and returned later, in the 1980s, with their son and two daughters.

Jewel Schirmer played the piano and directed a choir during the decade they served the camp, mainly from the late 1980s to mid-1990s.

The couple moved to Lebanon when Schirmer was transferred to Bethany United Methodist Church.

Information from: Pocono Record, http://www.poconorecord.com/

Talkback on LancasterOnline

LancasterOnline welcomes robust, informative discussion of issues and events. We do not pre-screen comments. We ask that your comments respect the opinions of others and our full posting guidelines.

Anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. You may report any comment which you believe violates our posting guidelines by clicking on the flag beneath the offending post.

Read More @ Source



Criminal Stories Here

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homicide victim found at vacant Everett house

Image
EVERETT -- Police on Wednesday were canvassing the View Ridge-Madison neighborhood in Everett after a man was found dead there the night before. A neighbor spotted the man on the ground outside a vacant house at 22 Madison St. He called 911 about 6:20 p.m. The man had obvious signs of trauma to his torso, police said. He looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s. The Everett Major Crimes Unit is investigating the death as a homicide, Lt. Robert Goetz said. Detectives declined to say more about how they believe the man may have died. There are no identified suspects or motives. Detectives received a search warrant around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday and collected evidence at the scene. They returned Wednesday afternoon to look for clues in the daylight, Goetz said. The victim's identity had not been determined as of late Wednesday afternoon. The body was turned over to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office. Anyone with information is asked to call 425-257-8450. Rikki King: 425-
Keep reading

Manslaughter charges possible in boy's death

Image
Published: Thursday, August 23, 2012, 5:55 p.m. MONROE -- Detectives believe a 7-year-old Monroe boy's parents should face second-degree manslaughter charges in connection with his January overdose death. Monroe police this week wrapped up their probe into the boy's Jan. 30 death and forwarded the case to prosecutors to decide if his parents should face criminal charges. Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Lisa Paul likely will begin reviewing the case in the coming days. She doesn't expect to make a charging decision in the near future, however. "It's quite an extensive investigation, and I want to review it thoroughly before I make any decision," she said. The boy, identified as "A.J." in court papers, ingested a lethal amount of salicylates, a chemical common in aspirin and other over-the-counter drugs. The medical examiner declined to conduct an autopsy on the boy, making it difficult to determine how the drug ended up in the boy's system. A
Keep reading