Retired PA pastor convicted of murdering second wife

(Stroudsburg) -- A former pastor with ties to the midstate has been convicted in the 2008 death of his second wife, but still awaits trial in the 1999 death of his first wife.

Arthur Schirmer blamed the second death on a slow-speed car crash and said his first wife fell down the stairs.

But authorities ultimately charged him with bludgeoning both women.

Today's verdict comes after Schirmer testified Friday in Monroe County Court.

He told jurors that he was driving his second wife, Betty, to the hospital for jaw pain when a deer crossed their path, causing them to crash.

Schirmer also stands accused of killing his first wife, Jewel, in 1999 in Lebanon County.