Death in the Parsonage

Summary

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48 Hours – "Death in the Parsonage"

Release Date: December 23, 2025
Host: CBS News (various correspondents)
Episode Theme:
This gripping episode of “48 Hours” walks listeners through the investigation of suspicious deaths linked to Pastor Arthur Burton Shermer. What began as a suicide investigation within the sanctuary walls of a small-town church unraveled into a shocking story of affairs, deception, and two wives found dead under mysterious circumstances. Through family interviews, law enforcement insights, and expert testimony, the episode explores how relentless advocacy and dogged detective work brought a revered pastor to justice, all while examining the emotional wreckage left for those he touched.

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Major Discussion Points & Insights

The Tragic Death of Joe Musanti – Setting Off the Investigation

• [01:06] Detective Jim Wagner recounts the discovery of Joe Musanti’s body, found in the pastor’s office, dead from a gunshot wound to the head, presumed suicide.
• [01:38] Samantha Musanti, Joe’s daughter, describes the pain of losing her father and the immediate explanation given by her mother.
• [02:05] Joe’s sister, Rose Cobb, expresses instant skepticism about the suicide, believing something was amiss.

Suspicions Surrounding Pastor Shermer

• [02:13] Rose reveals Joe discovered his wife, Cindy, was having an affair with Pastor A.B. Shermer. Revelations of text messages confirm the relationship.
• [03:07] Rose alerts police that Pastor Shermer has lost not one but two wives—Jewel (fell down stairs) and Betty (died in car accident)—raising suspicions about his past.
• [04:16] At Joe’s memorial, Cindy’s admission to Rose about her affair is oddly nonchalant, which unnerves Rose.

The Affair and Its Impact

• [06:30] Samantha Musanti describes finding out about her mother’s affair with their pastor and the family’s devastation.
• [07:44] Samantha’s attempt to stop the affair by sending an anonymous email backfires, leading to an intimidating confrontation with her mother and Pastor Shermer.
• [09:19] Samantha plays the last voicemail from her father:

  “If you love me at all, please call me back. That was the last time that I heard from him.” – Samantha Musanti ([09:22])

Unraveling Patterns of Death

• [11:35] Detective Wagner emphasizes the suspicious timing of Joe’s death and the convenience it afforded Cindy and Shermer.
• [12:46] Wagner pivots to investigating the deaths of both of Shermer's previous wives, particularly Betty’s recent fatal car crash.

Betty’s “Accident” Comes Under Scrutiny

• [13:33] Shermer’s account of swerving to miss a deer, leading to a crash fatally injuring Betty, is described.
• [14:05] Stan Dickerson, a good Samaritan, describes Shermer’s strange indifference at the crash scene—and that Shermer hadn’t even called 911.
• [15:41] Betty’s family notes her fierce seatbelt habit, conflicting with Shermer’s shifting stories about why she wasn't buckled in.
• [16:08] Betty is quickly cremated, a choice that upsets her sisters due to her well-known wishes against cremation.
• [19:09] Dr. Wayne Ross, pathologist, points out that Betty’s head injuries are not consistent with a simple car accident.

The First Wife, Jewel – A Second Suspicious Death

• [21:21] Jewel’s death in 1999, described as a fall down stairs while vacuuming, had also raised an eyebrow for the medical examiner.
• [22:07] Dr. Ross:

  “The pathology was totally negative for heart disease. And the problem is we gotta make sure this isn’t a homicide.” ([21:44])

• [22:19] Jewel’s cause of death was left as “undetermined”—but no real police investigation followed.

Building the Case – Forensics and Red Flags

• [23:26] Detectives search the parsonage, finding blood traces in the garage and a blood trail leading to the passenger side of the car; tests confirm it’s Betty’s blood.
• [24:57] Investigation disproves Shermer’s account of Betty moving wood in the garage before her death, as the newspapers in the woodpile are dated after her death.
• [29:21] Dr. Ross compares Betty’s injuries to Jewel’s, establishing a disturbing pattern:

  “Two women married to the same guy, two lacerations to the right side of the head, both dying of traumatic brain injuries, both under suspicious circumstances – how likely is that?”

A Daughter’s Warnings & Impending Danger

• [25:39] Shermer moves in with Cindy; Samantha disconnects from the family.
• [26:13] Samantha calls police after her mother texts that Shermer bought her a ring.

  “She was going to be wife number three, and the first two didn’t have a whole lot of luck.” – Samantha Musanti ([26:25])

• [27:18] Detective Wendy Surface: “I don’t think she was safe at all. I think it was a matter of time before whatever his trigger was would surface in their relationship, too.” ([27:47])

The Arrest and Medical Evidence

• [28:11] Shermer is arrested for Betty’s murder.
• [29:31] Forensic testing—reconstructing stair falls with dummies—supports homicide in Jewel's death:

  "Jewel's injuries were not caused by a fall down the stairs. ... She was beaten with an object such as a pipe or maybe crowbar..." – Dr. Wayne Ross ([30:38])

• [31:36] Jewel's death certificate changed from “undetermined” to “homicide.” Shermer is indicted for both murders.

The Double Trials—Family Divided

• [34:09] The circumstantial nature of the evidence, including patterns from both wife deaths, becomes central at trial.
• [36:05] Rose Cobb:

  “I think that he finds vulnerable people and he grooms them for himself...You’re not describing a pastor. You’re describing a predator.”
  “Right?” – Rose Cobb ([36:13])

• [36:46] The jury learns of odd evidence: a deer motif on Betty’s funeral urn; undisturbed coins inside the car despite the “violent” crash.
• [38:04] Samantha Musanti’s courtroom testimony is powerful:

  “It felt empowering to be able to look him in the eye after so many years. What he did to my family, it was amazing.” – Samantha Musanti ([38:04])

• [39:28] In just 90 minutes, the jury convicts Shermer for the murder of Betty.

Aftermath & Unhealed Wounds

• [40:14] The Musanti and Shermer families reflect on the outcomes:

  “I expected to be so happy, but...it was really, really difficult. At the end of the day, it doesn’t bring back my dad and it doesn’t bring back Betty.” – Samantha Musanti ([39:59])

• [41:59] Samantha’s relationship with her mother, Cindy, is irreparably broken due to her continued bond with Shermer.

  “I don’t have a relationship with her. I can’t really say that. She’s my mother. She’s not the woman that raised me. I wish she could see Ab for who he really is.” – Samantha Musanti ([41:59])

• [42:20] Shermer pleads no contest to the murder of his first wife, Jewel—ensuring a lifetime behind bars.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He knew exactly what he was doing.”
  Samantha Musanti on Shermer’s manipulation ([02:48])

• “The hair on the back of my neck actually stood up. I thought he was a fraud. Something was wrong.”
  Rose Cobb on learning the truth about Shermer ([03:07])

• “Wolf in sheep’s clothing, or basically a wolf in shepherd’s clothing is more apt.”
  Prosecutor Mike Mancuso ([35:48])

• “How likely is it to have two women married to the same guy... both dying of traumatic brain injuries, both under suspicious circumstances? ...It’s extremely unlikely.”
  Dr. Wayne Ross ([29:34])

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Key Timestamps

• 01:06 – Discovery of Joe Musanti’s body; initial suicide determination
• 02:13 – Introduction of the Shermer/Cindy affair and prior wife deaths
• 13:05 – Betty Shermer’s car accident: official story vs. red flags
• 21:21 – Reopening the investigation into first wife Jewel’s death
• 23:32 – Discovery of Betty’s blood trail in the garage
• 28:11 – Shermer’s arrest for the murder of wife Betty
• 29:31 – Pathologist links the fatal injuries of both wives
• 31:36 – Death certificate officially reclassified as homicide for Jewel
• 35:48 – Prosecution’s case: the “sinister minister” motif
• 38:04 – Samantha Musanti’s pivotal courtroom testimony
• 39:28 – Shermer found guilty of first-degree murder
• 42:20 – Shermer pleads no contest for Jewel’s death, sealing his fate

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Summary

“Death in the Parsonage” is a chilling exploration of how a respected community leader—Pastor Arthur Burton Shermer—used his position to prey on vulnerable women and manipulate those around him, leaving a trail of suspicious deaths. The episode masterfully details the incremental uncovering of truth, from a presumed suicide to the exposure of a calculated serial predator. Through the persistence of Joe Musanti’s family and the determined work of law enforcement, Shermer is ultimately brought to justice, but not before devastating aftershocks forever reshape the lives of multiple families. The episode blends forensic science, emotional interviews, and legal drama to show just how difficult—and vital—it is to see through a veil of trust and uncover the darkness beneath.

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Transcript

[Samantha Musanti]

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[Narrator]

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[Amy or Julie Shermer]

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[Samantha Musanti]

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[Amy or Julie Shermer]

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[Samantha Musanti]

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[Brandon Reich]

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[Detective Jim Wagner]

On October 29, 2008, there was a suicide that occurred at the Reader's Methodist Church. The church secretary arrived for work and found Mr. Massante behind the reverend's desk. Joseph Missante was a parishioner at the church and he was slumped on over the chair and it was a very bloody, gruesome sight. He had shot himself with a handgun.

[Samantha Musanti]

My mom sat us down and she just said, your father decided he didn't want to be here anymore. I love my dad. He was one of my greatest role models.

[Rose Cobb]

Oh my God. I know what his kids meant to him. That's why people couldn't believe that he would do that. My name is Rose Cobb. My brother is Joe Mi zani.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

About a week after Joe's suicide, Rose Cobb calls our police department.

[Rose Cobb]

I knew that something was not right.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

She said that Joe discovered that his wife Cindy was having an affair with the Reverend A.B.

[Narrator]

Shermer.

[Samantha Musanti]

She was the assistant to the pastor. I found some text messages on her cell phone from AB him telling her that he loved her and how nice she looked and he couldn't wait to see her. How could my mom ever do something like this to our family? I feel now that she was very vulnerable. And I feel as though he seduced her. He knew exactly what he was doing.

[Rose Cobb]

I didn't think that was following the rules of the church. I just had a lot of questions about who he was.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Rose also alerts us to the fact that the Reverend has lost now two wives.

[Rose Cobb]

His first wife fell down the stairs and died. And then his second wife dies from being in a car accident. That's strange. The Hair on the back of my neck actually stood up. I thought he was a fraud. Something was wrong. It was a horrible, shocking, traumatic thing to have somebody not only shoot themselves, but shoot themselves in a church. Couldn't believe it.

[Narrator]

You couldn't believe. Was October of 2008 when Rose Cobb learned of her brother's death. It's hard still. Joe Musanti died in the church office, sitting at the pastor's desk. A single gunshot wound to the head. He left behind his wife of 18 years and two children.

[Rose Cobb]

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

[Narrator]

Soon, Rose learned there were a lot of things she didn't know. When she arrived in the tiny town of Reeders, Pennsylvania, for her brother's memorial service, she noticed how quiet things were at Joe and his wife Cindy's house.

[Rose Cobb]

And I asked Cindy about that. I said, how come there's nobody here? That's when she told us what was happening.

[Narrator]

Cindy told Rose what everyone else seemed to know. That she had fallen in love with her boss, who was the family's pastor.

[Rose Cobb]

First I asked her, are you having an affair? And she said, well, that depends on what you mean by an affair. And then she explained that it was emotional.

[Narrator]

What did you make of it?

[Rose Cobb]

I guess I just felt like she just was so in love with him.

[Narrator]

It was the last thing Rose expected to be talking about to her brother's widow on the eve of his memorial service.

[Rose Cobb]

She was very giddy. Giddy, giddy, yeah. Very childlike.

[Narrator]

Strange timing for that sort of thing.

[Rose Cobb]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

Rose was learning a lot about her sister in law's new boyfriend, Arthur Burton Shermer, who most people called ab. Cindy told her that three months before Joe's death, Pastor Shermer's wife Betty died after a car crash.

[Rose Cobb]

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

[Narrator]

Rose was suspicious of all the deaths surrounding Pastor Shermer. She dug deeper and learned Betty was Shermer's second wife. His first wife, Jewel, had also died suddenly.

[Rose Cobb]

She said, oh, she fell down some stairs. You know, something about a sweeper or something.

[Narrator]

Really.

[Rose Cobb]

She dies from falling downstairs. And then his second wife dies from being in a car accident where the deer never even hit the car. It's like, what happened? It just struck me as funny that so many bad things was happening to him.

[Narrator]

Imagine what Samantha Musanti had to deal with when she discovered her mother was having an affair with her pastor.

[Samantha Musanti]

She was my best friend. She took me to all the horse shows, and she loved the horses just as much as I did. I kind of felt betrayed that I found something like this out.

[Narrator]

Sam was just 16 when she found those text messages between her mother and Pastor Shermer. Were they that explicit that you knew what was going on?

[Samantha Musanti]

There was no doubt. It wasn't a I love you in Christ type of text message. Not something that you'd expect your employer.

[Narrator]

To be sending you or your pastor, presumably. Yeah. Sam was afraid her father would be crushed. Joe was struggling with his own troubles and had turned to the church for comfort.

[Samantha Musanti]

My dad had struggled with alcoholism his entire life. He finally decided that he had to get it together, so we started going to church.

[Narrator]

Joe was a carpenter and worked hard repairing the church, not realizing his own home was falling apart. Sam did what she could to end the affair.

[Samantha Musanti]

I ended up sending Ab an email from a fake email account telling him that, you know, someone knew about what he was doing and that he should stop.

[Narrator]

But Sam's plan didn't work. Cindy and AB figured out who sent the email.

[Samantha Musanti]

They took me into his office and told me that I was wrong and that nothing was going on, and how dare I accuse them of an affair.

[Narrator]

What did you say to them?

[Samantha Musanti]

Okay, you're talking to your mother and the pastor of your church, and they're telling you something, and who are you to disagree?

[Narrator]

Sam didn't believe them, but she kept quiet until her father started asking questions. And then she told him she was pretty sure Cindy and Shermer were having an affair.

[Samantha Musanti]

He said, does she love him? And I just said, you know, I think so. That's probably one of the most horrible things that you can hear.

[Narrator]

How did your father react?

[Samantha Musanti]

He didn't have a lot to say, but I could tell he was devastated.

[Narrator]

Joe confronted Cindy, and she promised to end the affair. But then, just days later, Joe discovered she was making secret phone calls to the pastor. The day before Joe died, Cindy moved the kids to a relative's house and refused to allow anyone to answer Joe's calls.

[Samantha Musanti]

My dad had called several times. My mom told me that I shouldn't answer my phone.

[Narrator]

The next morning, Sam checked her messages.

[Samantha Musanti]

He had left a voicemail.

[Narrator]

What did the voicemail say?

[Samantha Musanti]

If you love me at all, please call me back. That was the last time that I heard from him.

[Narrator]

That same morning, Joe Musanti was found dead, slumped over the pastor's desk. Joe had built that desk with his own hands.

[Rose Cobb]

I didn't trust what was going on did he really kill himself?

[Narrator]

As Rose saw it, Musanti was now the third dead body linked to one shady pastor. She alerted the bishop to AB's affair and Shermer was forced to resign. But Rose also felt she had to call the police.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

There were just too many red flags to ignore.

[Narrator]

Detective Jim Wagner also believed there was more to this story.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

I suspected that it was very possible for Joe's death to be at the hands of Mr. Shermer and or Cindy because it made it very convenient for them to be together.

[Samantha Musanti]

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[Narrator]

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[Samantha Musanti]

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[Detective Jim Wagner]

Joe discovered that his wife and Mr. Shermer were having an affair. And how convenient that Joe is now gone.

[Narrator]

To the Pennsylvania State Police, Joe Musanti's death looked like a suicide. But Detective Jim Wagner wanted another look at the evidence. It seemed to hold up.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

There was no blood stains out of place. There was glass fragments found in the bottom of his shoes which are consistent with him breaking the glass, entering and stepping in the glass.

[Narrator]

And it turned out Pastor A.B. shermer and Usanti's wife Cindy, the two people who might have had a motive to kill Joe, had airtight alibis.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Ab was an hour away and his alibi checked out. And Cindy also had an alibi and she was with the children.

[Narrator]

Wagner agreed with the state police. Joe Musanti's death really was a suicide.

[Rose Cobb]

They said that he killed himself and. And I just accepted that that he did.

[Narrator]

There was no longer any question about how her brother died. But Rose had a lot of questions about the other deaths that surrounded Pastor Shermer.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

I thought it was strange that a man loses two wives in a relatively short period of time. It certainly needed to be investigated thoroughly.

[Narrator]

So Detective Wagner turned his investigation to the death of Shermer's second wife, Betty, who died about three months before Joe's suicide. How was Betty's death classified?

[Detective Jim Wagner]

It was classified as an accident due to a motor vehicle collision, and the coroner determined that no autopsy would be necessary, and Betty Shermer's body was cremated the very next day.

[Narrator]

Case closed.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Correct.

[Narrator]

It all began early on the morning of July 15, 2008. Shermer said he had to rush his wife Betty to the hospital with jaw pain.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Mr. Shermer told the responding officers that he was traveling 50 to 55 miles an hour when a deer jumped out in the roadway. And he went swerving through the roadway, lost control, and struck the guardrail.

[Narrator]

Where was the car?

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Sort of here, right? The car was sitting here with its front end up against this guardrail.

[Narrator]

Stan Dickerson was driving home when he spotted Pastor Shermer's PT Cruiser alongside the guardrail, and he stopped to help.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

I said, are you okay? What's going on?

[Brandon Reich]

What happened?

[Detective Jim Wagner]

He said, yeah. He said, I'm fine, but I don't think my wife is. The odd thing was his attitude. He turns on the light. There's a lot of blood in the car. She's obviously hurt. She's seemingly unconscious. And it was odd. He seemed indifferent.

[Narrator]

Did you ask him if he had called 911?

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Yes. It was one of the first things I had asked him, and he just said, no, I haven't.

[Narrator]

So Stan called 911. What is your emergency? Somebody hit a guardrail. There's a woman here. She's hurt. There's two people in the car, but the guy seems okay. Ambulances arrived within minutes, and Betty Shermer was rushed and to Lehigh Valley Hospital. What was your first thought when you heard, no way.

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

Horrible.

[Narrator]

Julie and Amy are the daughters of Shermer and his first wife, Jewel. Betty was their stepmother.

[Samantha Musanti]

I could tell he was crying, and he just said, amy, I don't know what to do. I remember it was hard to hear. I don't know what to do.

[Narrator]

Shermer described Betty as his best friend. They married in 2001, about two years after Jewel died.

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

It was just a relief to know that he had someone he could talk to and you know, and share with and hang out with.

[Rose Cobb]

I heard Pastor so I was happy for her.

[Narrator]

Sandy and Tina are Betty's sisters.

[Betty Shermer's Sister]

The pastor, the nice guy, the everything. He just seemed like he was perfect for her.

[Narrator]

When they got word of the accident, they rushed to their sister's side.

[Rose Cobb]

I was just in shock over what Betts looked like.

[Narrator]

Betty had a wound to the left side of her head and two gashes on the right side.

[Betty Shermer's Sister]

It was unbelievably sad.

[Narrator]

The doctors said Betty's injuries were so grave that she would never recover. She was taken off life support. The next day.

[Betty Shermer's Sister]

He came out to the room where we had to wait, and he just opened the doors and said, betts has passed. That's it. He wasn't crying. He wasn't. It was just so bizarre.

[Narrator]

Shermer's daughters say their father sometimes hides his emotions.

[Samantha Musanti]

There were probably times where he appeared calm on the outside, but I would say inside he was a wreck. And at times when there wasn't a crowd of people around, he was not okay.

[Narrator]

At the hospital, soon after Betty died, the coroner asked Pastor Shermer for details of the accident.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

He told the coroner that the vehicle spun violently out of control, struck the guardrail, and actually hit the rear of his car, almost sounding as if the vehicle was rotating and flipping, and Betty's body went flying about the vehicle.

[Narrator]

Shermer said Betty was so badly injured because she wasn't wearing her seatbelt. The coroner's office quickly closed the case, unaware there were questions about why Betty wasn't buckled in. Here's what Shermer told his daughters.

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

He told me that he was wearing his seatbelt, but that she was uncomfortable and had just at that point removed her seatbelt to get more comfortable. And that's when the deer ran out.

[Narrator]

Did that make sense to you?

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

Yeah, I think that could happen. Yeah.

[Samantha Musanti]

I think the.

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

I believe that is what happened.

[Samantha Musanti]

Yeah.

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

But this is what he told Betty's sister.

[Betty Shermer's Sister]

He told me that she didn't put her seatbelt on. Like, immediately, I'm like, she always wears her seatbelt, you know? What do you mean? She didn't have her seatbelt on? And he told me that, well, lately she's been doing a little game. When she gets in the car, she doesn't put her seatbelt on, and she waits till we see how far we go down the road before she hears the ding sound. And I said, that is crazy. He said, I know that doesn't sound like bets, but that's what she was doing.

[Narrator]

I don't get the game. You ever heard of that?

[Detective Jim Wagner]

No, that's I don't understand.

[Narrator]

She was trying to see if that bell would go off if she took the seatbelt off.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

I think Mr. Shermer was trying to offer an explanation because the sisters knew that Betty always wore her seatbelt.

[Narrator]

Her sisters also wondered why Betty was cremated almost immediately.

[Betty Shermer's Sister]

She was against cremation. And then here's AB telling us that she chose to be cremated. And we didn't question.

[Narrator]

At the time of Betty's death, in the midst of the shock and the sadness, no one thought to ask any questions. But then Joe Musanti committed suicide. And suddenly, almost everything looked suspicious.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

In my opinion, a conscious person seated in that passenger seat would never sustain the kind of head trauma that Betty did. Had we caught this right away, had the officer suspected some foul play in the beginning, we would have had a lot more evidence.

[Narrator]

Four months after Betty Shermer's death, Detective Jim Wagner began noticing things about that car crash that nobody noticed before. He looked at photos of the scene and thought something was missing.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

No skid marks from rotating tires, violently out of control. No evidence of braking whatsoever.

[Narrator]

And pictures of the car showed it was in remarkably good shape. Was the front end damaged at all?

[Detective Jim Wagner]

There was a little damage to the front end of the car. The airbags had not deployed. It was very obvious that this was a low speed impact. Mr. Shermer's vehicle was actually functional. He could have backed up and continue to drive his wife to the hospital.

[Narrator]

It was drivable.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

It was.

[Narrator]

And yet the story was Betty died in this crash.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Betty sustained such severe head trauma that just wasn't consistent with this type of a crash.

[Narrator]

Detective Wagner was already plenty suspicious of Pastor Shermer's story. And then he noticed there were blood stains that seemed obviously out of place.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

There were numerous blood drops on the seat cushion that had a diluted or absorbed look to it, as if she had been sitting in that blood for some length of time.

[Narrator]

Well, that would raise some questions. Right? If. If I'm sitting in a car being thrown around, there might be blood all around here, but there wouldn't be blood on my seat.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Not underneath your body, no. And the fact that it was absorbed and saturated meant that she was placed in it.

[Narrator]

Now, Wagner wanted to know more about the death of Shermer's first wife, Jewel. She died in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, and Wagner called the police there.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

I found out that her Death was in 1999, and it was from a fall down a flight of stairs.

[Narrator]

Shermer said Jewell was vacuuming the stairs when she somehow tumbled to the bottom. Doctors initially said it looked like she had a heart attack, but the medical examiner who did Jewel's autopsy back then.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

Said, we have a problem.

[Narrator]

That can't be true.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

The pathology was totally negative for heart disease. And the problem is we gotta make sure this isn't a homicide.

[Narrator]

Dr. Wayne Ross also noticed something odd about Jewell's injuries. She had several skull fractures, but no other broken bones. Did Jewell Shermer have any significant injuries below her neck?

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

No.

[Narrator]

Dr. Ross says if Jewel really had fallen down a flight of stairs, she should have had other injuries. So he classified the cause of death as undetermined.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

Undetermined means it's open, and it certainly could be a homicide.

[Narrator]

He urged investigators to look into Jewell's death, but they never did. And Shermer's daughters have always believed their mother's death was an accident.

[Samantha Musanti]

There were no questions. I had no questions. I wasn't questioning anything.

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

So I didn't think it was uncommon for people to fall down steps. No, and I still don't. I think vacuuming steps with a shop vac is very dangerous for anyone.

[Narrator]

Jewel's case had been closed for nine years when Detective Wagner called and asked for the file. What opinion are you forming of the reverend?

[Detective Jim Wagner]

That he's a murderer?

[Narrator]

Partly because of what Wagner learned about Jewel's death, the investigation into Betty's death was heating up. So In December of 2008, five months after Betty died, Wagner got a warrant to search the parsonage.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

We had a team to search for any evidence whatsoever of an assault, any blood anywhere.

[Narrator]

They found what they were looking for in the garage.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

As soon as I walked in the back door, I saw blood drops on the floor, on the concrete floor of the garage.

[Narrator]

Wagner and his team used the chemical luminol that glows in the dark when it reacts with blood.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

The luminol actually lit up quite a bit of mysterious blood leading to the passenger side door of the car.

[Narrator]

So there was a trail.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Yes.

[Narrator]

From the back door of the garage to the car?

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Yes. And the blood that led to the car stopped at the car.

[Narrator]

Tests later confirmed what Detective Wagner suspected from the beginning. The blood was Betty's.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

She was bleeding prior to getting in that car, and she was assaulted and put in that car and placed. Placed in that car seat.

[Narrator]

While Wagner and his team were searching the parsonage, state police were interviewing Pastor Shermer, asking about the blood.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

First, he denies that she ever bled in the garage. He then comes up with a story that they were moving some wood. Wood Stacked in the garage that had fallen on them. It actually had come cut both of them.

[Narrator]

Shermer said he and Betty were moving the wood outside. And detectives did find a wood pile in the backyard.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

And at the bottom of that wood pile were some local newspapers. And the date on those local newspapers were September 2008.

[Narrator]

And that tells you what?

[Detective Jim Wagner]

It would be impossible for Betty to have helped to move that wood because these papers were dated after her death.

[Narrator]

One year after Betty died, detectives were still building their case. And while Shermer had been forced to give up his job as pastor, he did not give up his relationship with Cindy, Samantha's mother.

[Samantha Musanti]

He started to spend the night, and he'd spend the weekend and go home when pretty soon, he wasn't leaving at all.

[Narrator]

A few months after Shermer moved in, Samantha moved out.

[Samantha Musanti]

I actually moved out on my 18th birthday.

[Narrator]

And that's when she found out her mother's boyfriend, the former pastor, was being investigated for murder. Did you ever mention to her that he could be dangerous, that maybe this was a guy to stay away from? No.

[Samantha Musanti]

She was just so smitten with him.

[Narrator]

Then, in the summer of 2010, Samantha received a startling text message from her mother.

[Samantha Musanti]

She texted me, and she said, ab bought me a ring. My next phone call was to the Pocono Township police department.

[Narrator]

Why did you call the police?

[Samantha Musanti]

I was worried for her safety at that point. She was going to be wife number three, and the first two didn't have a whole lot of luck.

[Narrator]

Welcome to Radio Rental. The scariest stories you've ever heard in your life, all told by real people. And off we go. This wasn't a human being that I saw. There's something here in this house, something not of this world.

[Samantha Musanti]

There was a woman moving through the hall.

[Narrator]

I stepped back, and I was completely alone. Radio Rental is available now. Listen for free on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Detective Wendy Surface]

When Samantha contacted our office, she was fearful for her mother. She was afraid of what would happen.

[Narrator]

Detective Wendy surface of The Monroe County, Pennsylvania, DA's office was as worried as Samantha. Pastor Shermer had already buried two wives, and no one wanted to see if Cindy would be the third.

[Detective Wendy Surface]

I don't think she was safe at all. I think it was a matter of time before whatever his trigger was would surface in their relationship, too.

[Narrator]

It had been two years since Betty Shermer died after the car crash.

[Detective Wendy Surface]

This case was a long time building because there were so many gaps in time that we had to fill.

[Narrator]

But the police Decided they now had to act quickly. And so in September 2010, just a few weeks after he proposed to Cindy, the former pastor was arrested and charged with murdering wife number two, Betty.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Who would suspect a minister of doing such awful things?

[Narrator]

The minister was locked up, but the case was not. Betty Shermer had been cremated without an autopsy. So investigators asked Dr. Wayne Ross, who performed Jules autopsy in 1999, to look at Betty's medical records from the car crash.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

My most obvious thought was she had died of traumatic brain injury and it was a homicide. How could we ultimately figure this out?

[Narrator]

Dr. Ross used Betty's CAT scans to make these 3D renderings of her wounds. He says the most startling thing about Betty's injuries is that they looked just like jewels.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

These tears are what we refer to as linear tears, which means they look like lines. And you'll notice that they're on the right side of the head, just like Joel Shermer. Deja vu all over again. Here we are.

[Narrator]

Dr. Ross does not believe in coincidences.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

Let's use common sense. How likely is it to have two women married to the same guy, two lacerations to the right side of the head, both dying of traumatic brain injuries, both under suspicious circumstances? How likely is that?

[Narrator]

Well, you tell me how likely that is.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

I think it's extremely unlikely.

[Narrator]

A few months after Shermer's arrest for Betty's murder, Dr. Ross went with investigators to the parsonage where Shermer's first wife, Jewel, was fatally injured. They wanted to test Shermer's story that Jewel fell down the stairs.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

We videotaped the whole thing.

[Narrator]

So they pushed crash test dummies down the stairs over and over again.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

We put chalk all over the head to help us analyze where the head strikes occur.

[Narrator]

Dr. Ross says Jewel's injuries were not caused by a fall down the stairs. What do you think happened to her?

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

Well, I believe that she was beaten. And it's my conclusion she was beaten with an object such as a pipe or maybe crowbar or something along those lines.

[Brandon Reich]

This simply wasn't scientific. It was. It was silly.

[Narrator]

Brandon Reich is Shermer's attorney.

[Brandon Reich]

Really, these were bad tests. This was junk science. When you look at anthropomorphic test dummies being pushed downstairs, they were not designed for this purpose. There are no scientific studies. There's no peer reviewed articles. There's nothing really that accepts this well.

[Narrator]

But doesn't it make sort of common sense that, you know, if you wouldn't push a person down the stairs to find out how she would be injured. I mean, why not?

[Brandon Reich]

Well, you wouldn't push just a log down the stairs to find out how a person was injured either. All that the test dummies showed in this case was that somebody who fell down those stairs could have hit their head multiple times. That's what happened. Somebody fell down the stairs, hit their head multiple times.

[Narrator]

Still, after those tests were completed, Jule's death certificate was officially changed. The manner of death, which was undetermined, was now homicide. Jewel's daughters, Amy and Julie, got the news that police now believe their father had murdered their mother.

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

A detective came to your door. Came to my front door to give me the news personally. He said, your mom's death has been ruled a homicide. We know she didn't die from falling down the stairs and she didn't have a heart attack. Here's my card. And left. Well, I think I said thank you and probably closed the door.

[Narrator]

Well, when you closed the door, what was your first thought?

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

I was angry. I'm still angry. You can tell I'm angry because, again, I don't believe that. I don't believe that he can know she didn't fall down the steps and that her injuries aren't from that.

[Narrator]

I have to ask you, what about the medical examiner who said that? That both your mother and Betty had remarkably similar wounds to your wife?

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

I actually don't believe him.

[Narrator]

You don't believe him?

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

I don't believe what he's saying is truthful. One man is saying that, but he's the medical examiner. I'm sorry, I don't believe what he has said. I just don't. I read something where it said that my mom had 12 blows to her head. And I do not believe that to be true.

[Narrator]

But it is true. At least according to the autopsy. Dr. Ross says he found 14 areas of impact to Jule's head. And in September 2012, A.B. shermer, already in custody for Betty's murder, was indicted for murdering wife number one, Jewel. The prosecutors and the police have asked repeatedly, what are the chances two women married to the same guy would die in similar fashion? Is this a coincidence?

[Brandon Reich]

It's a coincidence. People die. Coincidences happen. Accidents happen. They happen every day.

[Narrator]

Shermer would be tried for killing Betty first, and prosecutor Mike Mancuso knew this would be a tough case.

[J]

There's a lot of unknowns out there with the case because it was circumstantial, Entirely circumstantial. So as a prosecutor building a case like that, you're not exactly sure that all the little pieces of evidence you need are going to be admissible in court.

[Narrator]

And there's one big chunk of evidence. Mancuso wants to present the circumstances of Jewel's death. Shermer's attorney is fighting to keep all of that out.

[Brandon Reich]

It's not fair to. It's not meant to get before the jury. Wasn't anything that was proved. It still has yet to be proven. Even the allegations have nothing to do with this case.

[J]

Oh, that's hogwash. No, it's relevant as proof of motive, identity, and in this case, most importantly, lack of accident. It should be admissible because the trial is a search for the truth, after all.

[Narrator]

And the judge agrees. The jury will hear about Jewel's death. And now the fallen pastor will place his hand on the Bible one more time. This time to swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. On January 8, 2013, almost four and a half years after Joe Musanti's suicide started all the investigations, the former pastor went on trial for Betty Shermer's murder. And prosecutor Mike Mancuso was ready to present all his evidence against the man he has called the sinister minister.

[J]

In this case, there was such a pattern of deception with Reverend Shermer. His whole life was based on deceit, pretense. Wolf in sheep's clothing, or basically a wolf in shepherd's clothing is more apt.

[Narrator]

Joe's sister, Rose.

[Rose Cobb]

Well, I think that he finds vulnerable people and he grooms them for himself when he gets pleasure out of this.

[Narrator]

You're not describing a pastor. You're describing a predator.

[Rose Cobb]

Right?

[Narrator]

You think that's what he is?

[Rose Cobb]

I know that's what he is.

[Narrator]

Even defense attorney Brandon Reich concedes that his client was far from the perfect pastor.

[Betty Shermer's Sister]

Are you concerned about a conviction?

[Brandon Reich]

He's innocent. He hasn't been the best person. He's not a murderer.

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

Nobody ever says how much he loved his wives. But he did. And he does.

[Narrator]

You said he does. You used the present tense. He still does.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

He does.

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

I'm sure he still loves them.

[Narrator]

Absolutely no cameras are allowed in the court as the prosecution works through the evidence. The blood trail in the garage, the saturated blood on the car seat, and coins that somehow remained neatly stacked on the car's console after what was supposed to be a violent crash to avoid that deer.

[Detective Wendy Surface]

You'd think in a 45 to 55 mile an hour crash, the change would have went all over the car. Or, you know, it wouldn't just kind of pop out and lay in the Place where it had originally been.

[Narrator]

And Detective Wendy Surface found Shermer's choice of where to store his wife's remains peculiar.

[Detective Wendy Surface]

We learned that the Reverend Shermer had chosen the urn for Betty, and he chose one with a deer on it.

[Narrator]

It was a deer on it?

[Detective Wendy Surface]

Yes. And one of the things I found odd was he remarked, oh, look, a deer. Isn't that funny?

[Narrator]

But Samantha Musanti is the emotional centerpiece of the prosecution's case with her moving testimony about how she discovered the affair between her mother and her pastor.

[Samantha Musanti]

I stared at him most of my testimony. Testifying actually felt empowering to be able to look him in the eye after so many years. What he did to my family, it was amazing.

[Detective Wendy Surface]

Her composure. I've never. I've rarely seen a witness who you can't take your eyes off of.

[Narrator]

Then, in a surprise move, Ab Shermer takes the stand in his own defense.

[J]

The first thing I saw was that he actually moved his chair and positioned it to face the jury. Only professional witnesses do that, but he did that.

[Brandon Reich]

He did well. He's always been consistent. This is what happened. Is he going to show emotions? Is he going to break down? Is he going to cry? He didn't.

[Detective Wendy Surface]

He portrayed this as the most outrageous crash that there was swerving, and Betty was flailing about the car.

[Narrator]

Do you think the jury was believing him?

[Detective Wendy Surface]

No.

[Rose Cobb]

Mr. Schermer, do you believe the jury believed you?

[Detective Wendy Surface]

I think he was one of our best witnesses.

[Narrator]

The defendant was one of your best witnesses?

[Detective Wendy Surface]

I think so.

[Narrator]

The jury deliberates for. For just 90 minutes.

[Samantha Musanti]

The Shermer family nervous right now?

[Brandon Reich]

Everybody's nervous. I'm nervous.

[Narrator]

Did you look at them?

[Brandon Reich]

I think I watched them come in unhappy. Juries usually mean guilty.

[Narrator]

And how did they look?

[Brandon Reich]

They looked unhappy.

[Narrator]

Reich read them right. A.B. shermer, a pastor in the past, is a convict now found guilty of murder for killing his second wife, Betty.

[J]

The first word that came to mind was yes. Guilty of murder in the first degree. That carries a mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole.

[Betty Shermer's Sister]

I hope he suffers and I hope he is in pain and rots in there.

[Samantha Musanti]

I expected to be so happy, but it was actually. It was really, really difficult. At the end of the day, it doesn't bring back my dad and it doesn't bring back Betty.

[Betty Shermer's Sister]

She was the absolute sweetest person ever. She never said anything bad about anybody.

[Narrator]

How close do you think A.B. shermer came to getting away with murder?

[Detective Wendy Surface]

Very, very close. If not for Rose Cobb, she put this case into a Little ball and showed us from the very start what kind of person A.B. shermer was.

[Narrator]

And what pushed Rose to push the police to bring Shermer to justice. She believes it was the memory of her brother.

[Rose Cobb]

I just felt like I'm only doing what he couldn't do for himself.

[Narrator]

You're only doing what he couldn't do himself. That's what made you call the police and stay on them.

[Rose Cobb]

I wouldn't have done it ordinarily. I couldn't do that.

[Narrator]

But Shermer's daughters have never lost their faith in their father's innocence, not even after his conviction.

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

I cried.

[Samantha Musanti]

I was frozen. I didn't know what to do. I just sat there and cried. I couldn't believe it.

[Narrator]

And Sam's mother, Cindy, how is she all night. Who has clearly borne the stress of the trial. Continues to see the disgraced pastor. They never married, but she has embraced his children and grandchildren as her own.

[Samantha Musanti]

Cindy's a very giving person. Spends a lot of time with all of our kids and just my daughter calls her Mimi now. And very close relationship.

[Narrator]

But Cindy's bond with her own daughter is broken. What about your mother? What's your relationship like with her now?

[Samantha Musanti]

I don't have a relationship with her. I can't really say that. She's my mother. She's not the woman that raised me. I wish she could see Ab for who he really is.

[Narrator]

A year and a half after his conviction for the murder of his second wife, Betty, A.B. shermer struck an unexpected deal with prosecutors. He pled no contest to the charge that he murdered his first wife, Jewel Sherman.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Do you have any comments before your sentencing?

[Narrator]

At his sentencing, Shermer St. Still insisted he was innocent. He claimed he only took the plea to spare his family the trauma of going through another murder trial. And Jewel's own daughters still stood by their father.

[Amy or Julie Shermer]

He's a good man who did not murder his wife, either of his wives.

[Narrator]

But Jules brother John Behney told the court, shermer is an evil man. Every time I looked at him, I.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

Remembered what I saw in my sister's room in the hospital. And he was responsible for that.

[Narrator]

Shermer was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison, the maximum allowed on top of his life sentence. Today's ruling ensures Arthur Shermer will never get out of prison.

[Betty Shermer's Sister]

He's getting what he deserves. He should have been put away in 1999, and I would have my dear sister with me.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

It's closure.

[Narrator]

It's over.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

A.B. shermer will die in prison. And that's what I was after.

[Narrator]

Now streaming on Paramount. Plus it's the epic return of Mayor of Kingstown. Warden, you know who I am. Starring Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner. Emmy award winner Edie Falco.

[Rose Cobb]

You're an ex con who ran this place for years.

[Dr. Wayne Ross]

And now.

[Samantha Musanti]

Now you can't do that.

[Narrator]

And BAFTA award winner Lennie James. You're about to have a plague of outsiders descend on your town.

[Detective Jim Wagner]

Let me tell you this.

[Narrator]

There's gonna be consequences. Mayor of Kingstowne New season. Now streaming on Paramount. Plus, Pluto TV is free with all the best. Pluto TV for free. Stream blockbuster hits like 21 Jump Street Ted, the Expendables, and so much more on Pluto TV. Stream now. May never.