48 Hours - Death in the Parsonage

According to Pastor A.B. Schirmer, both of his wives had died in tragic accidents. His first wife fell down the stairs and his second wife was in a car accident. But when a parishioner was found dead from a gunshot wound at the church, police decided to reinvestigate those supposed accidental deaths. “48 Hours" Correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 1/17/2015. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+.

Duration: 41m
Broadcast on: 23 Dec 2025
Audio Format: other

(upbeat music) On October 29th, 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 Massante was a parishioner at the church and he was slumped over the chair and it was a very buddy gruesome sight. He had shot himself with a handgun. - 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. Oh my God. I know what his kids meant to him. That's why people couldn't believe and he would do that. - My name is Rose Cobb. My brother is Jomi Santi. - About a week after Joe's suicide, Rose Cobb calls our police department. - I knew that something was not right. - She said that Joe discovered that his wife, Cindy, was having an affair with the Reverend A.B. Schurmer. - She was the assistant to the pastor. I found some text messages on her cell phone from A.B. 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.

I didn't think that he was following the roles of the church. I just had a lot of questions about who he was. - Rose also alerts us to the fact that the Reverend has lost now two wives. - His first wife fell down the stairs and died. And then a 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. I couldn't believe it. - You couldn't believe it. - It was October of 2008 when Rose Cobb learned of her brother's death. - It's hard still, huh?

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