A pastor of Bainbridge and Marietta United Methodist churches in Pennsylvania  has been convicted of  murder .

Arthur Schirmer was convicted on Tuesday of the 2008 death of his first wife. The prosecution said the pastor hit Betty Schirmer to death with a crowbar and then put her body in their car and staged a low-speed crash to cover up his crime, The Associated Press reported.

His conviction attracted  cries and tears of joy from the family of Betty Schirmer, who prosecutors say suffered mortal brain injuries when he attacked her on July 15, 2008.

“Today, she can finally rest in peace,” said her son, Nate Novack, who thanked prosecutors for “bringing my mom’s killer to justice.”

Prosecutors had alleged that Schirmer who was a   pastor of Bainbridge and Marietta United Methodist churches from 1975 to 1978,  killed his wife because he was having an affair on her.

Schirmer was convicted of first-degree murder and evidence tampering, bringing an automatic life sentence without parole. He maintained his innocence, and his attorney pledged to appeal.

By UP