Episode
Fallen
1:24:05
Published: Thu Oct 22 2020
Description
In this Dateline classic, when a pastor loses two wives in suspicious accidents, authorities begin to wonder if it was terrible luck or something else. Dennis Murphy reports. Originally aired on NBC on February 8, 2013.
Chapters
A scandalous story about a pastor involved in adultery and the suspicious deaths of his wives.
00:00 - 00:50 (00:50)
Summary
A scandalous story about a pastor involved in adultery and the suspicious deaths of his wives.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
A story about the impact of family and friendship on one man's life, including the love and care shared between his parents, stepmother, and lifelong friend who became a pastor.
00:50 - 03:51 (03:01)
Summary
A story about the impact of family and friendship on one man's life, including the love and care shared between his parents, stepmother, and lifelong friend who became a pastor.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
A pastor takes on a new church posting in northeastern Pennsylvania, while his wife falls ill and is rushed to the hospital.
03:51 - 09:32 (05:41)
Summary
A pastor takes on a new church posting in northeastern Pennsylvania, while his wife falls ill and is rushed to the hospital.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
The death of Betty Shermer, the wife of a pastor, was ruled an accident by the coroner but her husband's behavior at the hospital after the crash was strange and he had stated that Betty had unbuckled her seatbelt just before the accident occurred.
09:32 - 13:58 (04:26)
Summary
The death of Betty Shermer, the wife of a pastor, was ruled an accident by the coroner but her husband's behavior at the hospital after the crash was strange and he had stated that Betty had unbuckled her seatbelt just before the accident occurred.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
Samantha suspects an affair between her mother and their pastor, and she struggles to find someone to confide in about it.
13:58 - 21:28 (07:30)
Summary
Samantha suspects an affair between her mother and their pastor, and she struggles to find someone to confide in about it.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
Samantha's aunt becomes suspicious of her brother's pastor, A.B., and investigates why he didn't call the police when Joe Musante threatened to kill himself and his family, as well as the car accident that killed the pastor's wife, Betty.
21:28 - 27:46 (06:17)
Summary
Samantha's aunt becomes suspicious of her brother's pastor, A.B., and investigates why he didn't call the police when Joe Musante threatened to kill himself and his family, as well as the car accident that killed the pastor's wife, Betty.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
Detective James Wagner investigates a late-night car accident involving Reverend A.B.
27:46 - 32:13 (04:27)
Summary
Detective James Wagner investigates a late-night car accident involving Reverend A.B. Shermer and his wife Betty, where the evidence doesn't seem to match the driver's account.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
The blood found on the passenger seat of a car involved in a fatal crash didn't match the story told by the driver, and an expert in crash reconstruction found inconsistencies in the driver's claim regarding the speed of the car during the accident.
32:13 - 36:33 (04:19)
Summary
The blood found on the passenger seat of a car involved in a fatal crash didn't match the story told by the driver, and an expert in crash reconstruction found inconsistencies in the driver's claim regarding the speed of the car during the accident.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
Investigators discover an alarming amount of blood evidence in the parsonage, where A.B.
36:33 - 42:31 (05:58)
Summary
Investigators discover an alarming amount of blood evidence in the parsonage, where A.B. and his wife Betty lived, and confront A.B. about it, but he offers an unlikely explanation.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
Investigators suspect a man of staging a car accident to cover up the true cause of Betty Shanks' death, but there are still many rumors and holes in the case.
42:33 - 45:16 (02:43)
Summary
Investigators suspect a man of staging a car accident to cover up the true cause of Betty Shanks' death, but there are still many rumors and holes in the case.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
Summary
A.B.'s behavior at church raises suspicions among some members, including his daughter, Kathy, who notices he is overly attentive to female members of the congregation. However, his daughters remember A.B. and Jewel being devoted not only to the church, but to each other.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
The podcast episode discusses the infamous case of Betty Broderick who murdered her ex-husband and his new wife in their bed in the late 1980s due to a history of marital issues.
47:53 - 52:08 (04:15)
Summary
The podcast episode discusses the infamous case of Betty Broderick who murdered her ex-husband and his new wife in their bed in the late 1980s due to a history of marital issues.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
A forensic pathologist discusses the inconsistencies found in some autopsies and how they do not match up with the stories given by each specific incident.
52:08 - 56:47 (04:38)
Summary
A forensic pathologist discusses the inconsistencies found in some autopsies and how they do not match up with the stories given by each specific incident.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
Investigators found similarities between the deaths of A.B.
56:47 - 1:00:52 (04:04)
Summary
Investigators found similarities between the deaths of A.B. Schirmer's two wives, including signs of clean-up and rumors of infidelity, leading them to suspect a motive for murder.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
A pastor's love affairs with Betty and her daughter Cindy surfaced when investigators dug deep into Betty's strange death in a car accident in the summer of 2008 that was ruled out as a suicide.
1:00:52 - 1:06:15 (05:23)
Summary
A pastor's love affairs with Betty and her daughter Cindy surfaced when investigators dug deep into Betty's strange death in a car accident in the summer of 2008 that was ruled out as a suicide.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
The trial of former pastor AB Shermer, who is accused of killing his second wife, has begun.
1:06:15 - 1:10:52 (04:36)
Summary
The trial of former pastor AB Shermer, who is accused of killing his second wife, has begun. The prosecutor is allowed to bring up the death of Shermer's first wife, who died under similar circumstances.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
The prosecution and defense argue over the context of an ominous note and bedpost, and shocking revelations regarding the blood evidence surface.
1:10:52 - 1:16:17 (05:25)
Summary
The prosecution and defense argue over the context of an ominous note and bedpost, and shocking revelations regarding the blood evidence surface.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
During the closing argument, the prosecutor urged the jury to examine the photos of the accident scene, claiming it was a crucial piece of evidence that the pastor had forgotten to include when he staged the car accident.
1:16:17 - 1:20:12 (03:55)
Summary
During the closing argument, the prosecutor urged the jury to examine the photos of the accident scene, claiming it was a crucial piece of evidence that the pastor had forgotten to include when he staged the car accident.
EpisodeFallen
PodcastDateline NBC
Summary
A. B. Shermer, a former pastor, received an extra 20 to 40 years in prison for the murder of his first wife, Jewel. Shermer had previously been sentenced for attempting to kill his second wife, Betty.