Good topic!
I would have definitely told the truth. Living with a lie is bad enough...but living with a HUGE lie!? I mean...she is a human being that everyone is considering dead. She was your wife at one point in time. I definitely think it's okay to move on...but the truth should be known. Anyone would sympathize with him. Lying to the one you love and living with that lie is just incredibly hard and suffocating. I don't know why some people think it's easy and safe to lie to the one you love. If you do that, then who are you going to be honest with? You are supposed to feel completely safe with someone...if you lie to them...then the relationship seems like a lie.
I don't think I could live with such a burden.
Oh and let's not forget that you are breaking the law by twice without divorcing the first wife. It's a crime.
I know people are saying that it is easy to say that you'll tell the truth...but how are people forgetting that such a huge lie is incredibly hard to keep...and that every moment...you'll just feel guilty. Guilt is a terrible feeling no matter what it is for.