Former youth pastor charged in wife's deadly 2006 fall from Angels Landing
- On Tuesday, the Washington County Attorney's Office charged David Vander Meer, 48, with murder and insurance fraud in his wife's 2006 death at Angels Landing.
- Authorities reopened the case after receiving tips suggesting suspicious circumstances; Bernadette Vander Meer fell approximately 1,200 feet from Angels Landing Trail on August 22, 2006.
- Court documents allege Vander Meer, then a youth pastor, told an underage girl the only way they could be together was if his wife "were not alive," and he collected $567,000 in life insurance following her death.
- Investigator Jessica Bate noted the incident appeared strange due to lack of witnesses and early morning timing; the Washington County Attorney's Office asked anyone with information "relevant to this case" to contact them.
- Vander Meer remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center while authorities, who initially ruled the 2006 incident an accident, have now filed murder charges nearly two decades later.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Former Las Vegas pastor dies in custody after being charged in wife’s murder at Zion National Park
A Las Vegas man charged with murdering his wife two decades ago at Zion National Park died in custody Thursday, just days after his arrest, before he could appear in court on the charges.
UT Youth Pastor Dies By Suicide In Jail While Awaiting Trial For 2006 Murder Of His Wife And Underage Sex
Las Vegas’s NBC affiliate reports: The former Las Vegas youth pastor accused of his wife’s murder in a 2006 fall at a Utah national park died while in custody. Judge Eric Goodman informed the courtroom of David Vander Meer’s death ahead of an extradition hearing planned for Thursday morning in Las Vegas Justice Court. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department later said a 49-year-old inmate at Clark County Detention Center was taken to UMC on…
Ex-Youth Pastor Charged in Wife's 2006 Fatal Plunge
A 2006 fatal plunge at Zion National Park that was long treated as a tragic mishap is now at the center of a murder case, NBC News reports. Former Las Vegas youth pastor David Vander Meer has been arrested and charged with murder and insurance fraud in the death of...
Former Las Vegas Youth Pastor Arrested by U.S. Marshals for 2006 Murder of Wife at Zion National Park
LAS VEGAS, NV — A prominent Las Vegas resident and former youth ministry leader has been apprehended by federal agents following a shocking breakthrough indictment accusing him of murdering his wife during an anniversary hike at Zion National Park twenty years ago. The high-profile arrest unseals a multi-decade investigation that completely dismantles a historical narrative previously logged as a tragic outdoor backcountry accident. The 2006 Ang…
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