Former youth minister David Vander Meer has been charged with murdering his wife 20 years after his fatal ‘fall’ in prison.
A young former pastor killed himself in custody on Thursday, three days after he was charged with murdering his young wife on their 20th anniversary.
David Vander Meer, 48, died in custody after being arrested Monday for the murder of Bernadette Vander Meer, who fell to her death on an unmarked trail in Utah 20 years ago, authorities told KSVN.
Vander Meer’s former church manager told investigators that the tragedy was “no accident” and that “David had pushed” Bernadette, according to Washington County court documents.
The former man of God took his own life after being thrown from the sticks, although the authorities have not disclosed the details, citing only “sustainable injuries,” according to a local source.
Vander Meer and his wife were hiking at Angels Landing in Zion National Park to celebrate their wedding anniversary on August 22, 2006 when he fell to his death.
The suspected murderer told the police that he was busy preparing a camera to take pictures of the sunrise when he heard his wife, 29, “screaming when she fell.”
Bernadette’s body was found hours later at the foot of Angel’s Landing, Fox13 reported.
Angel’s Landing is a terrifying rock formation with narrow ledges and a 1,000+ foot drop.
Due to a lack of evidence, Bernadette’s fall was ruled an accident, and the case was closed, although investigators felt the circumstances surrounding her death were suspicious, court documents said.
When Vander Meer was a youth pastor, he allegedly began having sex with a 16-year-old girl, and told her they could only be together if his wife was “not alive,” the documents added.
It is reported that Bernadette began suspecting her husband’s infidelity a year before his death, when the pastor paid for a place to sleep with the girl before he arrived, the affidavit said.
The girl, then of legal age, ended a four-year relationship with Vander Meer the day before the couple went to Zion National Park.
The young pastor was allegedly fired from his church within a year or two after Bernadette’s death, with prosecutors saying he was throwing alcohol at members of his home.
Two years after Bernadette’s death, Vander Meer tied the knot with a girl he allegedly raised.
The couple divorced in 2014 due to allegations of infidelity, the database said.
Vander Meer, however, has never been charged with having a sexual relationship with a minor.
The documents also reveal that Vander Meer increased his wife’s insurance from $150,000 to $600,000 shortly before her untimely death.
In 2007, he received a life insurance payout of about $567,439, according to court documents.
Berndette’s co-worker of six years at the New York New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas also raised concerns about her sudden death — telling police she was “concerned” about the circumstances surrounding what happened, Fox13 reported.
The co-worker said Vander Meer was absent from work and alleged that after the couple sold the condo years ago, he bought a $50,000 Cadillac SUV with insurance to pay off the loan, the company said.
