A former Las Vegas youth pastor who was accused of pushing his wife off a cliff while hiking in Zion National Park died Thursday, just days after he was arrested, authorities said.
David Vander Meer, 49, was being held at the Clark County Detention Center on charges of first-degree murder and insurance fraud stemming from the death of his wife, Bernadette, two decades ago. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said he was taken to a hospital for “self-sustaining injuries” on Wednesday and was later pronounced dead on Thursday.
The official cause and manner of death will be released by the Clark County Coroner's Office, police said.
Vander Meer had told investigators that he and his wife were celebrating their 10th anniversary when they climbed to the top of Angels Landing, a tall rock formation in Zion National Park, in 2006. He claimed she fell to her death while he was 5 to 10 feet away, setting up a camera to take her photo as the sun rose.
His death was initially ruled an accident, and Vander Meer later filed a life insurance claim with a total payout of about $567,439, authorities said.
That was the end of things until last October, when the Washington County Prosecutor's Office in Utah received a tip from Barry Diamond, senior pastor of Legacy Christian Church, where Vander Meer had worked as a youth pastor, that Bernadette may have been pushed to her death.
An arrest warrant was issued for Vander Meer on June 16 and he was taken into custody on Monday.
Diamond told investigators that Vander Meer had inappropriate sexual relationships with members of the church's youth group, according to an affidavit. One girl, identified only as SH, was about 14 years old when Vander Meer allegedly began caring for her with gifts, special attention, knee rubs and hugs in 2002. According to the affidavit, she said their relationship became sexual when she turned 16.
Vander Meer allegedly later bought him a secret phone. According to the affidavit, SH said Vander Meer told him the only way they could be together was if “Bernadette wasn't alive.”
Vander Meer took out life insurance policies for himself and his wife, the values of which eventually exceeded $550,000 in March 2005, investigators said.
When SH was 18, she said Vander Meer told her to move out of her parents' house and rent an apartment with another girl from church. For more than a year, he says, Vander Meer paid his rent, according to the affidavit.
Before the fateful trip to Zion, Bernadette became suspicious of Vander Meer's behavior. According to the affidavit, she wrote two handwritten notes expressing sadness about her marriage, and her co-workers said she couldn't even buy new work clothes because she gave all her money to Vander Meer.
One day before his trip to Zion, SH ended what was then a four-year relationship with Vander Meer, telling him it was wrong and that he wanted to persecute someone his age in the church, according to court documents.
The two would resume their relationship a few months after Bernadette's death.
After receiving the life insurance payment, Vander Meer allegedly purchased a car from SH and another member of the youth group. He also bought a house and took several trips, authorities said.
Diamond said he later fired Vander Meer after learning that he hosted parties for underage church members, involving alcohol and gambling. In 2008, Vander Meer, then unemployed, entered into a private marital agreement with SH to obtain health benefits through her job, according to authorities.
They publicly married in 2010, but divorced in 2014.
In 2022, the case of Bernadette's death was reopened for authorities to follow up on allegations reported by a former youth group member. Investigators interviewed SH about his relationship with Vander Meer, but no charges were filed.
In October, new information confirmed Vander Meer's relationship with SH, prompting authorities to renew the investigation.
