SPRINGDALE, UTAH, June 25 (Vegas News Online) — Washington County prosecutors in Utah have charged former Las Vegas youth pastor David Vander Meer with first-degree murder and insurance fraud in the 2006 death of his wife at Zion National Park, according to the Washington County Attorney’s Office and court records cited in reporting.
Bernadette Vander Meer died Aug. 22, 2006, after falling from Angels Landing, a steep trail in the park. Court records cited in later reporting say the death was initially treated as accidental.
A probable cause affidavit cited in news reports says Vander Meer increased life insurance coverage before his wife’s death and later received a payout of about $567,000 after filing a claim.
U.S. Marshals arrested Vander Meer and he was booked into the Clark County Detention Center before being held on the Utah charges, according to law-enforcement reports. The case is being handled by Washington County authorities.
