Ex-youth pastor accused in wife’s 2006 death lived lavishly after insurance payout, authorities allege

17, Jul 2026

David Vander Meer died in custody this week as he was awaiting extradition in connection with murder and insurance fraud charges in Bernadette Vander Meer’s death.

A sweeping desert landscape in Utah's Zion National Park.

The Weeping Rock and Angels Landing formations at Zion National Park in Utah.Alamy

June 27, 2026, 11:03 AM EDT

In the years after a former Las Vegas youth pastor allegedly pushed his wife from an iconic peak at Zion National Park, he appears to have lived lavishly off an insurance payout from her death and threw booze-fueled parties for church youth, court documents allege.

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