Former youth pastor maintains innocence in letter left in Las Vegas jail before death
David Vander Meer, the former youth pastor who died while awaiting extradition to Utah in a Nevada jail, maintained that he did not kill his wife while hiking at Zion National Park in 2006. (Photo: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police) SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The former youth pastor who died in a Las Vegas jail while awaiting extradition to Utah maintained that he did not kill his wife while hiking at Zion National Park in 2006. In a letter found in his cell, released with redactions, David Vander Meer said he was selective about sharing how his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, died because he "knew how bad it looks." According to investigators, Bernadette Vander Meer died after falling while the two were on a hike at Angel's Landing. Investigators initially determined Bernadette's death as "suspicious," as she reportedly fell in an area where hikers typically don't have accidents.
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Scoop News DeskLas Vegas, Nevada · Published Updated
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They spell conviction." David Vander Meer added that he did not deserve the "financial(sic) sacrifices" from a redacted individual to fight the case and that his family did not "deserve to be a part of my past failures, and this current mess." David Vander Meer was arrested in June on charges of murder and insurance fraud.
