Ex-youth Pastor Arrested for Wife's Murder After 20 Years

WHO:

NY Post - David Vander Meer, a former youth pastor, has been charged with the murder of his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer.

NBC News - David Vander Meer is identified as a former Las Vegas youth pastor.

WHAT:

NY Post - David Vander Meer has been charged with murdering his wife nearly 20 years after her fatal fall.

NBC News - Vander Meer has also been charged with insurance fraud in connection with his wife's death.

NBC News - Bernadette Vander Meer fell approximately 1,200 feet to her death.

WHERE:

NY Post - The incident occurred at Zion National Park.

NBC News - The location of the fall was a notoriously dangerous hiking trail in Zion National Park.

WHEN:

NY Post - Bernadette Vander Meer's fatal fall occurred in 2006.

WHY:

NY Post - Prior to his wife's death, David Vander Meer allegedly began having a sexual affair with a 16-year-old girl.

HOW:

NBC News - Court records indicate that the charges against David Vander Meer include murder and insurance fraud related to the circumstances of his wife's death.

(UPDATED June 25, 2026 01:42 UTC)

David Vander Meer, a former youth pastor from Las Vegas, has been charged with the murder of his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, nearly 20 years after her fatal fall at a dangerous hiking trail in Zion National Park. In addition to the murder charge, Vander Meer is also facing accusations of insurance fraud connected to his wife's death, which occurred in 2006 when she fell approximately 1,200 feet. Court records reveal that prior to this tragic incident, Vander Meer allegedly began having a sexual affair with a 16-year-old girl.