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Crime and JusticeUnited States1 min read

Former Las Vegas youth pastor charged in 2006 Zion National Park death of wife

Former Las Vegas youth pastor David Vander Meer is charged with murder in the 2006 death of his wife at Zion National Park in Utah.

By Wes Platt

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A glossy print of a smiling woman with red hair lying on a wooden surface.

SPRINGDALE, UTAH, June 25 (Vegas News Online) — Washington County prosecutors in Utah 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.

Bernadette Vander Meer died Aug. 22, 2006, after a fall from Angels Landing in southern Utah. The case was initially treated as accidental.

Prosecutors allege Vander Meer increased life insurance coverage on himself and his wife before her death, and court records say he later received a payout of about $567,000. U.S. Marshals arrested Vander Meer in Nevada, and he was booked into the Clark County Detention Center.

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Wes Platt

Raised in Seattle, Washington, Wes Platt is the senior Washington, D.C., reporter for Times Media Service. Platt covers local news in Washington, D.C., including city government, schools, public safety, development, elections and community life, along with political affairs in the nation's capital. Platt holds a master's degree in communication in digital media.

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