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. However, no arrests were immediately made.
MORE | David Vander Meer
The investigation into Bernadette Vander Meer’s death was reopened nearly two decades later after the Washington County Attorney’s Office received a tip. The renewed investigation allegedly connected David Vander Meer to his wife’s death and uncovered an alleged affair with an underage churchgoer…