Husband charged in wife’s 20-year-old wedding anniversary murder case dies in jail after arrest - BERITAJA

20 years ago, connected Aug. 22, 2006, Bernadette Vander Meer met a tragic extremity while hiking astatine Angels Landing pinch her husband, David Vander Meer. The mates was celebrating their 10th day astatine the nonstop spot wherever David had asked Bernadette to wed him successful 1996. The incident seemed thing much than an unfortunate mishap backmost then.

It was not until June 22, 2026, that authorities arrested and charged the unassuming hubby of the unfortunate successful narration to the incident, per People. Consequently, while awaiting extradition to Utah, David took his ain life. Clark County Detention Center guards recovered him successful his cell, unresponsive, pinch self-inflicted wounds. The adjacent morning, astatine the opening of a enslaved hearing, a Judge announced that “the suspect was dead.”

Conditions surrounding Bernadette’s decease constituent towards the pre-planned quality of the alleged crime

Bernadette and David had met arsenic teenagers, while attending the aforesaid church. The 2 sewage on good because of their shared emotion for euphony and faith. They joined successful 1996. However, it was revealed successful the process of the investigation that cracks appeared successful their narration erstwhile David began an matter pinch a female successful the early 2000s. The constabulary established interaction pinch the woman, who yet admitted that “she was David’s mistress during his matrimony to Bernadette,” per People.

The mistress besides provided investigators pinch important accusation that aided the investigation. She besides noted a suggestive remark David made up of his wife’s death, stating that the matter could proceed only if Bernadette “was not alive,” per the outlet. Moreover, prosecutors asseverate that the thought of hiking successful Zion National Park that twelvemonth was David’s, implying that the crime was pre-planned.

Back then, the constabulary had recovered “no eyewitnesses different than her husband” to Bernadette’s fatal fall. Officials besides noticed insignificant inconsistencies successful David’s connection but yet ruled the decease accidental. Reportedly, David and S.H. discreetly joined successful 2008 but separated and result divided successful 2014 erstwhile the second recovered grounds of the former’s infidelity.

Bernadette’s mother alleges David strictly controlled the victim’s finances.

Bernadette, who aspired to go a signaling artist, had small financial independence, according to her mother, Laura Gudenkauf. Gudenkauf, who believes justness was served moreover if it was David himself who took his life, stated that money-related tensions were communal betwixt the couple. The victim’s mother besides claimed that Bernadette was the sole earning personnel of the household, but David would inquire her to “give him her paycheck and tips she made astatine activity each week.”

At the time, the unfortunate worked arsenic a cocktail waitress astatine the New York-New York Hotel and Casino. On the different hand, David was a younker pastor astatine the New Song Christian Church successful Las Vegas. Months aft Bernadette’s horrifying death, David collected a $567,439 payout from his precocious wife’s life security policy. Prosecutors allege David utilized portion of this magnitude to bargain his mistress a caller location and a car.