Shocking Update: Former Youth Pastor Arrested For Murdering Wife, Dies In Police Custody
The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever
iHeartPodcasts
4.3 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 26 June 2026
⏱️ 18 minutes
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Summary
We just told you about his arrest this week, and now the former Vegas youth pastor accused of pushing his wife off a cliff 20 years ago, has died by suicide while in police custody. 49-year-old David Vander Meer was finally arrested 2 decades after the death of his wife Bernadette during an anniversary hike in 2006. Tips came in from his senior pastor at church and one of his ex-wives who was his teenaged mistress at the time of Bernadette’s death. Investigators formally charged Vander Meer with first degree murder and insurance fraud this week, but say he died of “self inflicted wounds” on Thursday.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:06.0 | Hey there, folks. It is Friday, June 26, and it was just yesterday. Robach and I were here |
| 0:13.5 | telling you about a wild story that a former youth pastor is being charged with murder for |
| 0:20.3 | killing his wife 20 years ago. |
| 0:23.6 | Well, he was supposed to be in court yesterday to make his first court appearance. |
| 0:28.6 | He's dead. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and T.J. Robs, you first brought this story to me, |
| 0:36.6 | and you go back 20 years from start to finish. |
| 0:39.7 | This is a bizarre story. |
| 0:41.1 | Now this? |
| 0:42.9 | Yeah, and I do think police have some explaining to do. |
| 0:45.4 | Aren't there protocols that are supposed to be in place? |
| 0:48.5 | Didn't we learn something? |
| 0:49.8 | I don't know, from Jeffrey Epstein. |
| 0:51.5 | How is it that an inmate? |
| 0:54.1 | And someone who I would argue many people have waited... I don't know, from Jeffrey Epstein. How is it that an inmate? |
| 1:01.4 | And someone who I would argue many people have waited decades to see finally have his day in court. |
| 1:03.6 | They want to see justice prevail. |
| 1:05.8 | This has been a long time coming. |
| 1:10.0 | How he's able to, and I think this is a fair way to put it, take the easy way out. |
| 1:10.8 | Yes, so there it is. Yes, they do say he did die by suicide, die by his own hand. |
| 1:16.0 | They haven't given the details about how he was able to do that, but he has been in jail, |
| 1:19.8 | I believe, since Monday, Robs in Las Vegas and was expected to be in court yesterday. |
... |
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