By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-25 17:29:21 | Updated at 2026-06-25 19:43:30
2 hours ago
A former youth pastor killed himself in jail three days after he was charged with his wife's 2006 murder at Zion National Park.
David Vander Meer fatally injured himself at Las Vegas's Clark County Detention Center earlier on Thursday, KSNV reported.
His suicide was announced ahead of a planned extradition hearing that sought to move him from Nevada to Utah to face charges.
Vander Meer, 49, was charged on Monday with the 2006 murder of his wife Bernadette.
Bernadette, 28, fell to her death from a cliff during a trip to the iconic Utah beauty spot.
A warrant was issued for Vander Meer's arrest by the Washington County District Attorney's Office this week for Bernadette's murder after new information came in that implicated him.
Her death was initially thought to have been an accident.
Vander Meer was arrested by a fugitive task force in Summerlin and booked into Clark County Detention Center on Monday, according to an arrest report obtained by the outlet.
David Vander Meer, pictured, killed himself in jail on Thursday, three days after he was charged with murdering his wife Bernadette during a trip to Zion National Park in 2006
Bernadette Vander Meer is pictured before her death, which was initially believed to have been an accident
After hearing of his sudden death, Barry Diamond, the former senior pastor of the church where Vander Meer previously worked at, told NBC News that he was informed that he had hung himself.
'There are not winners here. This is a tragedy for Bernadette's family, this is a tragedy for Dave's family. They're good people and he hurt them too,' Diamond said.
Bernadette's death was ruled an accident decades ago, but 'investigators felt that circumstances were suspicious,' according to a probable cause affidavit seen by the outlet.
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