Updated

Updated · Fox 5 Las Vegas · Jun 25

David Vander Meer Dies by Suicide at 49 Before Utah Extradition on 2006 Murder Charges

Updated

Updated · Fox 5 Las Vegas · Jun 25

David Vander Meer Dies by Suicide at 49 Before Utah Extradition on 2006 Murder Charges

Q: After a pastor's suicide, can the half-million-dollar insurance payout from his wife's suspicious death be clawed back?

Yes—if investigators can prove David Vander Meer unlawfully caused Bernadette’s death or obtained the payout by fraud, the roughly $567,000 life-insurance proceeds can potentially be recovered from his estate even after his suicide. The key legal principle is the “slayer rule,” recognized in some form across U.S. states, which bars a killer from profiting from the victim’s death. If a court finds that Vander Meer murdered his wife, he would be treated as ineligible to keep the proceeds. In that scenario, the money could be redirected to the proper recipient under the policy or to Bernadette’s estate, and any funds already paid out could be pursued through civil claims, restitution, or estate proceedings. His suicide does not erase that possibility, but it complicates it. Because he died before trial, there will likely be no criminal conviction. That means any clawback effort would probably depend on a civil case using a lower burden of proof than a criminal case, or on an insurer’s fraud action against his estate. Prosecutors had alleged he sharply increased Bernadette’s coverage shortly before her 2006 death and collected more than $567,000 in 2007, facts that could support such a claim if backed by evidence. Whether recovery is realistic now depends on what remains in his estate. If the money was spent long ago, recovery may be partial or difficult. But legally, death by suicide does not shield assets from claims tied to alleged murder or insurance fraud.

3 articles · Updated · Fox 5 Las Vegas · Jun 25

Las Vegas police said a 49-year-old inmate awaiting extradition was treated for self-inflicted wounds and later died, hours before David Vander Meer's scheduled court hearing Thursday.
Vander Meer, a former Las Vegas youth pastor, was set to appear before Judge Eric Goodman on extradition to Washington County, Utah, where prosecutors had filed murder and insurance fraud charges.
Those charges stemmed from the 2006 death of his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, who fell from Angel's Landing in Zion National Park.
The case had been reopened after new tips; earlier reports said investigators alleged life insurance policies had been increased before the trip, after her death was initially ruled an accident.