The retired elder pastor of a now-defunct Las Vegas religion says helium was shocked to larn Thursday greeting of the decease of his erstwhile younker curate who was arrested this week connected suspicion of sidesplitting his wife.
Monterey County, California, nonmigratory Barry Diamond said successful a telephone interrogation that helium learned astir David Vander Meer’s death from the Washington County, Utah, researcher who had prepared the apprehension affidavit.
“We were some conscionable speechless. … She could not spell into item astir however it took place,” Diamond, 68, said of his telephone telephone with the investigator. “It’s a brainsick ending to a brainsick story.”
The Metropolitan Police Department, which operates the Clark County Detention Center, said successful a quality merchandise that a 49-year-old antheral inmate was taken to University Medical Center connected Wednesday for what it called self-sustained injuries and was pronounced dormant connected Thursday. The section did not sanction the inmate.
Investigator Jessica Bate’s affidavit accused Vander Meer of execution and security fraud successful the decease of his archetypal wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, who fell much than 1,200 feet to her decease connected Aug. 22, 2006, portion the mates were hiking the Angels Landing way astatine Zion National Park.
The affidavit alleges that David Vander Meer collected much than $567,000 from beingness security aft the death, and that helium pushed his woman disconnected the cliff to conceal an matter with an underage miss helium would aboriginal marry.
“There’s nary winners successful immoderate of this,” Diamond said. “We’re each shocked. We’re each saddened by it. Our bosom goes retired to David’s family, archetypal of all, due to the fact that they’re large people. They were a portion of our religion astatine 1 time, and truthful we’re grieving on with them for this full thing.”
A spokesperson for the Washington County attorney’s bureau did not respond to a petition to interrogation Bate.
‘Things started going south’
Diamond said David Vander Meer was connected unit astatine Legacy Church, adjacent West Cheyenne Avenue and North Rampart Boulevard, astir 20 years agone erstwhile Vander Meer near to commencement a caller religion with others. The Vander Meers near the religion soon earlier Bernadette’s death, but David yet returned to Diamond’s religion and became the younker pastor there.
“David reached retired and said, ‘Would you guys beryllium consenting to fto maine travel backmost to Legacy?’ due to the fact that it wasn’t nether atrocious circumstances that helium had left,” Diamond said. “And we truly felt for him. We felt precise atrocious for what happened with Bernadette, and ne'er truly astatine that constituent thought thing suspicious astir David astatine all.”
Soon aft David Vander Meer returned to the church, “things started going southbound astir immediately,” Diamond said.
Diamond said helium aboriginal learned from members of the church’s younker radical that David Vander Meer hosted a enactment astatine his location wherever intoxicant was provided to minors and gambling was encouraged. The church’s committee of directors was besides notified, Diamond said, and Vander Meer was fired aft a gathering with the board.
“Some radical came to america and said, ‘Hey, I was astatine a enactment past nighttime astatine David’s house, and each the younker were there, and determination was an crystal thorax afloat of beer, and the kids were playing poker for money,’ and it was like, what successful the world?” Diamond recalled.
‘Moment of ignition’
After David Vander Meer was fired from the church, Diamond said, respective younker radical members told him astir run-ins with the antheral that had near them “psychologically, mentally (and) emotionally” traumatized. Diamond declined to supply circumstantial examples.
In 2012, Diamond moved with his household to Monterey County and became a seminary prof astatine a assemblage successful Southern California. He stayed successful interaction with galore members of Legacy Church, including members that were successful David Vander Meer’s younker group.
“A batch of those kids are acrophobic of David,” Diamond said. He aboriginal clarified that those “kids” are present adults. “They’re acrophobic of what helium had done to them and what helium could perchance bash to them.”
Diamond said that adjacent years aft moving away, helium would proceed proceeding stories from younker radical members who came to visit. According to David Vander Meer’s apprehension affidavit, Diamond told investigators that younker radical members recalled inappropriate relationships with the younker pastor, 1 of which was intersexual successful nature.
After talking with 1 erstwhile younker radical subordinate sometime astir 3 oregon 4 years ago, Diamond learned that David Vander Meer was having an matter portion joined to Bernadette, helium said.
“That’s erstwhile the full happening conscionable benignant of came together,” Diamond said. “I spot a large security payoff, which successful and of itself is not unusual, but present it clicks that helium was having an affair, which helium denied to the police, truthful that was truly the infinitesimal of ignition for me.”
‘Nobody wanted to listen’
Bernadette Vander Meer’s decease was deemed an mishap until 2022, erstwhile section instrumentality enforcement received a extremity from a erstwhile younker radical member, prompting renewed investigation.
Diamond said he’s not the 1 who gave the tip. According to the affidavit, helium told Bate successful 2025 that helium believed David Vander Meer pushed Bernadette.
But Diamond said helium spent respective years anterior to gathering with Bate trying to get authorities to reopen the case.
“Nobody wanted to listen,” Diamond said, adding that helium contacted section authorities and national instrumentality enforcement. “Nobody returned my calls, cipher wanted to listen, and astatine times, I’d conscionable permission it alone.”
Still, Diamond searched for anyone who would listen.
“I conscionable felt similar God wouldn’t permission maine alone,” helium said.
Diamond said his fortunes changed aft an lawyer person successful Salt Lake City was capable to link him with a retired Washington County territory attorney, who helped re-ignite an probe into Bernadette Vander Meer’s death.
“I got connected to a woman named Jessica Bate, who is an astonishing detective, and we conscionable started unpacking everything,” Diamond said. “And that led to her contacting cardinal radical on that full travel that you cognize had been harmed oregon affected by David.”
‘Key portion to this full thing’
Bate would spell connected to interrogation 1 younker radical member, identified successful the affidavit by the initials “SH.”
According to the affidavit, David Vander Meer began grooming SH erstwhile she was 14 and took her virginity erstwhile she was 16, portion helium was joined to Bernadette.
SH and David Vander Meer were joined from 2008 until 2014, records show.
Diamond said SH’s courageousness to talk with Bate helped found a motive for David Vander Meer to termination his archetypal wife. Bate noted successful the affidavit that SH’s accusation helped make a timeline of David Vander Meer’s affair.
“It was a large measurement for this gal to determine to archer her communicative to Jessica,” Diamond said. “She was truly the cardinal portion to this full thing.”
SH declined to remark erstwhile reached Thursday.
Although the quality of David Vander Meer’s decease was a surprise, Diamond said helium doesn’t regret speaking to Bate.
“If helium committed murder, I inactive person to bash the close thing,” Diamond said. “Bernadette deserves justice.”
Contact Casey Harrison astatine charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 connected X. Review-Journal unit writer Spencer Levering contributed to this report.
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