Transcription
Hello, this is Dr. Grande. Today I will analyze the case of David and Bernardet Vandermir. First, I'll look at the background of this case, move to the timeline of the alleged crime, then offer my analysis.
David Howard Vandermir was born on June 24, 1977, and lived in Las Vegas, Nevada. On September 28, 1996, he married a woman named Bernardet Maria Vandermir. She was born on November 16, 1977, the same year as David. Both David and Bernardet worked in Las Vegas. David was a youth pastor at a church and Bernardet worked in a hotel. Throughout the course of their marriage, Bernardet became increasingly dissatisfied with David and suspected he was cheating.
Now, moving to the timeline of the alleged crime. On Monday, August 21, 2006, David and Bernardet Vandermir drove 152 miles to the northeast and arrived at Zion National Park in southwestern Utah. The purpose of their visit was to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. On the next day, Tuesday, August 22, at 4:20 a.m., they hiked the notorious 4.8 mile trail to the top of Angel's Landing. This is one of the most dangerous trails in the United States. Right before sunrise, they reached the summit of the rock formation, which is at 5,790 ft. At 6:20 a.m., David contacted the police after finding another hiker who had sufficient cell phone service. He said that his wife had just fallen while hiking on Angel's Landing. When the police arrived, they discovered that Bernardet had traveled over the edge of Angel's Landing and plummeted 1,200 ft to her death.
Here is the story that David supplied to the place. On that morning, David and his wife had been wearing headlamps, but they removed them as they approached the summit of Angel's Landing because there was a little bit of sunlight visible. David set up his camera and took three or four photographs of the scenery. The photographs required about 4 seconds of exposure due to the darkness. The plan was for David to take photographs of Bernardet with the sunrise behind her, creating a silhouette effect. Bernardet was standing near the edge of Angel's Landing in anticipation of David taking the photographs. When David noticed that their backpacks were in the frame, he picked up the backpacks, walked 5 or 10 ft, then set them down. When he turned around, Bernardet was gone. David heard a scream as she fell off the cliff. He did not see her trip or hear anything prior to her falling. David told investigators that he and his wife had recently increased the benefit of their life insurance policies. He claimed that he had never been unfaithful to his wife, and as far as he knew, she never cheated on him. The police felt as though the circumstances of Bernardet's death were suspicious. However, there was not enough evidence to charge David with murder. The death was ruled an accident and the case was closed.
Nothing happened with the case until almost 16 years later. On April 6, 2022, the police received a tip from a former youth group member at the church where David Vandermir was employed as a youth pastor. This person claimed that David had misused his position of trust with youth group members around the time of Bernardet's death. He allegedly had a sexual relationship with a girl identified only as Sh in court documents. The police interviewed her. She stated that her relationship with David started when she was 16 and ended when she was 19 or 20. She terminated the relationship with David on Sunday, August 20, 2006, the night before David and Bernardet left for their anniversary vacation to Utah. At the time the police spoke to Sh, the only thing she knew about Bernardet's death was what David told the youth group. He said that he was taking a photograph of Bernardet at the top of Angel's Landing. He turned to get something out of his backpack, heard a scream, and Bernardet was gone. The police found the story to be curious because this is not what David had originally told them. Again, he said that he noticed Bernardet moving after he moved the backpacks. The police added this account from SH to the original report and indicated that additional investigation was needed. Despite this, the case was once again closed.
Over three years later, on October 8, 2025, the Washington County Attorney's Office received a tip from a man named Barry Diamond. He was the senior pastor of the church where David had worked in the past. He was David's old supervisor. Barry shared his belief that Bernardet's death was not accidental. Rather, David may have pushed Bernardet over the cliff. The investigation was reopened and SH was interviewed by the police in December 2025. She said that the sexual relationship with David started in 2002 when David was 25 years old. David took several steps to keep the relationship hidden. For instance, they spent time in pay by the hour hotels. In order to secretly communicate, he purchased SH a cell phone. The police were able to obtain a statement from AT&T which corroborated the story Sh supplied about the phone. According to Sh, one time when she and David were alone in the church, Bernardet arrived because she was suspicious about what they were doing. Bernardet started pounding on the door. David ordered Sh to answer the door and tell Bernardet that he was not there. Sh said that David never talked about their future together, but one time he did make a memorable statement. Prior to his wife's death, he said the only way they could be together was if Bernardet was not alive. When Sh turned 18, David told her to move out of her mother's house and rent an apartment with another woman from church. He paid the rent on this apartment for over a year. He told Sh that the purpose of the apartment was to facilitate sex. Sh started dating a man from church and felt like her relationship with David was wrong. She ended the relationship with David on Sunday, August 20, 2006. David and Bernardet left for Zion National Park on August 21, and Bernardet died on August 22. About 2 to 3 months after Bernardet's death, Sh and David resumed their romantic relationship. In 2008, David was fired from his job as a youth pastor for supplying alcohol to people under the drinking age and allowing them to gamble at his house. In December of that year, Sh and David married so that David could be on her health insurance policy. Undoubtedly, David was a true romantic. What were those wedding vows like? David, do you take this woman's health insurance policy to have and to hold from this day forward in sickness and in network? The marriage of medical benefit convenience was not announced publicly by the couple. They did not have a public ceremony until 2 years later. Sh indicated that during her marriage to David, she would find hotel receipts and condoms. When she confronted him, he denied having an affair and tried to convince her that he had used the condoms with her. Sh was on birth control. She knew that David was lying. The couple separated in August 2013 and divorced in March 2014.
The story sh supplied to the police cast a lot of suspicion on David. It revealed a clear motive for him to kill Bernardet. Investigators pieced together what David did after he divorced Sh. On September 1, 2014, he married a woman named Debbie Nye. On September 25 of that year, David claimed that his house was burglarized and $12,000 worth of property was stolen. At some point, he divorced his wife Debbie. On July 3, 2018, David married a woman named Young Suk Quan. He lived in a 1,600 ft house on Eldora Avenue in Las Vegas and worked as a yoga instructor and a school counselor. On June 22, 2026, the US Marshall Service arrested David Vandermir at the yoga studio where he worked. He was charged with murder and insurance fraud. On June 25, 2026, 3 days later, David brought an end to his own life inside his jail cell in Las Vegas.
Now moving to my analysis. If David Vandermir had survived, he probably would have maintained his innocence. If he had any supporters, they could have argued that the new information in this case did not really change anything. There was still not enough evidence to prove murder. The state of Utah would have undoubtedly disagreed, arguing that the new evidence established a motive. This brings me to the question, was David guilty of murder? Let's take a look at the evidence both for and against the idea that he is guilty.
Starting with the inculpatory factors. In the time leading up to Bernardet's death, she wrote several letters indicating that she was dissatisfied and lonely. She complained that David did not publicly show her love and gave other people more attention. Bernardet's mother said that Bernardet expressed an interest in divorce, but David asked her what would people think. According to Sh, David started cheating on Bernardet with her in 2002. Bernardet became suspicious about David's activity. She figured something was going on. David told Sh that the only way they would be together is if Bernardet was not alive. In March 2005, David applied for a life insurance policy for him and his wife. The benefit was $150,000 each. In November 2005, David increased both policies to $550,000 per person. His income at the time was $38,000 a year. About 6 months before Bernardet's death, David reported that his GMC Yukon had been stolen. He later recovered his vehicle less than .7 miles from his residence. Youth group members who were with him at the time said his mannerisms were suspicious. David collected a $46,000 payout from the insurance company. On August 20, 2006, David and SH separated. On August 21, David and Bernardet traveled to Zion National Park in Utah. And on August 22, Bernardet died under suspicious circumstances. David told the police that his wife traveled over the edge of Angel's Landing as he was moving backpacks. He allegedly told Sh that Bernardet fell off the cliff after he grabbed something from his backpack. So, there were two different stories here. Officers who investigated Bernardet's death at the time said that David's statements and demeanor appeared to be contrived. They felt as though the circumstances seemed incredibly convenient. For example, the location, the time of the morning, and the lack of witnesses. Angel's Landing is a dangerous place, but Bernardet fell from an area of the rock formation that was not strongly associated with fatalities. On the day she died, sunrise at Angel's Landing occurred at 6:54 a.m. There are mountains between Angel's Landing and the sunrise, which meant that the sun would not be visible until even later. David called 911 at 6:20 a.m. In his story, he said that he and his wife had deactivated their headlamps due to some sunlight being visible, but this was not true. He also lied about being unfaithful to his wife based on the story supplied by SH. Less than a year after Bernardet's death, David collected about $567,000 from her life insurance policy. After this, he lived a lavish lifestyle. for example, taking the youth group on several trips. David was once reimbursed $10,000 for a stolen drum set. Witnesses implied that the incident was suspicious. Two men who lived with David in 2009 said that he was a liar who created elaborate stories to explain and justify inappropriate behaviors.
Moving to the exculpatory factors, the police originally concluded that there was not enough evidence to arrest David for murder. The new evidence, like the story from SH, does not specifically speak to the events on Angel's Landing. There are still no witnesses to the fall, no video, no physical evidence suggesting David committed homicide. Furthermore, Sh could be lying. She would not be the first person in history to make up a story to get revenge on a former spouse. The trail to the top of Angel's Landing is notoriously hazardous. The rock formation features breathtaking views and multiple death opportunities. Over the years, 19 people have died on the trail. It is not unimaginable that Bernardet simply fell off the cliff by accident. As far as the alleged financial crimes, this may show that David was a fraudster, but there are many fraudsters who never killed anyone.
When considering all the evidence in this case, do I believe that David Vandermir was guilty? In my opinion, yes. I believe he was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If he had survived and gone to trial, he probably would have been convicted. What do I think happened in this case? This is just a theory. My opinion, David Vandermir was self-centered, impulsive, irresponsible, excitement-seeking, greedy, materialistic, cold, callous, machavelian, manipulative, deceptive, had a sense of entitlement, and was exceedingly creepy. He decided to kill his wife, Bernardet, in order to be with his lover, Sh and to collect a massive insurance payout. To get his wife in a vulnerable position, David told her that they should take a trip to Zion National Park to celebrate their anniversary. Bernardet was excited about this because David did not usually take her on trips. He would take trips with the youth group members, but not include his wife. While at the park, David and Bernardet hiked the trail to Angel's Landing. David told her that he wanted to capture a sunrise photograph, which required her to stand on the edge of the cliff alone. While she was standing there, David pushed her over the edge. He contacted the authorities and claimed that his wife's death was a terrible accident. After escaping the consequences of the murder, David moved on his life, marrying three more times and allegedly engaging in fraud. He believed that he had beaten the system. He was free and clear. People may have suspected him of murder, but no one could prove it. Years later, an interview with Sh gave law enforcement enough evidence to charge David. His past behavior had come back to haunt him, and he was unwilling to live with the consequences. Bernardet lost her life at Angel's Landing, but nearly 20 years later, justice finally found its footing.
Those are my thoughts in the case of David and Bernardet Vaneir. Thank you so much for watching.