Speaker
Nate Eaton
Appearances over time
1 episodes
Episodes
1
Podcasts
Quotes & moments
Investigators compared David Vander Meer's timeline to NASA sunrise data and found that if he had really been setting up a sunrise photo, the sun should have been visible — but the 911 call came in long before sunrise.
David Vander Meer collected approximately $567,000 in life insurance proceeds after Bernadette's death, and the morning they left for Zion, Bernadette told her mother they had recently increased their coverage.
Key witness S.H. told investigators that David Vander Meer began grooming her when she was 14 and the relationship became sexual when she was 16, while he was still married to Bernadette.
The night before David and Bernadette left for Zion, witness S.H. tried to break off her relationship with David, who told her the only way they could be together was if 'Bernadette was not alive.'
Around 2008, David Vander Meer was fired from his youth pastor position after church leaders learned he had been throwing parties for teenagers, giving them alcohol, and encouraging gambling.
June Diane Raphael plays Eva Woods, Elle Woods's mother, in the new Amazon Prime Video prequel series Elle. The show traces the origins of Elle's confidence and style — and Raphael points out that real data exists showing how many women entered law school inspired by the original film.
Women dominate true crime viewership, and June Diane Raphael has a compelling theory why: the genre offers genuine empathy for victims, helps listeners recognize red flags, and returns a sense of agency to people who often feel like potential victims themselves. It's not morbid fascination — it's protective learning.
The prosecution's entire case against Larry Millete rests not on physical evidence, but on a love triangle. Maya and her co-worker Jamie exchanged 760 messages over secret Instagram accounts, met at hotels and in their cars, and Larry found them together outside their office a year before Maya vanished.
Nobody knew Patricia Laird had ever spoken directly to Maya Millete. She called her woman to woman to ask what was really going on — and Maya denied the affair entirely, calling Larry 'crazy.' When Patricia, a sheriff's deputy, offered police resources including a restraining order, Maya said she wasn't scared.
Prosecutors didn't just call Patricia Laird for drama — they needed her to eliminate Jamie as a suspect. She went into labor the same night Maya disappeared and Jamie was at the hospital with her for 5 days due to complications. That's the prosecution's alibi witness, not a salacious add-on.
David Vander Meer collected $567,000 in life insurance after Bernadette's death. That morning, Bernadette told her mother they had recently increased their coverage and tried to show her the policy online — but the password had been changed. She said she'd figure it out later. She never got the chance.
Investigators used NASA sunrise data to test David Vander Meer's story that he was setting up a sunrise photo when Bernadette fell. The 911 call came in long before the sun was visible at that location. His own alibi — a sunrise photo — was disproved by the sun itself.
David Vander Meer was arrested and was supposed to appear in court — but the judge announced he was not coming because he had died. The jail confirmed he died from self-inflicted injuries. His family had waited decades for this moment, only to have the trial disappear with him.
The first hearing for Alex Murdaugh's retrial brought a packed courthouse with 200 attendees, international media, and a new judge who openly admitted she knew nothing about the case. Judge Deborah McCaslin asked attorneys not to assume she had any background, setting the stage for a fresh start — with a tentative retrial date of April 5, 2027.
Luigi Mangione showed up 30 minutes late after getting stuck in a courthouse elevator, then learned his federal trial was pushed from November 2026 to January 2027. Sources had said plea talks were underway — but they fell apart. A deal could still happen right up to trial.
The night before David and Bernadette drove to Zion, witness S.H. tried to break off her relationship with David. He told her the only way they could ever be together was if Bernadette 'was not alive.' After Bernadette died, S.H. became David's second wife.
Around 2008, David Vander Meer was fired from his youth pastor position after church leaders discovered he was throwing parties for teenagers, giving them alcohol, and encouraging gambling. He then reinvented himself as a school counselor and yoga instructor in Las Vegas.
In August 2006, youth pastor David Vander Meer hiked Angels Landing at Zion National Park with his wife Bernadette before sunrise — and came back alone, saying she had fallen. Investigators were suspicious but couldn't prove a crime, so the case was closed as an accident for nearly two decades.
Analysis
What they talk about
- True Crime 100%
Connections
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