Charlene Adendroth and Ernest Scherer were murdered in their Pleasanton home.
(Scherer family photo/Alameda County Sheriffs Department)
Posted on 03/19/2008 7:56:11 AM PDT by SmithL
Ernie Scherer, 60, was a passionate conservative who once worked for former Republican Congressman Bill Baker. He dabbled on the professional poker circuit and was an active real estate investor who bought and sold homes across the country.
"Local politics was as much a hobby to him as poker was," said former San Ramon mayor and longtime Scherer friend Hermann Welm. "He was very intense, very analytical and very studied in what he (did)."
Locally, Scherer was known for his long and tumultuous history with the San Ramon Valley school district, where he was ousted as a board trustee in 1990.
Scherer and his wife of 31 years, college lecturer Charlene Abendroth, were savagely beaten, investigators said. An exact cause of death has not been released.
The couple was found in their pajamas near the front of their home at 18 Castlewood Drive on Friday. Authorities have not released any other details about the crime scene.
"It appears motive specific, but until we have evidence, we don't want to give people a false sense of security that it was not a random act," said Alameda County Sheriff Sgt. Scott Dudek.
Things were disturbed in the house, but investigators don't know whether robbery was a motive.
Investigators are looking into every aspect of Scherer and Abendroth's life to determine who would have wanted them dead.
"(Scherer) was a very colorful person. There's so much to look into," Dudek said.
Scherer turned into a vocal and persistent critic of the San Ramon Valley school district after he and another trustee were recalled in 1990 amid a financial crisis and teacher's strike. In 2006, Scherer brought to the Contra Costa County Grand Jury allegations that the district lied about its income to drum up voter support for a school parcel tax. School officials contend the grand jury dropped the issue after a brief meeting with the district.
"I think the reason why he was so passionate with the school district was because he was very hurt by what happened with the recall," said longtime San Ramon Valley board member Bill Clarkson. "He was a very complicated person."
Piles of papers connected with Scherer's allegations of district mismanagement of taxpayer funds were found in the home. The discovery led investigators to district offices in Danville on Friday to question school officials, said school district spokesman Terry Koehne.
Investigators said they do not yet have suspects or a motive in the homicides.
News of the killings sent shock waves through Castlewood Country Club -- an elite, secluded section of unincorporated Pleasanton that winds up into the hills, and where fountains grace the lawns of multimillion-dollar custom homes.
The couple was last seen March 7 at a dinner for country club members. Investigators believe they were killed after returning home that evening.
Scherer's house, set back about 100 yards from the closest road and directly across from the first hole of the Castlewood golf course, is obscured by trees and his next door neighbor's house.
Before moving there in May 2006, Scherer and Abendroth, 57, lived in San Ramon for 10 years, according to property records.
The couple had two adult children and several grandchildren. In addition to the daughter who called country club staff Friday after she was unable to reach her parents for several days, the couple also has a son, Ernest Scherer III, who is well-known in the professional poker circuit.
According to http://www.gambling911.com, the deceased Scherer finished in the money in six poker tournaments in his career, and won as much as $25,000.
Investigators said they are looking into whether the poker connection may have played a role in the killings.
Friends said Scherer had many interests, including real estate and politics.
He was a California Republican Party volunteer, who worked in Baker's office in the 1990s.
"He was extremely dedicated and a hard worker," Baker said. "He did a lot of good work."
Baker last talked to Scherer on March 6, the day before investigators believe he died. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
One of Scherer's latest political projects was helping Stockton resident Dean Andal in his bid for Congress.
"I always found him to be a very passionate guy who had strong opinions," Andal said. Scherer's zeal will be missed during his congressional campaign, he said.
Those who knew him described Scherer as dedicated to his work, indicated by his success as a real estate investor.
Property records from 2007 show that Scherer bought eight properties in Santa Cruz and Nevada, just after taking out a $500,000 line of credit on his Castlewood Drive home -- which was purchased for $1.3 million. He and Abendroth also sold a number of properties in Lake County from 2002 to 2005.
Scherer was also listed on a Web site for manufactured home dealers, under his former San Ramon address.
Welm said he learned of his friend's death Friday evening when he arrived at Scherer's home for their monthly "penny ante" poker game.
"He was very personable, very nice. Intense -- yes. But dedicated to his community," Welm said. "He put his time and effort and probably money behind the causes he believed in."
Charlene Adendroth and Ernest Scherer were murdered in their Pleasanton home.
(Scherer family photo/Alameda County Sheriffs Department)
Gambling is mentioned early on in the article, and then it makes the above comment about "penny ante".
Unlikely a robbery, as there seems to be too much violence and anger associated with this caper.
Everyone has something in their history, or a negative dark side...No doubt this guy did too.
Maybe he has something in his past, but then why the brutal attack on his wife also? This is a really sick, violent double-murder, it’s hard to imagine it’s someone angry over a poker game or real estate deal gone wrong.
I have several family members who live in this area (NOT the country club, but San Ramon and Contra Costa, etc), so I am curious about this case and hope they catch whoever did just a horrific crime.
Is it unrealistic to think it was people strung out on drugs robbing the house, and were surprised by the couple’s return?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
