Ernie Scherer Murder Trial Closing Arguments This Week

The murder trial of poker player Ernie Scherer III is coming to an end with closing arguments to be heard in the coming week.

Scherer III is accused of killing his parents, Ernest Scherer Jr. and Charlene Abendroth, in their Pleasanton home for a seven-figure inheritance three years ago.   The couple was found brutally stabbed with a Turkish sword and beaten to death. 

Prosecutors will rely heavily on a car that reportedly matches Scherer III’s entering the property when the murder is believed to have occurred. 

The poker pro spent five full days defending himself as the trial is about to come to a close. 

Scherer III admitted to having a bad string of luck gambling prior to the murders.

Witnesses testified that the defendant acted oddly immediately following the murders.  A number of witnesses also testified to Scherer III’s “poor character” including his cheating and disruptive behavior at family gatherings. 

At the time of the murders, the Alameda County Sherriff’s Department had contacted Gambling911.com in an attempt to bring more national attention to the crime, which to date has only been covered in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

- Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher