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The murder trial of Ernest Scherer III, 32, is scheduled to begin this coming Monday November 1 (2010). Scherer III is alleged to have killed his parents, Ernest Scherer Jr. and Charlene Abendroth in their Castlewood Country Club home in March, 2008. Both the son and father were fixtures on the poker circuit.
This case gained notoriety across the Internet after Alameda County law enforcement reached out to Gambling911.com in an attempt to publicize the case beyond the Alameda area. Authorities believed that Scherer III owed significant monies to various individuals across the U.S. and may have been attending the World Series of Poker at the time he was named a primary suspect in the case.
Prosecutors claim that that the younger Scherer had significant gambling debts, including more than $600,000 owed to his father. He is alleged to have staged a home invasion of his parents home, then brutally murdered them as a means of gaining a 7-figure inheritance.
The elder Scherer was well-known in the community for his political involvement while Abendroth taught accounting at Cal State East Bay.
Ernest Scherer III was believed to be more successful and active on the poker circuit than his father. His live tournament earnings over the years are recorded at just under $300,000.
- Ace King, Gambling911.com
