Scherer Asks for Public Defender at Arraignment

The online poker pro who has been charged in the brutal murder of his own parents has asked Alameda County Superior Court Judge Robert McGuiness for a public defender, stating that he was yet to hire an attorney.  Ernie Scherer III was arraigned on Thursday afternoon.

Scherer III was arrested in Las Vegas on Monday in connection with the murders of his father, Ernie Scherer Jr. and his wife, Charlene Abendroth, last March 14.

Sergeant Scott Dudek of the Alameda, California police department told Gambling911.com last June that they were very close to making an arrest in the case.  Dudek informed Gambling911.com that Scherer Jr. was in fact a prime suspect.

"He (the son) owes a large amount of money to people," Sergeant Dudek stated at the time. 

Scherer Jr. was under close watch.  Dudek believed he had also attended last summer's World Series of Poker, though he did not play in the tournament. 

The special circumstances clauses filed against Scherer III are multiple murder and murder for financial gain.

He's also charged with two use of a deadly weapon clauses for allegedly using a sharp instrument to kill his parents.

If he's convicted of special circumstances murder, Scherer III would face either the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher