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The grandfather of Ernest Scherer III described his grandson as a boastful gambler who exhibited odd behavior the day after his mother and father’s brutal murder. Scherer III is alleged to have bludgeoned to death his parents, Ernest Scherer Jr. and Charlene Abendroth in their Castlewood, California home in March 2008.
The grandfather held back tears describing how his grandson showed up at his residence the next day to play bridge, declaring “My two best friends are my dad and my granddad”.
“He never said that before,” the eldest Scherer said.
Other odd behavior observed as described by the Mercury News:
At another bridge game a few days later, "He burst out, 'I had my car detailed today!' " Scherer
Sr. said. "I thought that was a little out or order."
Earlier, workers at a local car wash testified that Scherer III walked through a car wash tunnel with his red Chevy Camaro the day after the murders, ignoring workers who told him to leave.
Scherer III later asked his grandfather to help out his wife financially. "He emphasized that she was totally innocent and I should help her," Scherer Sr. said.
Three months after the killings, Scherer III turned up unannounced at the Laguna Niguel house where Scherer Sr. and his partner, Hilde Macmillan, live. When they got home and saw his car there, they went to a nearby shopping center to call police.
"I was probably a little bit emotional. I told the police there was a murder in the family. I simply didn't want to have any confrontation," Scherer Sr. added as part of his testimony.
Public defender Richard Foxall claimed there were inconsistencies between the elder Scherer’s testimony and earlier statements.
- Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
