"He Got His Punishment": Cyndi Vanderheiden's Father on the Death of Wesley Shermantine, ABC10, 2026

Name: "He Got His Punishment": Cyndi Vanderheiden's Father on the Death of Wesley Shermantine, ABC10, 2026
Uploaded: 2026-09-20T00:00:00Z
Duration: 1 min 38 s
Description: After Wesley Shermantine died on California's death row in September 2026, ABC10 visited the Clements home of John Vanderheiden, whose daughter Cyndi he was convicted of murdering. Shermantine is not heard.

After Wesley Shermantine died on California's death row in September 2026, ABC10 visited the Clements home of John Vanderheiden, whose daughter Cyndi he was convicted of murdering. Shermantine is not heard.

Subject: Wesley Shermantine
Recorded: September 20, 2026
Runtime: 1:38

Content warning: Concerns the murder of a young woman; no graphic detail.

The Report

This is a 1-minute-38-second ABC10 news report from Sacramento station KXTV, posted on the station's YouTube channel on September 20, 2026. Reporter Robby Reynolds visited John Vanderheiden, whose daughter Cyndi was one of the four people Wesley Shermantine was convicted of murdering, at the family's home in Clements, after Shermantine's death on death row. Mr. Vanderheiden, the reporter and a studio anchor are heard. Shermantine is not heard.

Historical Context

Wesley Shermantine and his childhood friend Loren Herzog became known as the "Speed Freak Killers," after the methamphetamine use that accompanied their crimes in San Joaquin County. Cyndi Vanderheiden, 25, disappeared from Clements on November 14, 1998, after leaving the Linden Inn with the two men. In 2001 a jury convicted Shermantine of four murders, including hers, and he was sentenced to death on March 9, 2001. Her remains were not found until February 2012, when Shermantine supplied maps to investigators. Herzog died by suicide in January 2012.

Circumstances

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced on September 18, 2026, that Shermantine, 60, had died on Thursday, September 17, at California State Prison, Sacramento, with the cause to be determined by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office. ABC10 recorded the father's reaction in the following days.

What the Report Covers

The anchor introduces Shermantine as one of the "so-called Speed Freak Killers," sentenced to death for four murders. Mr. Vanderheiden says Shermantine "got his punishment that he deserves right now, for being dead," and that he "shouldn't have lived that long." He says he had not known for sure whether Shermantine would "twist his way around" to getting out. The reporter summarizes the case: Cyndi's disappearance in 1998, the recovery of her remains in 2012 after Shermantine provided maps, and Herzog's suicide. Mr. Vanderheiden says, "You have to keep living, you know. You can't just give up and die," and the report shows the family's "Cyndi Wall" of photos and a painting of a white bird she made.

What Makes the Recording Significant

The report records a victim's father's reaction to the death of the man convicted of murdering his daughter, nearly 28 years after she disappeared, and closes the Vanderheiden story told in the 1999 interrogation recordings in this archive.

Archival Importance

An ABC10 news report on the station's own channel.

Important Caveats

Shermantine is not heard. The father's surname is written "Vanderheiden," the spelling used for Cyndi in court and reference sources; the captions give "Vander Heiden," and his own spelling was not confirmed. "Cyndi" is the reference-source spelling (the captions have "Cindy"). The anchor's "nearly 15-year crime spree starting in 1984" is ABC10's summary. The exact air date is not confirmed.

Anchor: And new tonight, a father of a murdered victim is speaking out after the death of her killer. Wesley Shermantine was one of the so-called Speed Freak Killers who went on a nearly 15-year crime spree starting in 1984. He was sentenced to death for four murders. And tonight, ABC 10's Robby Reynolds spoke with the father of one of the victims.

John Vanderheiden: He got his punishment that he deserves right now, for being dead. He shouldn't have lived that long.

Robby Reynolds: John Vanderheiden got a call Thursday night that he says finally brought some closure to the loss of his daughter Cyndi. The man convicted of her murder had passed away. Wesley Shermantine died at the age of 60 at California State Prison, Sacramento.

John Vanderheiden: I was real happy on that, because I didn't know for sure if he was going to twist his way around [unclear: "at" / "and"] getting out or not.

Robby Reynolds: Shermantine and his friend Loren Herzog became known as the Speed Freak Killers after going on a violent crime spree in the '80s and '90s fueled by meth. Cyndi Vanderheiden went missing in 1998, and her remains were found in 2012 after Shermantine provided investigators with maps. Herzog died by suicide in 2012. John Vanderheiden and his wife still live in the home that Cyndi grew up in, here in the small community of Clements. I asked John what's next for him following the death of Wesley Shermantine, and he says he misses Cyndi every single day, but life goes on.

John Vanderheiden: You have to keep living, you know. You can't just give up and die.

Robby Reynolds: John and his wife have what they call the Cyndi Wall in their house. It's filled with photos of her and a painting she made of a white bird.

John Vanderheiden: She was a very happy person all the time, and it brought happiness to our house.

Robby Reynolds: The couple will also be spending as much time as they can with their other children, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. In Clements, Robby Reynolds, ABC 10. [01:38: speech ends with the clip.] ---