Washington Pastor Lured Mother-in-Law, Women at Church into Affairs After Killing His Wife in Staged Fire

The mysterious death of a youth pastor's wife has raised questions about his alleged relationships with the women in his church.

Nick Hacheney was an esteemed member of a small, devoutly religious church in Bainbridge Island, Washington, until his alleged deeds caught up with him, Oxygen reported.

Nick Hacheney joined the church with his devout wife, Dawn Hacheney. He worked in the church as a youth pastor.

The congregation was a close-knit group of people, so when Dawn Hacheney unexpectedly died in a fire, they rallied around Nick Hacheney to give him support.

On Dec. 26, 1997, Bremerton police responded to the report of a fire at the couple's home, Oxygen reported. Nick Hacheney told officers that he had left the space heater on before going on a hunt, and he suspected that some nearby wrapping paper may have ignited and caused the fire.

Nick Hacheney continued to work in the church after his wife's death, Oxygen reported. One of his duties as a pastor was to conduct marriage counseling sessions.

Annette and Craig Anderson, members of the church, participated in the sessions. Initially, both met with Nick Hacheney, but later on, only Annette Anderson attended the sessions.

In an interview with Dateline: Unforgettable, Annette Anderson revealed that just a few weeks after Dawn Hacheney's death, Nick Hacheney allegedly asked her to have a physical relationship with him, Oxygen reported.

She claims in the interview that he told her God wanted them to engage in sex as part of the counseling. Annette reluctantly agreed, and soon they allegedly began meeting regularly in a hotel.

Annette Anderson reportedly wasn't the only woman Nick Hacheney lured in such a manner, Oxygen reported. His image as a grieving husband increased sympathy for him in the church, reportedly making it easier for the youth pastor to get involved with other women in the congregation.

Dawn Hacheney's mother, Diana Parmele, also got caught up in his manipulative schemes involving her son-in-law.

"I went through a lot of personal struggles with just wanting to escape from everything, but it led to other things, which I’m very ashamed of, you know, things that I did. But at the time, it was just my way of escaping,” Parmele would later admit, Oxygen reported.

Parmele thought that Nick Hacheney was genuinely suffering and that she was helping him get out of his pain.

“When I saw him, you know, I thought — I just believed that I saw in his eyes the deep sadness that was there from the loss of Dawn,” she explained.

In 1998, Annette Anderson and Nick Hacheney's alleged affair reportedly ended. She was still with her husband but remained silent about what had transpired.

In 2001, during an argument with her husband, Craig Anderson, Annette Anderson reportedly told him everything about the alleged affair.

"Trust is hard for me, especially in the context of the church, because I know that power corrupts, and that church is a place where people can get power,” she later said.

Craig Anderson was furious at the alleged betrayal and arranged a meeting with one of the church leaders to share his grievances. The meeting included another congregant, Sandy Glass, who after hearing everything, hired a defense attorney and went to talk with the police.

Glass admitted to the authorities that in the months leading to Dawn Hacheney's death, she also was allegedly involved with Nick Hacheney in an affair, Oxygen reported.

During the relationship, both of them allegedly talked about ending the lives of their partners. Glass separated from her husband in 1997.

After the fire, Nick Hacheney called Glass and said, “It’s done,” she shared with the police, Oxygen reported. He allegedly told her that on the morning of the day of the fire, he was lying in bed and God told him to “take the land."

This phrase from the Old Testament encourages people to go after what they want.

Nick was accused of drugging Dawn Hacheney with Benadryl, and then starting the fire that killed her, Oxygen reported.

“We did have information that Dawn did have a cold Christmas Day and had been taking Benadryl, but there was an excessive amount in her body,” Bremerton Police Detective Sue Schultz noted. 

Glass's statement was enough for the police to reopen the case, Oxygen reported. Within a year, Nick Hacheney was arrested. He was convicted of murder in 2002 and will be eligible for parole in 2027. To this date, he proclaims his innocence.  

Nick Hacheney is prparing to begin his Mutual Reentry Plan, or MRP, The Appeal reported. In his write-up, he expressed optimism about his future.

He wrote: "I can’t wait to sit around a campfire with the guys I did this time with. To retell old stories and laugh at jokes that only we get the punchlines to. I can think of a dozen guys I’d like to join me, but I know four old companions who are not invited."

The four companions that Nick Hacheney reportedly is talking about are violence, loss, oppression, and neurosis, which, according to him, haunt prisoners throughout their sentences.