Resorts World Murder Suspect Is Ex-Vegas Political Candidate
Posted on: March 6, 2024, 06:01h.
Last updated on: March 6, 2024, 06:04h.
One-time wrestler and politician Daniel Rodimer was identified this week as a suspect in the death of Christopher Tapp from a violent incident at a Las Vegas Strip hotel.
At first, the death was believed to have been from an accidental fall at the Resorts World Las Vegas. But authorities now say there was an October 29 fight in a hotel room.
Tapp, 47, was injured and rushed to a local hospital where he later died on November 5. The death was called “suspicious” by local police.
Later, the Clark County coroner’s office ruled the death a homicide. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
On Tuesday, a warrant was filed for open murder against Rodimer in Las Vegas Justice Court, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) sources confirmed on Wednesday to news outlets.
But as of Wednesday, Rodimer still was not being held at the Clark County Detention Center.
Rodimer Ran Against Lee
Rodimer is well known as an unsuccessful politician and former professional wrestler.
In 2020, Rodimer attempted to capture Nevada’s third congressional district seat, which was held by incumbent Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev. He lost by about 13K votes.
The following year, Rodimer ran for the sixth congressional district in Texas.
Rodimer ran as a Republican both times. He failed in both attempts.
Formerly, Rodimer was a noteworthy wrestler. In the ring, he went by the name of Dan Rodman.
Tapp’s Conviction
Tapp also gained notoriety before his death.
He was incarcerated for two decades for a sexual assault and homicide conviction.
He eventually was released after it turned out he was innocent of the 1996 charges filed by authorities in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
In 1998, Tapp was convicted by a jury on first-degree murder, rape, and use of a deadly weapon counts. But his criminal conviction was vacated in 2019 after key evidence was presented.
If the conviction had not been thrown out, he would have spent at least 30 years in prison on the murder charge and 10 years in prison on the rape charge, officials said.
Innocence Project Defense
Mr. Tapp was officially exonerated in 2019, the first person in the world to be proven innocent with genetic genealogy,” according to the Innocence Project, which represented him.
The Innocence Project is a legal organization which works to exonerate those who have been wrongly convicted, such as by DNA testing and reviewing details of a case.
Mr. Tapp’s prosecution and conviction relied almost exclusively on the tortured, fabricated and false confession [by police],” the Innocence Project said in an online statement.
Tapp sued the City of Idaho Falls for wrongful conviction in 2020, receiving a settlement of $11.4 million.