Current:Home > InvestFormer congressional candidate and pro wrestler arrested in Vegas murder of man who was wrongly imprisoned for cold-case killing-InfoLens
Former congressional candidate and pro wrestler arrested in Vegas murder of man who was wrongly imprisoned for cold-case killing
View Date:2024-12-23 10:24:33
A retired professional wrestler and former congressional candidate surrendered to police in Nevada on Wednesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest in the killing of a man — who himself was acquitted of murder — who died last year from a head injury at a Las Vegas Strip hotel, his lawyers said.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said earlier in the day that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of 45-year-old Daniel Rodimer on a charge of open murder in the death of Chris Tapp -- who previously served two decades in prison for a murder he did not commit.
Tapp, 47, was treated on Oct. 29 by medical personnel responding to a call for help after he was found at the hotel and taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Rodimer's Las Vegas lawyers, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press that Rodimer was "voluntarily surrendering to authorities and will post a court ordered bail."
"He intends on vigorously contesting the allegations and asks that the presumption of innocence guaranteed all Americans be respected," they said.
Police said detectives opened a suspicious death investigation after they received new information Nov. 22 about the injuries Tapp had suffered "as a result of a purposed accident."
"Through the course of the suspicious death investigation ... detectives have learned Tapp was in an altercation inside a room at the resort before being located and transported to the hospital," police said
The Clark County Coroner's Office subsequently ruled it a homicide as a result of blunt force trauma to the head.
According to the arrest warrant obtained by CBS affiliate KLAS-TV, Rodimer allegedly became upset after Tapp offered Rodimer's stepdaughter cocaine.
A witness then heard Rodimer say, "If you ever talk to my daughter again, I'll [expletive] kill you," documents said. "Immediately after hearing Dan say this to Christopher, [the witness] heard two loud banging noises."
KLAS-TV reported that investigators also obtained text messages between Rodimer and his wife, Sarah Rodimer, where Sarah Rodimer said, "I watched you nearly murder somebody and I had to take your [expletive] hands off from his neck as he laid there and you ran away and I spent the next two hours trying to take care of him. Nobody should have to watch their husband murder somebody."
Tapp and Rodimer knew each other through the classic car and racing circuit, a family attorney told KLAS-TV.
Rodimer, a Republican, challenged Democratic Rep. Susie Lee for her seat in Nevada's District 3 in 2020. He lost by around 13,000 votes.
KLAS-TV reported that Former President Donald Trump had endorsed Rodimer before the 2020 election, tweeting: "Dan Rodimer will be an incredible Congressman for Nevada! A former professional wrestler, he will fight for Lower Taxes, Better Education and More Jobs, and he will always support our Brave Law Enforcement. Dan has my Complete and Total Endorsement!"
Rodimer later moved to Texas, where he was among 23 candidates who ran in a special congressional election in 2021 to fill the seat of Republican Ron Wright, who was the first member of Congress to die after contracting COVID-19. He finished in the middle of the pack, getting less than 3% of the vote.
Tapp served two decades in prison for a crime he did not commit. According to the Innocence Project, Tapp was charged and convicted in the 1996 rape and murder of 18-year-old Angie Dodge, despite being excluded by DNA evidence. In 2019, Tapp's murder conviction was vacated.
"48 Hours" first met Tapp when he was 40 years old. Tapp told "48 Hours" his confession was a lie — a story fed to him by police and then forced back out of him on tape.
- In:
- Chris Tapp
- Murder
- Las Vegas
veryGood! (6163)
Related
- NFL playoff picture Week 10: Lions stay out in front of loaded NFC field
- Officials warned electric vehicles can catch fire in Helene flooding: What to know
- Catholic hospital in California illegally denied emergency abortion, state attorney general says
- YouTuber, WWE wrestler Logan Paul welcomes 'another Paul' with fiancée Nina Agdal
- Nevada Democrats keep legislative control but fall short of veto-proof supermajority
- MLB wild card predictions: Who will move on? Expert picks, schedule for opening round
- Attorney says 120 accusers allege sexual misconduct against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
- Bowl projections: College football Week 5 brings change to playoff field
- Amazon Best Books of 2024 revealed: Top 10 span genres but all 'make you feel deeply'
- Peak northern lights activity coming soon: What to know as sun reaches solar maximum
Ranking
- Vogue Model Dynus Saxon Charged With Murder After Stabbing Attack
- Nicole Kidman's NSFW Movie Babygirl Is Giving 50 Shades of Grey—But With a Twist
- A battered child care industry’s latest challenge? Competing for 4-year-olds.
- Police officer fatally shoots man at a home, New Hampshire attorney general says
- College Football Playoff ranking release: Army, Georgia lead winners and losers
- Montana rancher gets 6 months in prison for creating hybrid sheep for captive hunting
- Alabama now top seed, Kansas State rejoins College Football Playoff bracket projection
- Why was Pete Rose banned for life from MLB? Gambling on games was his downfall
Recommendation
-
Voyager 2 is the only craft to visit Uranus. Its findings may have misled us for 40 years.
-
Let All Naysayers Know: Jalen Milroe silences critics questioning quarterback ability
-
Nearly $32 million awarded for a large-scale solar project in Arkansas
-
Alabama now top seed, Kansas State rejoins College Football Playoff bracket projection
-
Waymo’s robotaxis now open to anyone who wants a driverless ride in Los Angeles
-
'The civil rights issue of our generation'? A battle over housing erupts in Massachusetts
-
Haunted by migrant deaths, Border Patrol agents face mental health toll
-
John Amos, 'Good Times' and 'Roots' trailblazer and 'Coming to America' star, dies at 84