Posted on: March 7, 2024, 09:53h.
Last updated on: March 7, 2024, 09:53h.
Daniel Rodimer, who is accused in the murder of a guest at Resorts World Las Vegas, turned himself into authorities on Wednesday. He is a former congressional candidate and one-time pro wrestler.
Rodimer, 45, surrendered at the Clark County Detention Center at about 6 p.m. Wednesday. He is charged with open murder for the October 29, 2023 incident at the Las Vegas Strip property.
The attack took place after the victim, Christoper Tapp, 47, had offered Rodimer’s stepdaughter cocaine during a party in a hotel room, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.
That led to an angry response from Rodimer.
Threatened to Kill Victim
If you ever talk to my daughter again, I’ll [expletive] kill you,” a witness told authorities, KLAS reported.
The witness next heard two “loud banging noises,” according to police reports.
Another witness said Rodimer pushed Tapp to the floor. On the way down, Tapp’s head struck a table.
Dan proceeded to punch Christopher throughout his head and body,” this witness told police.
Tapp was rushed to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where he died on November 5.
An autopsy showed that he died from blunt force trauma to the head. The death was ruled a homicide. He had bleeding on the brain, KLAS reported.
Incriminating Texts
In addition, text messages between Rodimer and his wife, 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.”
It was also revealed that there were a lot of people at the party taking cocaine, according to witnesses.
Daniel Rodimer is being represented on the murder charge by two well-known Las Vegas criminal defense attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld.
Rodimer “intends on vigorously contesting the allegations and asks that the presumption of innocence guaranteed all Americans be respected,” the attorneys said in a statement to KLAS.
Judge Eric Goodman set Rodimer’s bail at $200K. Rodimer was able to post the bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 10.
Lost Congressional Races
Rodimer, a Republican, lost a race against Democratic incumbent Rep. Susie Lee in 2020 for the third congressional district seat which includes Las Vegas. He had the endorsement of Donald Trump but lost by some 13,000 votes.
The next year, he lost a race in Texas for a congressional seat.
Tapp previously spent two decades in prison for an Idaho sexual assault and murder. In 1998, Tapp was convicted by a jury on first-degree murder, rape, and use of a deadly weapon counts.
But genetic genealogy evidence was later presented which exonerated Tapp. He was released from custody in 2019.
Tapp sued the City of Idaho Falls for wrongful conviction in 2020, receiving a settlement of $11.4 million.
