Ex-congressional candidate wanted in Las Vegas Strip murder turns self in

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Dan Rodimer, a former Republican congressional candidate and ex-wrestler, surrendered to police in Nevada on Wednesday after officials issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with the death of a man at a Las Vegas Strip hotel.

Rodimer, 45, was wanted on a charge of open murder in the death of Christoper Tapp, 47, said Lt. Jason Johannson, of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department.

Tapp died after an incident at Resorts World on Oct. 29, 2023. His death was first suspected to be an “apparent overdose” and “fall,” according to documents obtained by Nexstar’s KLAS.

Doctors pronounced Tapp dead at a Las Vegas hospital on Nov. 5. The Clark County Coroner’s Office ruled Tapp’s death a homicide as a result of blunt force trauma to his head, documents said. A scan showed he suffered several brain bleeds.

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Investigators later said they learned Tapp — who himself was acquitted of murder after serving two decades in prison — had been involved in an altercation inside the hotel room before he was found and taken to the hospital.

An arrest warrant obtained by KLAS on Wednesday indicated that Rodimer allegedly became upset after Tapp was accused of offering Rodimer’s stepdaughter cocaine. (The documents did not include the stepdaughter’s age.)

A witness claimed to hear 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,” police wrote.

A second witness told police she saw “Dan knock Christopher to the ground, at which time Christopher’s head hit a small table.” She then said she witnessed Rodimer “punch Christopher throughout his head and body,” documents said.

Another witness told a person attending the hotel room party that Tapp slipped and fell and hit his head on a coffee table, according to the documents. Other witnesses told police several people used cocaine at the party.

Investigators also obtained text messages between Rodimer and his wife, Sarah Rodimer, in which 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.

Rodimer’s attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said their client was prepared to turn himself in ahead of his surrender Wednesday. They added he would be posting a court-ordered bail, saying that Rodimer “intends on vigorously contesting the allegations and asks that the presumption of innocence guaranteed all Americans be respected.”

Before Rodimer’s arrest, Judge Eric Goodman reset bail to $200,000, which Rodimer posted, records said. Rodimer is due to return to court on April 10.

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In 2020, Rodimer, a former professional wrestler, lost his bid to represent Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District against Democratic Rep. Susie Lee.

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 lost the 2020 election to Lee by nearly 13,000 votes — or 3 percentage points. He later left Nevada and lost a bid to represent Texas’ 6th Congressional District, coming in 11th in a 2021 primary.

Tapp, of Idaho, was previously charged in the 1996 rape and murder of an 18-year-old, despite being excluded by DNA evidence, according to the Innocence Project. He was convicted in 1998 on charges of first-degree murder, rape, and use of a deadly weapon, and sentenced later that year to life in prison with a minimum sentence of 30 years for the murder conviction and 10 years for the rape conviction.

On July 17, 2019, Tapp’s murder conviction was vacated.

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