Daniel Rodimer has been arrested on suspicion of murder — and his wife’s texts might have just sealed the deal!
On Wednesday, the former WWE star (above left) was named the main suspect in a murder which took place in Las Vegas on October 29, 2023. The pro-wrestler, who ran for Congress twice (endorsed by Donald Trump, of course), turned himself in shortly after his arrest warrant on one charge of open murder was issued.
According to court documents obtained by 8 News Now Investigators, it was initially believed victim Christopher Tapp — who spent 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit — died from an “apparent overdose” and “fall” as he had cocaine in his system. He was pronounced dead in the hospital on November 5. Following an autopsy, the Clark County Coroner’s Office later declared Tapp’s death was actually a homicide, clarifying he died from brain bleeding and blunt-force trauma.
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Amid the investigation, authorities discovered both Tapp and Rodimer were present and in the same hotel room at Resorts World when the murder occurred. Investigators allege the former Republican congressional candidate attacked and killed Christopher after he offered Rodimer’s stepdaughter cocaine during a party in the hotel room. The court docs noted a witness heard the suspect say, “If you ever talk to my daughter again, I’ll [expletive] kill you,” the docs continued:
“Immediately after hearing Dan say this to Christopher, [the witness] heard two loud banging noises.”
A second witness claimed they saw “Dan knock Christopher to the ground, at which time Christopher’s head hit a small table” and “Dan proceeded to punch Christopher throughout his head and body.” Someone else, however, claimed the victim simply slipped, fell, and hit his head on a coffee table. Police were also told several people had used cocaine at the party.
Perhaps the most shocking evidence, though, was text messages between the suspect and his wife, Sarah Rodimer, in which she calls him out for the murder! Like, literally, there’s no need to read between the lines, she lays it all out, writing:
“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.”
Girl even used the M word. Wow. She then added:
“I watched you murder somebody like let that sink in your psychopath.”
Whoa…
A family attorney told the outlet the men knew each other through the classic car and racing circuit. As mentioned, Tapp served two decades in prison after he was charged and convicted of rapping and murdering 18-year-old Angie Dodge in 1996, even though he was excluded by DNA evidence. He was released in 2017 and exonerated in 2019. So sad that after all that, he was killed just a couple years later.
As for Rodimer, his lawyers David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a statement obtained by the outlet that he “intends on vigorously contesting the allegations” and was “voluntarily surrendering to authorities and will post a court-ordered bail” (which he did, worth $200,000). They also asked that “the presumption of innocence guaranteed [to] all Americans be respected.” His next court date is set for April 10.
Thoughts? Let us know (below).
[Image via Dan Rodimer for Congress/48 Hours/YouTube]
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