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The wrongful conviction of Christopher Tapp in the 1996 murder and abuse of his friend, Angie Dodge, became news as he fought for his innocence with the aid of his attorney, the Idaho Innocence Project, and Angie's mother, Carol Dodge.
Chris Tapp had been a part of the circle, River Rats, who hung out by the Snake River along with Dodge. He had been suspected of being an accessory to the crime despite no physical evidence that connected him to the crime. Tapp's DNA match returned inconclusive and he was reportedly coerced into a confession by the officers through hours of intense interrogation.
The Dateline NBC episode True Confession airs on February 23, 2024, at 9 pm EST and showcases the resilience of Tapp as his charges were exonerated in July 2019. The synopsis reads:
"An Idaho man is sentenced to life after falsely confessing to his friend's murder; but after the true culprit is caught and the case seemingly closed, a chilling twist unfolds."
Christopher Tapp passed away after suffering blunt force trauma to his head in a Las Vegas hotel room on October 29, 2023. His death was reported to be a homicide.
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of assault.
Who was Christopher Tapp and what happened to him? Details explored
Seven months after Angie Dodge's murder, the authorities from the Idaho Falls Police Department suspected a lead when Benjamin Hobbs was arrested for raping a woman at knifepoint in Nevada.
The suspicion of Hobbs led the police to 20-year-old Christopher Hobbs, who was also a part of the circle named River Rats. This circle included Dodge and Hobbs and all those who hung out by the Snake River.
The police believed that both Hobbs and Tapp were involved in the killing and subsequently narrowed down on Chris Tapp as he was subjected to rigorous interrogation. According to BBC News, the officers made Tapp take seven polygraph tests and interrogated him nine times for a total of over 100 hours.
According to The New York Times, the detectives reportedly offered him full immunity in exchange for the truth and cornered him with allegations of a failed polygraph test. He was threatened with gas chambers and a life sentence, which led to his false confession in January 1997. Overall, Tapp had six different stories during the interrogation.
Tapp shared with BBC News:
“I tried to save myself and just continued to put myself further and further down the rabbit hole. Then they actually charged me. It was heartbreaking. I knew that this might be the end.”
Christopher Tapp was arrested for the murder and abuse of Angie Dodge on May 15, 1998, and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. It is to be noted that no physical evidence tied him to the crime as his DNA did not match the semen sample from the crime scene.
While Christopher Tapp recanted his confession in 2001, his case was reviewed by the Idaho Innocence Project in 2007 with the aid of Angie Dodge's mother, Carol Dodge.
According to The New York Times, determined to find the real killer at large, Carol continued to investigate her daughter's murder for over 20 years and combed through hours of interrogation tapes to realize that Tapp had been innocent.
In 2017, Carol Dodge helped Chris Tapp appeal his case with the aid of his attorney, John Thomas, and as part of a plea deal, his abuse charges were declared void, reducing his sentence to 20 years, which he had already served. His murder charge was also exonerated in July 2019 as the Idaho Falls Police Department arrested Brian Leigh Dripps Sr.
Where is Christopher Tapp now?
Having spent 20 years in prison, Christopher Tapp passed away on November 5, 2023, after he suffered blunt-force trauma to the head on October 29, 2023. He had been staying at a hotel at 3000 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Nevada. His death was believed to be homicide by the Las Vegas Metro Homicide Section.
Christopher Tapp sued the city of Idaho Falls for wrongful conviction in October 2020 and settled the lawsuit for $11.7 million in June 2022, as per East Idaho News.
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