'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Christopher Tapp, who was wrongfully convicted of rape, is set to receive $11.7 million from the city of Idaho Falls.
In October 2020, Tapp sued the city and several former Idaho Falls Police Department officers for wrongful imprisonment in the 1996 rape and murder case of Angie Dodge. Due to the conviction, Christopher Tapp spent about two decades in jail. However, he was released in 2017.
Then in 2019, DNA evidence cleared Christopher Tapp and convicted Brian Leigh Dripps, who pleaded guilty to rape and first-degree murder in Dodge's death. He was sentenced to life in prison last year.
The City Council on Thursday voted on the settlement. The city’s insurance company will cover the money. Meanwhile, they also agreed to send an official apology letter to Tapp.
Christopher Tapp's incarceration and exoneration
In 1996, an 18-year-old teenager named Angie Dodge was raped and murdered at her home. Following that, in 1997, police arrested Christopher Tapp after his alleged confession. However, Tapp said his confession was a lie and forced.
Despite his DNA not being a match and denying any involvement, he was charged with the crime. Reportedly, his interrogation took place over 23 days and lasted more than 28 hours.
Watching his interrogation video, Tapp said:
"You can see 'em specifically pointin' out facts to me. Or — or giving little innuendos … or hints of how the murder went down."
He stated that the police had fed him stories and coerced him to confess to the crime.
After Tapp filed the lawsuit, the city asked for the dismissal of the same and agreed to settle it instead. Speaking about the settlement, Tapp said:
"No dollar amount could ever make up for the over 20 years of my life I spent in prison for crimes I did not commit. However, the settlement will help me move forward with my life."
Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper also said the city would review its policies and procedures to prevent another wrongful conviction. In an apology letter to Christopher Tapp and his family, she wrote:
"Please accept this sincere apology to you and to your mother, Mrs. Tapp, for the city's role in your wrongful conviction and subsequent incarceration, as well the harm and damages that you and your family have endured over these many years."
She further wrote:
"We at the city of Idaho Falls hope that the resolution of your civil case and this sincere expression of an apology will help bring healing and closure to both Mrs. Tapp and to you."
Last year, the House and the Senate passed the Idaho Wrongful Conviction Act, signed into law by Republican Gov. Brad Little. The exoneration of Christopher Tapp triggered the bill.
The law states that if a wrongfully convicted person receives a reward or settlement in a civil lawsuit, the amount they receive from the state is reduced by the amount they win in the lawsuit. This clause would prevent wrongfully convicted persons from being compensated twice.
