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LAS VEGAS (CN) — In the latest twist in the investigation of an unsolved death on the Las Vegas Strip last year, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has recently reclassified the case as a homicide and identified Daniel Rodimer, a 45-year-old former congressional candidate and professional wrestler, as a key suspect.
On Oct. 29, 2023, emergency medical services responded to a call on South Las Vegas Boulevard involving a man, later identified as 47-year-old Christopher Tapp, who was purportedly injured in an accident. He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead. Further investigations revealed Tapp’s involvement in an altercation in a room at Resorts World.
The death was later deemed a homicide by the Clark County Coroner’s Office, with blunt force trauma to the head listed as the cause of death.
Rodimer surrendered to law enforcement on Wednesday night in Las Vegas and his attorneys said he intends to fight any criminal charges.
Rodimer has had a varied professional life that spans wrestling, law and politics. According to Ballotpedia, Rodimer attempted to win a seat in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District in 2020 as a Republican, followed by a campaign for Texas’ 6th Congressional District in a special election in 2021. Rodimer centered his campaigns around educational reform, Second Amendment rights, and improvements to the health care system.
Rodimer’s foray into professional wrestling spanned from 2006 to 2007, after competing in the 2004 Tough Enough competition. Signed by World Wrestling Entertainment in 2006, he participated in both Deep South Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE’s developmental leagues, and appeared several times on WWE’s Heat program before his contract ended in 2007, according to his wrestling fan page.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported last January that the victim, Tapp, who was falsely convicted in 1996 for the rape and murder of Angie Dodge before his death. Tapp spent over two decades behind bars before being cleared of all charges in 2019.
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