Kumari Shreya
In NBC’s ‘Dateline: True Confession,’ the viewers are told the story of Christopher “Chris” Tapp. Linked to the rape and murder of Angie Dodge, he remained adamant for a huge part of his life that he was not behind the crimes he had been accused of. Despite the numerous years of suffering and struggles, Tapp did not give up easily, and his journey had become a subject of public interest, making many eager to learn more about the case. Additionally, people are curious about Tapp’s recent demise.
Chris Tapp’s Testimony Kept Changing
A resident of Idaho Falls, Idaho, Chris Tapp’s life took an unexpected turn because of a tragedy that took place in the city. In the early hours of June 13, 1996, 18-year-old Angie Dodge was sexually assaulted and killed in her own apartment. For months, the investigators found no lead in the case until an arrest was made in Ely, Nevada, on January 5, 1997. The captured man was Benjamin Hobbs, who was friends with Tapp.
As it turns out, Tapp and Hobbs were part of a group called River Rats and were often seen hanging out not far from where Angie lived. Additionally, there were accounts of Tapp and Dodge being seen together just the night before the latter was killed in her apartment. After being interviewed twice on January 7 and January 10, 1997, Tapp did not consent to a third interview, with his mother telling the authorities that he would be ready to answer further questions on January 13, 1997, in the presence of his attorney.
However, before the meeting planned by Tapp’s family could take place, he was arrested by the police on the charge of being an accessory to a felony. He was later interviewed again on January 15, 1997, and it was in this interview that Tapp stated that he had been present when Hobbs killed Dodge for allegedly trying to destroy his marriage. This was different from what Tapp had said in his second interview, in which he had only admitted to having provided an alibi for Hobbs, whom he had accused of killing Dodge even then.
As the investigation progressed, Tapp’s testimonies continued to change details. He had entered an immunity deal with the police, which stated that should he be truthful, he would only be charged with helping in a case of aggravated battery. However, when the DNA reports came back, and neither Tapp nor Hobbs was a match with the semen found on Dodge, another potential person called Jeremy Sargis was believed to have been present during the crime.
When even Sargis came out as not a match, and his alibi turned out to be accurate, the immunity offered to Tapp was recanted as the authorities alleged he had not been truthful. During his fifth polygraph test, Tapp seemingly admitted to having also attached Dodge, but his responses were still marked as deceptive. On February 3, 1997, Tapp was charged with first-degree murder, rape, and use of a deadly weapon during a felony. His trial for the same began on May 12, 1988, and though Tapp’s attorney insisted that his client’s testimonies were coerced out of him.
Additionally, a witness named Destiny Osborne claimed that she had heard Tapp and Hobbs discuss the crime some days after Dodge’s death but did admit to having been under the influence at the time. Though other witnesses did seem to have a solid alibi for Tapp, it was not enough for the jury when compared to his recorded confessions. As such, on May 28, 1998, he was given a life sentence with a mandatory 30-year term for his alleged participation in a murder. The rape charge against him also led to another 10-year sentence.
In 2001, Tapp appealed his sentence, recanted his statements, and claimed that his confessions had actually been forced out of him. While the Idaho Court of Appeals admitted that his Miranda rights had been severely violated during the course of the investigation, the court did not think the error was significant enough for a change in his sentence. In 2007, the Idaho Innocence Project started working on the case, which led to a hair DNA test in 2008 that seemed to indicate that Tapp had been the one to assault Dodge. Further tests in 2012 indicated that neither Tapp nor Hobbs were involved in the crime at all.
After many attempts made by Tapp’s defense team, while there was no post-conviction relief in accordance with the suit filed in 2016, Tapp’s sentence did come to an end. This was a result of an agreement he had made with the Bonneville County District Attorney Danny Clark, which led to the rape charge against him being removed, and his sentence was reduced to 20 years, which he had already served. In the same year, Osborne also recanted her statement.
Given the renewed interest in the case, the authorities were once again in search of the person responsible for the crimes against Doge. The arrest of Brian Dripps on May 15, 2019, was a monumental one as he confessed to the crime and added that Tapp was not involved in it. As such, on July 17, 2019, the charges against Tapp were lifted, something that he was immensely thankful for. In December 2019, he filed a lawsuit against the police department of Idaho Falls, and a settlement was reached in June 2022, with Tapp winning a sum of $11.4 million.
Chris Tapp’s Death Could Be a Homicide
Having been arrested at the age of 20 in regards to the Angie Dodge case, Chris Tapp unfortunately did not get to enjoy his freedom for long. On October 29, 2023, Tapp sustained heavy injuries after falling while he was staying at a hotel located at 3000 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada. The Idaho resident was immediately rushed to hospital in order to treat his severe injuries, including the ones on his head. However, after a week-long effort, Tapp passed away on November 5, 2023.
The tragedy of Tapp’s death only became more severe when the police started to suspect that his fall might not have been an accident after all. “Through the course of the suspicious death investigation, LVMPD Homicide Detectives have learned Tapp was in an altercation inside a room at a resort before being located and transported to the hospital,” the Las Vegas Metro Homicide Section shared. According to the coroner’s report, Tapp’s death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head, and, as of writing, the investigators have not shared any more details regarding the investigation into the case.
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