WWE Tough Enough alumnus Daniel Rodimer has turned himself after a warrant was issued for his arrest over a murder charge in Las Vegas.
KLAS is reporting that Rodimer turned himself in at the Clark County Detention Center around 6:00 PM local time on Wednesday.
The report states that detectives believe Rodimer attacked Christopher Tapp, on October 29th after Tapp allegedly offered Rodimer’s stepdaughter cocaine during a party at a Las Vegas hotel room. While Tapp’s death was initially believed to be an “apparent overdose” and “fall,” his autopsy showed blunt force trauma to the head. He also had cocaine in his system. Tapp later died at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, NV on November 5th.
It was noted that the detectives in charge of the case learned during their investigation that Rodimer and Tapp were involved in a physical altercation, which occurred after the alleged cocaine offer to Rodimer’s stepdaughter. One witness said Rodimer told Tapp, “If you ever talk to my daughter again, I’ll [expletive] kill you.” Immediately after, the witness heard “two loud banging noises.”
Another witness said they saw Rodimer knock Tapp to the ground and that Tapp’s head hit a small table. At that point, Rodimer punched Tapp “throughout his head and body.” A third witness came forward to say Tapp slipped and fell, hitting his head on a coffee table. Several other witnesses told police that many people at the party used cocaine on the night of the incident.
There are also texts between Rodimer and his wife Sarah, who texted, “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…. I watched you murder somebody like let that sink in your psychopath.”
Tapp and Rodimer reportedly knew each other through the classic car and racing circuit.
It’s worth noting that Tapp previously served two decades in prison for a crime he did not commit. Tapp was convicted in the 1996 rape and murder of an 18-year-old girl despite being exonerated by DNA evidence. At the time, Tapp was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum 30 year sentence. The conviction was vacated in July of 2019.
Rodimer resurfaced in 2021 as a Republican candidate from Nevada who was endorsed by Donald Trump. He ran for an open congressional seat in Texas against 22 other candidates. Rodimer, who is from New Jersey, tried to portray himself as a Texan and was mocked for “cosplaying.” He also ran for office in Nevada in 2020.
Former WWE Tough Enough contestant Daniel Rodimer has turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with a murder charge in Las Vegas. According to reports from KLAS, Rodimer surrendered at the Clark County Detention Center on Wednesday evening.
The incident in question occurred on October 29th when Rodimer allegedly attacked Christopher Tapp after Tapp offered Rodimer’s stepdaughter cocaine during a party at a Las Vegas hotel room. Initially, Tapp’s death was believed to be an “apparent overdose” and “fall,” but an autopsy revealed blunt force trauma to the head and the presence of cocaine in his system. Tapp passed away on November 5th at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas.
During the investigation, detectives discovered that Rodimer and Tapp were involved in a physical altercation following the alleged cocaine offer. Witnesses reported hearing Rodimer threaten Tapp, saying, “If you ever talk to my daughter again, I’ll [expletive] kill you.” Shortly after, witnesses heard two loud banging noises. Another witness claimed to have seen Rodimer knock Tapp to the ground, causing his head to hit a small table. Rodimer then allegedly punched Tapp repeatedly.
However, conflicting accounts emerged, with one witness stating that Tapp slipped and fell, hitting his head on a coffee table. Multiple witnesses also informed the police that several people at the party were using cocaine that night.
Text messages between Rodimer and his wife Sarah further shed light on the incident. Sarah texted Rodimer, accusing him of nearly murdering someone and describing how she had to intervene to save the victim. She expressed her shock and referred to Rodimer as a psychopath.
It is worth noting that Tapp had previously served two decades in prison for a crime he did not commit. He was wrongly convicted in 1996 for the rape and murder of an 18-year-old girl but was exonerated by DNA evidence in July 2019.
Rodimer, who resurfaced in 2021 as a Republican candidate from Nevada endorsed by Donald Trump, ran for a congressional seat in Texas against 22 other candidates. However, he faced criticism for trying to portray himself as a Texan despite being from New Jersey. Rodimer also ran for office in Nevada in 2020.
The case involving Daniel Rodimer and the murder charge is ongoing, and further details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses.