Daniel Rodimer, the former pro wrestler and Republican congressional hopeful, has turned himself into police in connection with an October 2023 murder in Las Vegas.
Rodimer was wanted by police due to his alleged role in the death of a 47-year-old man named Christopher Tapp. The incident took place on the Las Vegas Strip on October 29, 2023. A criminal complaint and arrest warrant for open murder for Rodimer was filed in court this week.
According to KRON 4, Rodimer turned himself in on Wednesday evening.
FOX 5 Las Vegas revealed more details about the incident, which allegedly started over Tapp offering Rodimer’s stepdaughter cocaine. Witnesses told police that Rodimer and Tapp were at a Halloween party at Resorts World. Guests included “an F1 driver and multiple ‘Instagram influencers’ in attendance. Court documents detailed a “fun room” at the party, which included lines of cocaine being set up.
One “rule” for the party was that Rodimer’s stepdaughter was not allowed to ingest any of the drugs. A witness said Rodimer later followed Tapp into the room and told him, “If you give my daughter any of that (expletive), I will (expletive) kill you.”
Witness accounts
A witness attempted to diffuse the situation, but Rodimer later ran back into the room and she saw him knock Tapp down. Tapp hit his head on a table, and Rodimer proceeded to punch Tapp repeatedly in the head and body. The witness left because she did not want to witness the “disgusting” incident, and said she later saw Tapp being taken out of the building by paramedics.
A different witness said they heard “two loud banging noises” coming from the bathroom during the fight.
Tapp was sent to Sunrise Hospital, where he remained until he died on November 5, 2023.
Court documents show that investigators confirmed Rodimer’s location on the night in question through cell phone tower data obtained with a search warrant. Police also obtained text messages and other forensic data. This including a text message between Rodimer and a woman identified as his wife, Sarah Rodimer, who wrote the following:
“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.”
A separate text message saw Sarah Rodimer write that she was doing “zero visitation” to Rodimer in prison and called him a monster.
Tapp’s autopsy report noted blunt force trauma to his head and recent cocaine use.
Rodimer’s initial bail amount was set at $200,000. He posted bail on Wednesday night, and he is due back in court on April 10.
Who is Daniel Rodimer?
Daniel Rodimer was a pro wrestler who rose to fame as a participant in the 2004 Tough Enough competition. He also competed as Dan Rodman during his tenure.
After appearing on Tough Enough, Rodimer worked for WWE’s Deep South Wrestling developmental brand. He also worked for Ohio Valley Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling before being released by WWE in 2007.
Rodimer later entered the political arena. He had an unsuccessful bid as a Republican candidate for Congress in Nevada and Texas. Rodimer ran for Nevada’s third congressional district in 2020, and later ran for Texas’s 6th congressional seat in a 2021 special election.
