Ex-congressional candidate accused of killing man in Las Vegas hotel room while dressed as ‘Ken’
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A former Republican congressional candidate and ex-wrestler was attending a Halloween party dressed as a shirtless “Ken” when he allegedly beat another man to death inside a Las Vegas hotel room, according to documents obtained by Nexstar’s KLAS.
Las Vegas Metro police issued an arrest warrant in March for Dan Rodimer, 45, for the death of Christoper Tapp, 47. Tapp died after an incident at Resorts World on Oct. 29, 2023. A Clark County grand jury indicted Rodimer on the murder charge last week.
It was initially suspected Tapp died of an “apparent overdose” and “fall” on Oct. 29, according to the documents. However, after interviews with witnesses, police believe Rodimer attacked Tapp after he allegedly offered Rodimer’s model stepdaughter, Bella Duffy, cocaine during the Halloween party for racecar driver John Odom at the Crocksford hotel inside Resorts World.
Doctors pronounced Tapp dead at a Las Vegas hospital on Nov. 5. The Clark County coroner’s office ruled Tapp’s death a homicide as a result of blunt force trauma to his head, documents said. A scan showed he suffered several brain bleeds.
Investigators later said they learned Tapp — who himself was acquitted of murder after serving two decades in prison — had been involved in an altercation inside the hotel room before he was found and taken to the hospital.
Dani Lyons, a friend of Rodimer’s stepdaughter, claimed to hear Rodimer say, “If you ever talk to my daughter again, I’ll [expletive] kill you,” documents said. “Immediately after hearing Dan say this to Christopher, [the witness] heard two loud banging noises,” police wrote.
Lyons also told police she saw “Dan knock Christopher to the ground, at which time Christopher’s head hit a small table.” She then said she witnessed Dan Rodimer “punch Christopher throughout his head and body,” documents said.
Another witness told a person attending the hotel room party that Tapp slipped and fell and hit his head on a coffee table, according to the documents. Other witnesses told police several people used cocaine at the party.
Lyons told the grand jury Tapp offered her and Duffy cocaine, documents said. Later, Rodimer allegedly made the threat to Tapp when Rodimer’s wife, Sarah Rodimer, entered the room, dressed as “Barbie,” in an attempt to calm down her husband.
It does not appear anyone at the party called 911. Odom allegedly waited 30 minutes to an hour to call hotel security who then alerted paramedics and police, documents said.
Despite head injuries and bruising to Tapp’s jaw, police were still not contacted. Tapp’s loved ones later realized the circumstances appeared to be suspicious and reached out to police, documents said.
Tapp was a sponsor of Odom’s event in the hotel room. Odom told Resorts World security that Tapp slipped on a pair of slippers. Security was not able to find the said footwear, documents said.
According to grand jury transcripts, the witness said Sarah Rodimer told her the next day not to say anything if law enforcement asked.
“She said if anyone asks you about it, law enforcement wise, to say you didn’t see anything,” the witness told the grand jury. “She said you don’t want to get involved in this.”
Investigators also obtained text messages between Dan Rodimer and Sarah Rodimer where Sarah Rodimer said, “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.”
Tapp, of Idaho, was previously charged in the 1996 rape and murder of an 18-year-old, despite being excluded by DNA evidence, according to the Innocence Project. He was convicted in 1998 on charges of first-degree murder, rape, and use of a deadly weapon, and sentenced later that year to life in prison with a minimum sentence of 30 years for the murder conviction and 10 years for the rape conviction.
On July 17, 2019, Tapp’s murder conviction was vacated.
Rodimer’s attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, argued earlier this month that text messages from Sarah Rodimer should not be part of the evidence in the case. At the time of their client’s arrest, they said Dan Rodimer intended to fight the charge.
In 2020 Rodimer, a former professional wrestler, lost his bid to represent Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District against Democratic Rep. Susie Lee. Rodimer lost the 2020 election to Lee by nearly 13,000 votes, or 3 percentage points. He later left Nevada and lost a bid to represent Texas’ 6th Congressional District, coming in 11th in a 2021 primary.
Dan Rodimer was currently out of jail on a $200,000 bond. He is due in court May 8.
Odom, Sarah Rodimer and Duffy did not immediately responded to requests for comment.
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