Former GOP Congressional Candidate Arrested In Murder Investigation

A former Nevada congressional candidate has turned himself in to face charges after he became a prime suspect in a murder investigation in the Las Vegas area.

Daniel Rodimer, who ran in Nevada’s 3rd District in 2020, surrendered to authorities at the Clark County Detention Center Wednesday evening. The Review-Journal captured Rodimer walking in with his attorney David Chesnoff shortly before 6 p.m. local time.

The surrender came after officials charged Rodimer in the November death of Christopher Tapp, 47, who sustained significant head injuries after what police say was a dispute that became violent after Tapp allegedly offered hard drugs to Rodimer’s stepdaughter.

“Mr. Rodimer is voluntarily surrendering to authorities and will post a court-ordered bail,” Chesnoff and fellow attorney Richard Schonfeld wrote in an emailed statement to the paper. “He intends on vigorously contesting the allegations and asks that the presumption of innocence guaranteed all Americans be respected.”

Rodimer was booked and posted bail on a $200,000 bond. He is expected in court for arraignment on April 10th.

Investigators say witnesses have come forward claiming they saw Rodimer “punch” Tapp after allegedly offering cocaine or another hard drug to his stepdaughter. Tapp, who spent two decades in prison for a wrongful murder conviction, was with the woman in a World Resorts suite at the time, according to Metropolian police.

When Rodimer discovered what was occurring, he confronted Tapp in the bathroom, allegedly saying “If you ever talk to my daughter again, I’ll f***ing kill you,” the arrest record states. A witness overheard two loud banging noises, and 20 minutes later first responders retrieved Tapp from the suite’s bathroom. Another witness who saw Tapp following the incident stated he was sitting upright on the master room’s bed, silent with a swollen face and large marks on his neck.

One of the witnesses asked another partygoer what happened and was told Tapp fell, but text messages to that person tell a different story. “Dan got really mad and punch Chris,” one message read.

Another witness states she saw Rotimer “knock Christopher to the ground, at which time Christopher’s head hit a small table.”

“Dan proceeded to punch Christopher throughout his head and body,” the police documents said, citing this witness, who described “Dan as the instigator and described that Christopher was not fighting back.”

Rotimer has not fared well in his runs for office, losing his Nevada race to Democrat incumbent Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) in 2020 followed by another loss in a special election in Texas’ 6th district in 2021. The Journal noted he was “dogged on the campaign trail by old allegations stemming from bar fights and 911 calls made to police by his then-girlfriend alleging theft and domestic violence.”

The former candidate claimed his initial loss was due to voter fraud, which was rejected by the courts.

His wife, whose name is Sarah, confronted Rodimer after the incident, calling him a “monster” for what allegedly occurred.

“I watched you nearly murder somebody and I had to take your f***ing 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,” she texted.