'Dateline NBC’: Who was behind Angie Dodge’s murder? Idaho criminal was on the loose for 20 years
SAWMIL, ARIZONA: NBC's longest-running weekly American TV series, 'Dateline NBC' Season 32 Episode 28 is scheduled to premiere on Friday, February 23 at 9 PM ET on NBC.
The new episode titled 'True Confessions' delves into the case of Angie Dodge, an eighteen-year-old who was reportedly raped and killed in her Idaho home in 1996.
What made the case even more shocking was the discovery that an innocent man had spent 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
In the episode, viewers get a closer look at the investigation, featuring interviews with key people and dramatic reenactments.
The NBC show sheds light on the meticulous work of forensic investigation and the emotional challenges of pursuing justice for Angie Dodge and her family.
It gives a clear picture of the toll such cases take on both the individuals involved and their loved ones.
What happened to Angie Dodge?
In 1996, the promising life of 18-year-old Angie Dodge came to a tragic end when she was brutally raped and murdered on June 13, 1996 at her Idaho Falls apartment.
The shocking nature of the crime gained widespread attention, not only due to its brutality but also because of the prolonged legal saga that followed.
The investigation initially cast a spotlight on six male descendants of a couple as potential suspects. Among them, one individual residing in Idaho at the time of Angie's death emerged as a primary focus.
However, the wheels of justice turned slowly, and it was not until 2001 that the true perpetrator was finally brought to account after a painstaking investigation.
The protracted legal process, however, delayed but ensured a thorough and accurate pursuit of justice.
Regrettably, an innocent man, Christopher Tapp, found himself wrongly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit during the tumultuous years before the actual perpetrator was identified and sentenced.
Who was Christopher Tapp?
In the investigation of Angie Dodge's murder, the police turned their attention to 20-year-old Christopher Tapp who was her friend.
He was a member of the "River Rats," a group of young people who frequented the trails along the Snake River near Dodge's apartment.
Suspicion arose when it was discovered that Tapp had been seen with Dodge at a gathering the night before her death. Initially interviewed on January 7 and then released, Tapp became a person of interest.
Further interviews were scheduled, but before the third one, Tapp's parents hired an attorney. He did not attend the scheduled interview, prompting the police to return with an arrest warrant.
Tapp was charged with being an accessory to a felony. It was after several interrogations and tests that, under pressure, Tapp seemingly confessed to the crime during an interview on January 18.
However, DNA tests on February 3 excluded both Tapp and another individual as the source of the s***n found on Dodge's body and clothes.
Despite the contradictory evidence, Tapp was charged with first-degree murder, rape, and use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
Tapp was only let out after 20 years of his imprisonment when the actual killer, Brian Leigh Dripps Sr was found.
As NBC was shooting another segment with Tapp last year, he unfortunately died in Nevada while the project was still in the pipeline.
How did the police find Brian Dripps guilty?
After collecting DNA samples from numerous local men and thoroughly interviewing everyone connected to the victim, including Tapp, the police faced a lack of a DNA match and consistent denials from Tapp regarding any involvement.
Despite this, Tapp eventually confessed to being part of Angie Dodge's murder after enduring over 28 hours of interrogation spread across 23 days.
A crucial turning point occurred when investigators found a discarded cigarette butt belonging to another man, Brian Dripps, which matched the DNA evidence from the crime scene.
Authorities utilized autosomal familial searching to locate and convict Dripps, establishing a full genetic match.
On May 10, 2019, investigators collected a DNA sample from a cigarette butt discarded by Dripps in Caldwell, where he was living. The Idaho State Police lab confirmed a positive match within 24 hours. Subsequently, Dripps confessed to the crime in 2019.
During interrogation, Dripps admitted to being intoxicated and high on cocaine when he broke into Angie Dodge's home on June 13, 1996, while she was asleep. Initially, he had only intended to rape her but ended up brutally cutting her throat with a knife that she was nearly decapitated.
What sentence was announced to Brian Dripps?
Dripps was sentenced to life in prison, and he will not be eligible for parole until after serving 20 years.
Following his arrest, he was initially booked into the Canyon County Jail before being transferred to the Bonneville County Jail in Idaho Falls, where he has been held since.
When Dripps pleaded guilty to the crimes in February, he admitted to being under the influence of cocaine and alcohol when he entered Dodge's apartment with the intention of raping her.
'Dateline NBC' Season 32 airs new episodes every Friday at 8 pm ET on NBC and is available for streaming on Peacock the following day.