LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The case against ex-Congressional candidate and former wrestler Daniel Rodimer will not be dismissed.
Rodimer is facing a murder charge after being accused of fatally injuring a man at a Halloween party at Resorts World in 2023.
During the party, court documents state Rodimer went into a bathroom and confronted Christopher Tapp, accusing him of giving his stepdaughter cocaine. A witness told police they heard Rodimer yell at Tapp, heard two loud bangs, and what sounded like a fight.
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Witnesses stated Tapp's face was swollen and there was a large mark on the left side of his neck. A witness stated he was concerned that Tapp was trying to fall asleep and that it's not good if that person had a history of concussions. That's when they called for help.
Tapp was taken to Sunrise Hospital where he died from his injuries a few days later.
According to a Clark County Coroner's Office report, Tapp's death was ruled a homicide and his cause of death was due to blunt force trauma to the head.
Police identified Rodimer as the suspect in this case and issued a warrant for his arrest. Rodimer turned himself in later that night.
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In January, attorneys for Rodimer filed an appeal with the Nevada Supreme Court.
His attorneys brought up several issues, including no autopsy was performed on Tapp, the state filed to properly instruct the grand jury about the credibility of a key witness who was drunk and on cocaine at the time of the alleged attack, and a detective shared the following statement, which attorney David Chesnoff argued was an opinion and not a fact.
STATE: "...is it fair to say that as a result of the witness interviews conducted, you determined that this was not a slip and fall?"
DETECTIVE: "Yes."
The Nevada Supreme Court docket shows the case was sent to the Court of Appeals on Feb. 7.
On Wednesday, the Nevada Appellate Court denied Rodimer's motion to dismiss the case.
When it comes to the credibility of the witness, the ruling reads in part "evidence about [witness'] drug use may have provided more insight into her ability to observe, perceive, and remember the events to which she testified, but it did not constitute exculpatory evidence."
The court also ruled that the detective's statement was not an opinion because his testimony "described the course of the investigation, particularly how the victim's injuries were initially reported as resulting from a fall and how further investigation revealed that the initial report was incorrect. [He] did not give an opinion as to Rodimer's guilt or even mention Rodimer at all."
Court records show that Rodimer is scheduled to be back in District Court for a status check on July 17.