Report questions guilt of man convicted for 1996 Idaho Falls murder

An innocent man may be in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, according to a new report by a group called Judges For Justice.

The report, released Tuesday, examines the murder case of Angie Dodge, who was raped and murdered in her Idaho Falls apartment 18 years ago.

Christopher Tapp is currently serving a 25-year-to-life prison sentence after confessing to being involved in the murder. But the report alleges the confession was coerced and meritless.

Tapp’s public defender, John Thomas, said he’s never doubted his client’s innocence.

“The police kind of railroaded him,” said Thomas.

Thomas said Tapp was interrogated nine different times for a total of around 20 hours. The Judges For Justice report said the interrogations were filled with threats and promises of immunity.

The report also notes that there was no DNA evidence linking Tapp to the crime scene.

While Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney Bruce Pickett declined to comment on the specifics of the report, he said he’s currently reviewing it.

“Any time that someone who has been convicted may have been wrongfully convicted, we have the obligation to look into that,” said Pickett.

Meanwhile Thomas said it’s time to correct wrongs.

“We need to find the killer, obviously. There needs to be justice for Angie Dodge,” said Thomas.

A previous report, released in August, can be accessed on the Judges For Justice website.