Daniel Rodimer, the former pro-wrestler-turned-Republican-congressional-candidate who now stands accused of murder, has been pictured in a video taken hours before the alleged killing dressed as Ken from last summer’s Barbie blockbuster.
On Wednesday, Rodimer, 45, entered a not-guilty plea in a Las Vegas court.
Last month, he was indicted by a grand jury on murder charges, which he denies.
David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfled, who are defending Rodimer, told local Channel 13 they plan to file a petition to challenge the indictment.
Rodimer’s been accused of killing Christopher Tapp, an Idaho man who was a sponsor of the Halloween party, where he ultimately met his end.
Daniel Rodimer, 45, is shown here dressed as Ken last October on the night he allegedly killed a cocaine supplier at a Halloween party
The party, last October, was hosted at Resorts World in Vegas and attended by Rodimer, as well as his wife and stepdaughter. John Odom, a racecar driver, was another sponsor of the party.
In the cell phone video footage, Rodimer is seen dressed as Ken, and his wife as Barbie.
In March, a witness named Dani Lyons, a model friend of Rodimer’s stepdaughter, testified that she and the stepdaughter were drinking and taking cocaine at the party when Tapp offered them more cocaine.
She said the pair turned him down, but when Rodimer saw a rolled-up $100 bill on the table, he became violent and tackled Tapp to the floor.
Lyons told the grand jury she ‘vividly remember(s) him saying “if you give my daughter any of that I will [expletive] kill you.”‘
A security manager at the venue said that Odom initially reported Tapp falling after he slipped on a pair of sneakers.
The metro police department opened an investigation into Tapp’s death about a month later after the victim’s friends and family lobbied for someone to look into his suspicious death.
A Clark County medical examiner ruled Tapp’s death a homicide after determining he died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Daniel Rodimer is seen in court during his arraignment at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas on May 8
The retired professional wrestler and former congressional candidate in Nevada and Texas has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in the death of a man last year at a Las Vegas Strip hotel
David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfled, who are defending Rodimer, say they plan to file a petition to challenge the indictment
Rodimer had a career as a wrestler after winning the WWE’s ‘Tough Enough’ contest in 2004
He briefly attempted a political career, when he ran as a Republican for Congress. He’s pictured here with his wife and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
At Rodimer’s initial arraignment, Tapp’s family and attorney John Thomas made the trip from Idaho to represent their passed loved one.
Thomas, at the time, said that the ‘public needs to know Chris has a voice.’
‘We’re here to support Chris and carry on his legacy.’
Rodimer, who is out on bail, is currently slated to return to court on August 8 for a status check. His trial is currently scheduled to begin February 3.
Before issuing an indictment, the grand jury reviewed heaps of evidence, including some rather damning texts between Rodimer and his wife.
Sarah, who left the party after her husband, went off on him hours later via text. accusing him of murder and vowing never to speak with him again, records show.
She also discussed terms for a divorce, demanding child and spousal support, and seemingly alluding to past domestic violence.
‘I’m going to do extensive discovery, murderous behavior and all of the horrible photos of the bruise marks that you put on me,’ she wrote during the rant.
‘Ok well I’m sorry you feel this way,’ Rodimer finally replies. ‘I will always have love in my heart for you. I’m sorry it did not work out.’
Rodimer remains a married father-of-six, pictured here with his wife Sarah. But investigators found some brutal text messages between the pair following the alleged murder. She reportedly told him: ‘I watched you murder somebody like let that sink in you psychopath’
But the scorned wife wasn’t done.
‘You know none of this matters because as soon as I talk to the cops you’ll be in prison,’ she texts.
‘I watched you nearly murder somebody and I had to take your f**king hands off from his neck as he laid there and you ran away,’ she continues.
‘And I spent the next two hours trying to take care of him.
‘Nobody should have to watch their husband murder somebody.
‘I watched you murder somebody like, let that sink in you psychopath,’ she continued.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .