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Thread: Brian Leigh Dripps Sentenced to Minimum 20 Years in 1996 ID Slaying of Angie Dodge

  1. #1
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    Brian Leigh Dripps Sentenced to Minimum 20 Years in 1996 ID Slaying of Angie Dodge


    Angie Dodge




    Prosecutor's office files notice to seek death penalty against Dripps


    The Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a notice to seek the death penalty in the case against Brian Leigh Dripps.

    Dripps, 54, has been charged with 1st-degree murder and rape for the 1996 killing of Angie Dodge. He was arrested in May after the Idaho Falls Police Department determined his DNA matched multiple samples left at Dodge’s home where she was killed.

    Dripps admitted to committing both the rape and the murder alone when interrogated by police. He claimed he only intended to rape Dodge and that he thought she was alive when he left her residence.

    The notice cites Idaho Code 19-2515(9), which lists out the requirements for prosecutor’s to seek the death penalty.

    (e) The murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity.

    (f) By the murder, or circumstances surrounding its commission, the defendant exhibited utter disregard for human life.

    (g) The murder was committed in the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate, arson, rape, robbery, burglary, kidnapping or mayhem and the defendant killed, intended a killing, or acted with reckless indifference to human life.”

    Dripps said he was aware another man was in prison for the crime. Christopher Tapp was convicted for the murder and spent 19 years in prison before he was released in 2017 after Judges for Justice and Bonneville County

    Public Defender John Thomas challenged the validity of his confession. Tapp was exonerated in July after Dripps’ arrest.

    Bonneville County Prosecutor Daniel Clark said the notice was filed to preserve the State’s right to recommend the death penalty at sentencing. A jury would make the final decision on whether the penalty should be imposed.

    “Given the facts, it seems appropriate upon a conviction in this case for the death penalty to be something for the jury to consider at the end of a trial,” Clark said.

    In 2018, Clark filed an intent to seek the death penalty against Jameion Hernandez. At the time Clark said the notice was filed to preserve the State’s right to pursue the death penalty. Clark ended up not requesting the death penalty in that case.

    In 1998, then Bonneville County Prosecutor Kipp Manwaring sought the death penalty against Tapp. District Judge Ted Wood decided against a death penalty at sentencing.

    (source: postregister.com)
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Dripps trial moved to 2021

    Victim's mother frustrated by delays

    By Johnathan Hogan
    Post Register

    A trial date for the case against Brian Leigh Dripps has been set for June 8, 2021.

    Defense Attorney James Archibald said he would need a year to prepare for a trial in Dripps’ case given the seriousness of it.

    Dripps is charged with first-degree murder and rape, both punishable with up to life in prison, for the 1996 killing of Angie Dodge. Last week the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Dripps.

    Archibald filed a request for a second chair to help him represent Dripps, specifically requesting Elisa Massoth from Payette. He also asked for more funding from the county for the case.

    Archibald said he also plans to file a motion for a change of venue to Ada County.

    District Judge Joel Tingey said he would assign another judge to rule on whether to grant Archibald the extra funding. Tingey expressed concerns about Massoth being added to the case but did not say why.

    Only two local attorneys are qualified to be second chair on a death penalty case. One of them, John Thomas, cannot represent Dripps because he represented Christopher Tapp, who had been previously convicted of Angie Dodge’s murder before being exonerated in July.

    The other local qualified attorney, Manuel Murdoch, is a candidate to be a magistrate judge in Madison County. If made a judge, Murdoch would have to quit the case, requiring the defense to find another second chair and update them on the case.

    Carol Dodge, Angie’s mother, expressed frustration that the trial date had been pushed so far back. She was ambivalent about the death penalty in Dripps’ case, citing the cost to Bonneville County and the long wait for execution. Death sentences can take decades to be carried out while the court considers appeals.

    Carol pointed out she had wanted the death penalty against Tapp when he was convicted in 1998. Tapp was exonerated after Carol advocated for his innocence.

    Carol added, however, that Dripps basically gave her daughter the death penalty when he reportedly raped and killed Angie Dodge.

    “All I want to know is what the hell happened,” Carol said. “Why did you kill my daughter?”

    Carol was also concerned that Archibald wanted to move the case to Boise, saying she was concerned she would not be able to make frequent trips for the case.

    Archibald said he plans to file a motion for the court to throw out Dripps’ confession to Idaho Falls Police Department detectives. Dripps admitted to killing Angie Dodge when he was arrested in May. Archibald has argued the detectives did not properly inform Dripps of his Miranda rights before interrogating him, citing a recording that showed one of the detectives told Dripps the Miranda form he signed was a “formality.”

    https://www.postregister.com/news/cr...e94b2895b.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Dripps trial moved to Bannock County

    By Missy Inglet
    KPVI News

    The man charged with raping and killing an Idaho Falls woman more than 20 years ago will now face a jury in Bannock County.

    Brian Leigh Dripps is charged with first degree murder in the death of Angie Dodge.

    He is currently in custody in the Bonneville County Jail.

    His attorneys have requested a change in venue for the jury trial, claiming it would be hard to find an impartial jury in eastern Idaho. Originally his attorneys requested the trial to be moved to Ada or Canyon counties.

    According to court documents, on Tuesday, Bonneville County District Judge Joel Tingey ordered the jury trial be transferred to Bannock County. All other court proceedings will remain in Bonneville County.

    Currently, Dripps’ trial is scheduled to start in June 2021 and is scheduled to potentially take up to two weeks.

    Dripps will be back in court on Nov. 4 for a status hearing.

    https://www.kpvi.com/news/local_news...e6cadacc1.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Tapp sues Idaho Falls, IFPD

    Christopher Tapp has filed a lawsuit against the city of Idaho Falls and several former Idaho Falls Police Department officers.

    "Tapp’s conviction was the direct result of some of the worst police misconduct in the history of wrongful convictions, including about 60 hours of abusive interrogations and sham polygraphs," Tapp's attorney, Peter Neufeld said in a press release announcing the lawsuit.

    The lawsuit has been expected since Tapp and his attorneys sent a notice of intent to sue to the city in December. The lawsuit claims the Idaho Falls Police Department violated Tapp's First, Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth amendment rights.

    The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho, meaning the case will be subject to federal law.

    Representing Tapp is Neufeld of Neufeld, Scheck and Brustin, a New York-based law firm that specializes in civil rights lawsuits, particularly wrongful conviction lawsuits. Neufeld is a founder of the Innocence Project.

    Tapp spent nearly 20 years in prison after he was falsely convicted for the 1996 rape and murder of Angie Dodge. Tapp was exonerated on July 17, 2019, after Brian Dripps, of Caldwell, was arrested for the murder.

    Tapp's case drew renewed scrutiny after a 2014 review by Judges for Justice concluded Idaho Falls police officers had coerced Tapp's confession and fed him information about the crime, only to later claim in court he knew details about the crime that weren't publicly available.

    The Bonneville County Prosecutor's Office based its case on Tapp's confession, as well as testimony from Destiny Osborne, who claimed she overheard Tapp discussing the murder. Osborne recanted her testimony in a 2019 interview with the Post Register. Osborne said officers told her she could be prosecuted unless she testified against Tapp.

    When Judges for Justice and the Idaho Innocence Project reviewed Tapp's case, they found that police told him he would face the death penalty if he did not confess, and that he would receive a light sentence if he named other participants in Dodge's murder.

    Over the course of days interrogations and polygraph sessions, Tapp named numerous other men who had supposedly participated in the murder. The DNA at the crime scene matched neither Tapp nor any of those other men.

    Former police officer Jared Fuhriman, who later became the 2-term mayor of Idaho Falls, testified in 1998 that police had not told Tapp any details of the crime scene. Recordings of police interviews, however, showed police revealed several details to Tapp, even showing him diagrams of the crime scene and taking him to it. Officers also had Tapp repeatedly guess at details, with officers only responding when he gave a correct answer.

    In 2017, Tapp reached a deal with county prosecutors that allowed him to be released from prison and for his rape conviction to be dismissed. The first-degree murder conviction remained, however, until after Dripps was arrested.

    Police identified Dripps with the help of Parabon and Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore. After a sample of DNA from the crime scene was found to match that taken from a cigarette butt that Dripps discarded. Dripps admitted to raping and murdering Dodge, and told detectives he had done so alone. Dripps had lived across the street from Dodge in 1996.

    After Dripps was arrested and charged, the Idaho Falls Police Department investigated whether there was any connection between Dripps and Tapp. The investigation noted Tapp had named several people as co-conspirators who did not match DNA recovered from the scene. He did not name Dripps, and told the Post Register he had never heard of Dripps.

    In July 2019, Bonneville County Prosecutor Daniel Clark motioned for Tapp's conviction to be dismissed, citing the police investigation.

    “As far as the court is concerned, you are cleared of the charges you have been living under for the past 20-plus years,” Judge Alan Stephens said as he exonerated Tapp.

    (source: The Jefferson Star)
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  5. #5
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    Dripps enters guilty plea in 1996 Angie Dodge murder

    Post Register

    Brian Leigh Dripps entered a guilty plea Tuesday morning to the June 1996 rape and murder of Angie Dodge.

    The plea agreement allows Dripps to avoid a trial, and the terms of the agreement are that he will serve 20 years fixed and an indeterminate sentence of up to life. The plea agreement's terms are that he would be credited for time served. Dripps has been in custody for nearly 20 months.

    A sentencing hearing was set for April 27.

    https://www.postregister.com/news/br...072ea6e10.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Brian Dripps sentenced to life for Angie Dodge murder

    By Johnathan Hogan
    Idaho Press Tribune

    IDAHO FALLS — It was a hearing 25 years in the making, a moment several of the participants had only imagined until it was real.

    District Judge Joel Tingey on Tuesday sentenced Brian Leigh Dripps, 55, of Caldwell, to a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison for the 1996 rape and murder of Angie Dodge, who was 18 years old when she was raped and killed at her Idaho Falls apartment.

    Dripps pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and murder in February. As part of the plea agreement, Dripps agreed to serve a fixed term of 20 years in prison, with an indeterminate sentence of up to life.

    The plea deal means the death penalty is off the table.

    Both the prosecution and the defense acknowledged that, due to Dripps' poor health, 20 years was effectively a life sentence and that he would likely die before becoming eligible for parole.

    For Dodge's family, it was a taste of justice they had been denied for a quarter-century. Two of her brothers, Todd Dodge and Roger Dodge, highlighted how Angie's death had affected their lives for decades. And Carol Dodge, Angie's mother who spent those years fighting for her daughter, made clear that no sentence could repair the damage Dripps inflicted.

    "We had to go through 25 years of hell," Carol Dodge said during the hearing. "Whatever you give this man is not enough."

    During Tuesday's hearing, Defense Attorney Elisa Massoth gave a presentation to the court about Dripps' life in an attempt to humanize him and present him as more than the man who raped and killed Angie Dodge. She told the judge about how Dripps was adopted at a young age, how he was shy and intimidated when moving to a new school.

    Dripps had reached out to his biological father in the hopes of building a relationship, only to be rejected. He followed in his adopted father's footsteps by joining the marines. Massoth emphasized the love and support Dripps received in letters of support from family.

    "The Brian Dripps that I know is not capable of what he admitted to," one of those letters said.

    Defense Attorney James Archibald also said Dripps had expressed remorse. With his voice shaking, Archibald said Dripps "thought his declining health was God's way of punishing him for what he did to Angie."

    Deputy Attorney General Jessica Kuehn countered, however, that Dripps had 23 years to come forward about the murder before he was caught, which she said could have saved the family grief or allowed Christopher Tapp, who was falsely convicted of the murder in 1998, to be released.

    Carol Dodge made clear that Dripps' remorse wasn't enough given the damage he had done.

    "You have shattered our family," Carol Dodge said to Dripps during her victim impact statement. "You, Brian Dripps, deserve eternal Hell."

    In addition to prison time, Dripps was ordered to pay a total of $10,000 in fines.

    https://www.idahopress.com/news/loca...5068e7fe6.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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