Radio Personality fights to free convict

IDAHO FALLS -- Radio personality, Jolyn Thomas has been fighting to right the wrong of a believed failure in a judicial decision.

Tonight, Thomas along with a non-profit organization, Judges for Justice, are hosting a public open house to shed more light on the Chris Tapp murder conviction. Judges for Justice aims to release those who are wrongfully sentenced.

“This case matters because we have two mothers, one is heart broken because she’ll never be able to hug her daughter again. The other mother is losing years and years with her only son,” Thomas said.

Tapp was sentenced for the 1996 murder of Angie Dodge. Dodge was 18-years-old when she was murdered. She was found stabbed, and partially dis-robed in her apartment.

The experts from judges for justice, and many others believe that Tapp is not the murderer, including the victims mother, Carol Dodge.

“At the end of the day it’s about really finding justice…The evidence does not fit. There is no DNA that matches him," Thomas said.

Thomas said she hopes the event will open the eyes of the community. She says that she isn’t trying to put a negative light on local law enforcement. She thinks that city leaders, law enforcement and the community should all be on the same page.

“I hope that as a community people will watch this video, they will see that there have been some fundamental mistakes made, and that it’s time to right those wrongs,” Thomas said.

A video will be presented at the open house which highlights Tapp’s interrogation, and investigation done by the Idaho Falls police. It reasons that Tapp was coerced by police into admitting to a crime he didn’t commit.

Co-founder of the organization, Judge Michael Heavey (Ret.), Carol Dodge, mother of Angie Dodge, and Vera Tapp, mother of Chris Tapp will answer questions at the event.