JUDGE: Do you remember cutting the victim's throat?
No.
No, sir.
NARRATOR: Next, we head to Idaho Falls, Idaho.
The defendant is Brian Dripps, who's in court for a plea deal
in the rape and murder of Angie Dodge which
occurred over 23 years ago.
So what took so long?
At the time, another suspect, Christopher Tapp,
confessed to the crime after intense and coercive
questioning by police.
Tapp pleaded not guilty but was convicted and sentenced
to life in prison.
For years, Tapp insisted he was innocent.
Then in 2019, a DNA sample taken from Dripps matched the killer.
Dripps was arrested and charged with the crime.
Now at age 55, Dripps finally appears before a judge.
If you'll please stand and raise your right hand,
my clerk will put you under oath.
NARRATOR: To avoid the death penalty,
Dripps pleads guilty to both crimes.
JUDGE: Have you had a full chance
to review the plea agreement?
Yes, I have.
JUDGE: Count one as set out in the information
is a charge of murder in the first degree.
How do you plead?
Guilty.
JUDGE: All right, tell me what you did which makes
you guilty of this charge.
JUDGE: Do you remember cutting the victim's throat?
No.
No, sir.
JUDGE: Do you deny that that occurred?
I don't deny it.
I mean, I can't remember it, though.
NARRATOR: Next, it was the rape charge.
JUDGE: Count two is the charge of rape.
How do you plead to count two?
Guilty.
NARRATOR: Dripps is later sentenced to 20 years
to life in a state prison.
As for Christopher Tapp who lost nearly 20 years of his life
for someone else's crime, he's exonerated.
Yes, Your Honor.
JUDGE: You may.
I'm thankful that I've been given
this second chance of life.
I've wasted 20 years of my life for something that I never did.
But again, you know, I also grew up in this 20 years.
I became more forgiving, more understanding, more open,
more honest, and able to see things in a different light
that I may have never had the opportunity to.
But it's a sad state of affairs that I had to spend 20 years
to become this.
And I'm thankful that my mother will know that this last name
is clean, and that's the most important
thing to me in this world.
I'm thankful to Carol Dodge, Brent Dodge,
and the Dodge family for continuing to push
forward, to believing in me.
And they actually saw the truth and continue
to be one of my loudest voices in this world.
I'm so grateful and humbled to be their friend.
I'm just glad that I was able to come out this end of it, still
smiling and still happy, and still
have that positive attitude that I had before I left.
Thank you.
JUDGE: Thank you, Mr. Tapp.
There's clear and convincing evidence
the defendant was convicted of a crime
for which he did not commit.
NARRATOR: Tapp was released from prison with his good name
finally cleared.
[applause]