The DNA of a Killer | Full Episode | Forensic Files

foreign [Music] the ability to kill is obviously somewhere in all of us because it happens every day across the
country two and a half years ago my wife and I we were living in New Orleans having a
good time living there in The Big Easy and I was working in the movie business I've produced and had directed a few
short films [Music] murder rebelia it was then I knew it was a girl and she was young
got me the reputation of being a person who is really into murder and things like that I shoved her body over in the
shower and just kept stabbing her my name is Michael ushry I'm a filmmaker and was a
suspect in the Angie Dodge case [Music] 19 year old Andy Dodge was murdered last
week the latest violent crime in Idaho Falls at least one of the weapons used in it was a knife as the officers
arrived at the crime scene and found Angie Dodge laying on the ground and it was obvious that there was a very brutal
murder that had happened a lot of blood it's sad to see an 18 year old girl and see her life taken at the hands of
somebody else in this fashion [Music] he was my daughter and she's my baby I'll never stop missing her during the
investigation when we collected all the evidence we came across a significant amount of DNA that we believe is from
the Killer would you say that this crime scene provided really good evidence excellent
evidence we had a a neat semen sample for nearly two decades police could not find a match to the Killer's DNA so in
2014 they went way outside the box and searched a public DNA database owned by ancestry.com
it led us to this Michael Leslie Jr who just happened to be a filmmaker films of homicide kind of a murder
mystery filmmaker then he cuts off her head [Music] it was pretty creepy we had Louisiana
State Police call him he had agreed to come down to the estate offices there in New Orleans
[Music] the majority of the time that I was in the interrogation room I just didn't
know what they were talking about they finally had to look at me and go no we think that you Michael luxury you
know we think that you're involved in this murder case my whole purpose is to find who killed
Angie Dodge nobody ever thinks that they're going to get picked up by the police and taken
into an interrogation room and questioned about a murderer when it happens to you it it's
definitely a game changer [Music] [Music] all right [Music] foreign [Music] has no time limit
I just can't I can't let go I can't let go of her [Music] Carol Dodge lost her daughter Angie when
she was just a teenager she was just discovering who she truly was and wanting Independence
she said just let me grow up let me make my own mistakes so you know you don't need to watch me you know you don't need
to be my shadow it was the summer of 1996 in Idaho Falls Idaho a mostly Mormon Community where
neighbors knew each other by name and doors were rarely locked says former Chief of Police Mark McBride
but it was very really very quiet peaceful Town overall just three weeks before her death 18 year old Angie got
her own apartment in this house I saw her the night that she was killed she did it so hard growing up and she
laid her head on my shoulder and we just kind of rock back and forth and I'm so grateful for that moment
extremely grateful that my last words were that I love her the next morning Angie didn't show up
for work at a local beauty supply store we got a phone call at our 911 Center about 11 o'clock in the morning
and one of her friends at work came to check on her and the door was unlocked she went in and she found a body laying
there on the floor and a very bloody crime scene there was no sign of forced entry but there were signs of a struggle
you think she fought for her life yes I do [Music] Angie was stabbed and cut 14 times and
left half naked there were no signs of rape but the killer did ejaculate leaving behind what DNA expert Greg Ham
pikian calls a pristine profile it's a single profile complete identification one man to the
exclusion of everyone on the planet police tested the DNA of dozens of local men but couldn't get a match so for
months they interviewed everyone Angie knew including this man Christopher Tapp although his DNA didn't match and he
denied any involvement after more than 28 hours of interrogation over 23 days tap confessed to participating in
Angie's murder you're there correct correct did you know Christopher Tapp no no had no clue
tap told police that the night of Angie's death he and two friends stopped by her apartment during an argument tap
claimed one of his friends started stabbing Angie while he held her down you hold her down okay while she's being
cup you hold her down while she's being but when tap went before a judge he pled
not guilty I said you Beast you horrible Beast how could he do this to my daughter
the defense argued Taft's DNA didn't match the killers but on May 28 1998 it took the jury only 13 hours to reach a
verdict [Music] nearly two years after Angie Dodge was murdered Chris Tapp faced his punishment
with Carol Dodge glaring at him you are guilty of the crimes of Murder in the first degree and rape
his sentence 30 years to life but the murder of Angie Dodge was still an open case remember Chris Tapp did not match
the DNA and he wouldn't tell police who did I just couldn't understand why he would
go to prison and take a life sentence and give the other person up tap did give authorities several names
including someone named Mike how sure are you that he's I'm dead set positive but police could
never make a DNA match so the case went cold by 2009 the Killer's DNA had been entered into the national criminal
database known as CODIS but there was still no match so Carol called well-known DNA expert Greg hempikian
I had this message they don't know who killed my my daughter by then there had been many advances in DNA technology and
so with hampikian's help Carol Dodge pushed authorities to use a new controversial search process called
familial DNA it looks for anyone who may be related to Angie's killer which means
going into that database in Idaho of the convicted offenders and looking for a family member that might match this DNA
partially [Music] two places DC and Maryland passed a law that says no familial searches are
allowed New York University law professor Aaron Murphy wrote inside the cell the Dark
Side of forensic DNA and says there's real privacy concerns with familial DNA searches the states I think that are
worried about this are worried about maybe we could use their DNA to see if your brother is breaking the law or your
dad's breaking the law or your son's breaking the law Idaho doesn't allow familial searches in
their criminal database so Greg Ham pikian made an even more controversial suggestion a familial search through
public databases it was just this kind of search of familial DNA in a public database
jedmatch.com that led to the arrest last April of Joseph D'Angelo he's the man suspected of being the Golden State
killer responsible for at least 12 murders and 50 rapes I'm the one that went to the Idaho Falls
Police Department and the prosecution saying we need to do this imagine you're one of millions of Americans to open up
a kit like this spit into a test tube like this and then send your DNA off to a commercial database well now that
database owns your DNA profile and you may not realize it but police may be able to access it
we're interested in solving a crime and we're going to use any Technique we can that we can legally
use in the summer of 2014 detectives searched a public DNA database owned by ancestry.com they got a hit I was told
they got 34 out of 35 markers I believe is that good yeah that's that's a good investigative lead it was a close enough
match to make detective Patrick McKenna think they had found a relative of Angie's killer so police got a warrant
for Ancestry.com to reveal his identity it was a man named Michael asri senior [Music]
we know it's not that individual or we would have had 35 out of 35 on that so that's when we started doing research
into the family that led investigators to suspect us resun Michael usri Jr [Music]
detective McKenna wondered if this could be the mic that Chris tapped once named
and then we started researching him and the films that he was making was a little Eerie to uh try to think that
that could possibly be a solid suspect in the case [Music] I have to ask you this question yes do
you have a particular interest in Murder I I don't have a particular interest in
Murder um it sure seems like it based on your film I know it does but no I really have
quite an aversion to it but authorities investigating the brutal murder of Angie Dodge weren't so sure
precisely at two o'clock three a gentleman came to my door in December of 2014 more than 18 years after Angie's
murder two detectives from Idaho Falls and a Louisiana State Police Officer brought Michael usray Jr to a state
police office near the New Orleans Superdome and started grilling him they said so what about your travels to
Idaho have you ever been to Idaho and um I had in fact actually went up there with some friends for just one
night he was 19 years old back then and he and his friends drove to Rexburg Idaho passing right through Idaho Falls
well they were really interested in that I'm a little surprised that we were we were able to actually place them in
Idaho Falls it was a big red flag for detective Patrick McKenna it's kind of weird but I
just really didn't didn't get it then one of the officers pulled out a warrant biggest law enforcement guy I've
ever seen in my life and swamped his cheek for DNA at that point I went hey what what's going on here you guys
should I get a lawyer once they had his DNA they drove Michael usri home without any explanation I just
basically stood on my sidewalk in a daze it was a call to a close friend that finally shed some light
and uh he said well what's the case what what is this and I go well they wouldn't
tell me anything except that it was a high-profile murder case in Idaho Falls so he gets on the computer and within 20
seconds he's like oh yeah this is the case right here it's some girl named Angie Dodge
the filmmaker whose movie featured a convict describing how he stabbed a woman to death watched her inside spill
out all over the floor was now suspected of doing just that to Angie Dodge I mean it was very much a case of an
Overkill they stabbed her and cut her and it was just a a Butchery people were like wow what does this
imply you know for your career what is it for your life for your family for your family's name usri remembers being
terrified spending days hold up at home worried what police would do next pretty
sure that they were tapping my phone calls uh possibly staking me out and certainly
checking my computer searches also anxious four states away was Carol Dodge Angie's mother who prayed this new
lead would finally unmask the killer who left his DNA at the scene she deserves Justice
all victims deserve justice but usri knew he hadn't killed anyone any wanted answers a local newspaper
reporter showed him a copy of the warrant investigators used to obtain his DNA and right there the answer to the
question why him and I went wow this is because of my dad 15 years ago the filmmaker's father
Michael Usry senior participated in a genealogy project at his local church a sample of his DNA went to that public
database which was later purchased by ancestry.com and that's where police came across it there are 34 out of 35
ll's that match it seems shocking to me you know 34 out of 35 I mean that's a great number right who who
wouldn't be you know drawn to that 34 out of 35 DNA markers sounds like a stunningly close match to Angie Dodge's
killer but the reasons police honed in on him instead of any of his other relatives are detailed in the warrant I
told you what Mike is his first name okay remember Chris tap told police a guy named Mike was involved in the
murder police took to Facebook and found his profile Bingo Facebook showed us we
had friends living in the Idaho Falls area and then there's usrey's films and bludgeon's her to death was this very
hammer the more usri read the more Furious he grew that anyone would think he was a
killer it would be torture I mean most people would not be able to just continue sailing through their day if
they were under suspicion for a rape homicide NYU Law Professor Aaron Murphy if you
Google his name one of the first things that comes up is this Mike's now forever
associated with this very serious and gruesome incident do you start to think maybe someone in my family is the Killer
how could I not think [Music] Michael Osprey worried every day he knew that Idaho Falls Police suspected him of
murdering Angie Dodge and the uncertainty of what would happen next kept him up at night until January 13
2015 more than a month later they sent me an email and it says Michael Usher Jr we just wanted to let you know that your
DNA did not match our crime scene DNA something you already knew in an email from police Michael Usry was officially
cleared of the murder of Angie Dodge but he was still thoroughly traumatized you were angry at ancestry
I was angry at everybody the police scientists you know these database companies you know how could they
misfire so bad 48 Hours asked ancestry.com about usrey's experience in a statement they said they will not
share any information with law enforcement unless compelled to by a court order or search warrant
usri's case they say was unique and the only time they have received a formal legal request for dna-related
information after what happened to us re ancestry.com told us they took action the public database used by authorities
was made private and can no longer be accessed by the public or police but we were wondering could what happened to
Michael usri happen again to someone else with police using another public database to our surprise law professor
Aaron Murphy says maybe you know these cases tend only to come to light when something goes wrong so you might never
know if police checked your DNA to look for a criminal yeah most of them don't have to tell us how many times have you
done these searches how many people did you investigate without them even knowing
us re-decided the best way to prevent it from happening again was to go public with what happened to him in a
documentary he was shocked when Angie Dodge's mother was willing to talk what he didn't realize is that Carol
Dodge had an agenda of her own she's fairly certain that a killer is in my bloodline
do you believe my guestry is related to the killer of your daughter somehow despite all that Carol Dodge and
Michael Usry have forged a rather odd close Bond you're a really special person you are too Carol and after
hearing Carol and Angie's Story the focus of usri's documentary changed dramatically to Carol Dodge's search for
her daughter's killer I thought that a better a more productive thing to do would be to try
to make a film to try to bring attention to this all three wanted to help Carol so he immersed himself in the case
starting with the man who had confessed Chris tapped how many times has been stabbed before you let go that first
time usri quickly learned that Chris Tapp was now claiming that his confession was forced
and that the Idaho Innocence Project headed by that DNA expert Greg hempikian was now working to set tap free based on
the DNA is there any way that Chris could have been in that room no not based on the DNA the more Carol Dodge
learned about DNA the more she questioned Chris's confession that he held Angie down while she was being
stabbed it wasn't until I started studying science that I said it's impossible how could Chris admit in doing what he
said he did and there'd be no physical evidence but it wasn't just the science that bothered Dr Ham pikian he believes
that christoph's confession was coerced by the detectives who interrogated him oh man I mean you're the Heat of the
Moment she's putting up the fight I watch it and it's so frustrating this is Chris Tapp at 40 years old he'd
been inmate number 56265 for 20 years you look at that 20 year old kid you know and you realize God I was just an idiot
think hard about it I know it's I know it's there tap says his confession was a lie a story fed to him by police and
then forced back out of him on tape you're going to see him specifically pointing out facts to me or or given
little innuendos this would be the stairs going up okay so you went up these stairs
or hints of how the murder went down it All Began six months after Angie's murder when one of her friends Ben Hobbs
was arrested in Las Vegas for sexually assaulting a woman at knifepoint now Idaho Falls detectives had already
questioned and cleared Ben Hobbs but because the crime he committed in Vegas was so similar they wondered if he might
be Angie's killer and so while Ben Hobbs remained in custody in Nevada detectives
brought in his best friend for questioning Chris Tapp in fatiguez said I had nothing to do with it I don't know
what you're talking about but instead of leaving it at that tap cooperated I felt like trust him they're
not going to do anything wrong he doesn't know they can lie to him and most innocent people have no idea that
the interrogators can lie to you first tap was told that there was irrefutable evidence that his friend Ben Hobbs
killed Angie Dodge and that tap was there when it happened pretty sure where we know
[Music] what and how when where and why tap kept denying all knowledge of the crime did
you hear her scream or anything like that I wasn't there but detectives persisted and even though he had a
lawyer cap kept talking and so when they offered you a polygraph seemed like a good idea yeah seemed like
a great idea I had nothing to hide no no reason not to do it but tap was told he was being deceptive
detectives promised him full immunity no jail time in exchange for the truth as long as he didn't participate in the
actual murder that's when tap says he started telling police what he thought they wanted to
hear now are you sure Ben's there yes you positive yeah yes tap told detectives he
was there when Ben Hobbs killed Angie Dodge [Music] then just hours later a shocking twist
detectives learned that Ben Hobbs did not match the Killer's DNA tap was told there was now evidence that a third man
was at Angie's apartment that night Jeremy Sarge's a friend of tap and Hobbes 90 minutes later tap was blaming
Sarge's for Angie's murder I continue to lie I continue to give him this story after Story in it they should have just
stopped but they didn't but Chris why didn't you stop I didn't think I could detectives tested Jeremy Sarge's DNA and
it was also not a match and when Jairus DNA came back is the day they forwarded my immune agreement
ripped everything up and told me I'm the humongous you know liar that's when Chris Tapp says police
pushed him to change his story one last time after 23 days and seven interrogations
Chris tap confessed to participating in Angie's murder hold her down okay while she's being
cut you're older down that's what was the end of it all that's what brought me to prison
authorities have repeatedly dismissed tap's claims of a forced confession until 2016 when a shocking Discovery
would change the game never before seen videotapes of seven polygraph exams administered to Chris
tap tapes that convinced even Carol Dodge that Chris Tapp is innocent Chris tap basically
just got railroaded Carol Dodge took on a new mission to free the Man convicted of her daughter's
murder and find the killer who left his DNA even if it turned out to be a member
of Michael usry's family [Music] as Michael usri began looking into the Angie Dodge murder case he had
preconceived notions why would you confess to something that you didn't do I wouldn't do that and now what do you
think that it's possible that anybody could do it now usri believes that Chris Tapp was forced to confess to a crime he
didn't commit and condemned to a place where he doesn't belong he always Gotta Have a Little Faith gotta have a little
hope I haven't accepted this is my end I can't imagine spending one day in prison let alone 20 plus years my TV is
a retired Superior Court Judge who believes so strongly that Chris tap is innocent he spent the last four years
trying to help prove it when you look at the interrogation videos he knows nothing
so Chris Taff y he struggles for details you're there why because he wasn't there
heavy runs a wrongful conviction project called judges for justice and took on tap's case after watching the
interrogation tapes I wasn't nowhere around judge heavy became convinced that Chris Tapp had
been coerced into changing his story an astounding six times and knew that something was missing I was concerned he
went from one day saying I wasn't there and the next day you're standing A boat like this like her head's right here I'm
at the crime scene and I stabbed her I couldn't see how he made that jump so I went back to look at the polygraph and
my jaw just dropped so it helped the sound that I'm nervous in between Chris's nine interrogations detectives
also administered seven polygraph exams all of them were recorded but no one had
ever bothered to look at the tapes because polygraphs are inadmissible in court and the sound is barely Audible
[Music] polygraphs are typically used to assess The credibility of the witness when
they're done honestly and how was the polygraph used in this case this case was used to trick Chris tap into giving
false testimony our polygraph expert said it was used like a psychological rubber hose they beat him up with the
psychology of it all to coerce him into falsely accusing other people they manufactured testimony to get him to
implicate himself in the murder of Angie Dodge judge heavy says that detectives in this
case broke the rules in the polygraph room and thought no one would ever notice United States Supreme Court has
held that it's improper to threaten you can't threaten because it leads to false
confessions they threaten him with the gas chamber being accessory to murder and being a conspirator to murder
[Music] they figured no one's going to look at the polygraphs so it'll be hidden no one
will ever see it TV says Chris Tapp was brainwashed Chris Tapp eventually comes to believe
that the polygraph is an all-knowing scientific instrument that can read his subconscious and is telling the machine
that he was at the crime [Music] [Music] Chris finally says yes I stabbed her because Ben threatened me and then Chris
said did I do it the police officer walks over says give me your hand like he passed the polygraph
and that gets Chris tapped 30 Years to Life charged with the death penalty ugly stuff do you remember that moment
yeah yeah scared I'm scared that's pretty much the day my life ended tap never told anyone what happened
during those polygraph exams I didn't know what they did no polygraph tapes was wrong
I didn't know if I would have known these things 20 years 15 10 years ago then maybe
we wouldn't be here today Idaho Falls Police deny any wrongdoing in their interrogations or polygraph
exams do you think the polygraph was used as a coercive tool well I don't know that was the intent I
think the intent is find out the truth over the years the the courts have upheld Taft's confession as valid and
admissible and not the product of coercive police conduct I don't think they're trying to cause harm it wasn't
any malicious intent I don't think it's hard for me to wrap my head around what the police are thinking John Thomas is
Chris Tapps appellate attorney it's okay you made a mistake just say hey I made a
mistake we got the wrong guy let's all rally around and let's get the right guy [Music]
hoping that the newly discovered discover polygraph tapes would be enough for a judge to Grant Chris Tapp a new
trial those polygraph videos now new evidence they're the wedge to get Chris in front of a judge to see the coercion
that went on the polygraphs are the answer to getting them out what's your biggest fear when
it comes to this case I guess my biggest fear of this entire case would be that it just
continues on indefinitely Chris stays in jail Carol continues to search I hope he walks out
a free man it's not often you hear the mother of a victim say that about the only man serving time
for her daughter's murder true for the first time ever Michael Usry was about to come face to
face with the Man convicted of killing Angie Dodge Chris Chris tap I'm gonna just take a moment
because I didn't think that this would ever happen and interview him for his documentary why did you confess to give
him what they wanted to to get away from them to do whatever it took for me to go home
the day usury met Chris Tapp he was only weeks away from two hearings that his lawyer Don Thomas hoped would
set him free we have too much evidence showing that christab wasn't there that I'm innocent
have you ever found DNA that matched Chris tap at the scene no former police chief Mark McBride maintains that given
Taps confession the absence of his DNA at the crime scene proves nothing then a stunning
turn of events the District Attorney's Office wanted to make a deal tap's murder conviction would stand but
the rape conviction would be expunged and there would be no probation Chris tap will just take his lumps on
his 20 years and and walk walk a free man unwilling to risk another 10 years in prison Taft took the deal
there were too many what-ifs we had had a number of post-conviction petitions before and all of them have been denied
the next day of 48 Hours producer followed John Thomas as he sped to the county jail paperwork in hand
we are headed to the jail to get Chris to review the employee agreement and if he reviews it and agrees with it
I will sign it and I'll be out of prison for the rest of his life what you got there got it signed
sign and seal it's all good 48 hours later cap supporters Greg hanpiki and Mike Evy and even Michael
Usry had made it to Idaho Falls for an emergency hearing nervous a little over two decades from the day Chris Tapp was
first arrested he walked into the courtroom one more time in handcuffs all right this court is now in session to
Alan Stevens presiding and after some legal formalities did you read the stipulation every line of it before you
signed it yes your honor Carol Dodge was called on to make a victim impact statement on behalf of her daughter
Angie go ahead Miss Dodge I stand here today not as a victim but I am a survivor of a horrific crime
that took my daughter's life Chris Tapp fought back tears and I hope that you will help me find Justice for Angie
[Music] but it was clear that along with her daughter Carol considers Chris tap another victim in this endless tragedy
but I'm extremely happy for you you have your life back Mr Tapp but the judge still had to sign off on the deal
and then with just a few words and I do accept the stipulation judge Alan Stevens said Chris tap free
handcuffs were removed and Carol Dodge was the first to hold him in her arms just feet away from the celebration
victory a hunt for Angie Dodge's killer continued I got a tap on the shoulder from one of the bailiffs and he said
that uh detective McKenna wanted to talk to me detective McKenna showed Michael usri this sketch of Angie's killer it
was made with new technology that claims to recreate facial features using DNA when he showed me uh the sketch there
was a split second where I really had this fear that I would actually recognize this person but Michael usri
was once again a dead end it was not a face he knew there was a little bit of relief when I saw the composite sketch
because I have never believed that someone in my family could be involved in a crime like this it's highly likely
that his family has nothing to do with this crime at all while police still believed that usri's
family tree contained a killer law professor Aaron Murphy disagreed 99 of people match to one another on the
genome so I will match someone who lives on the other side of the globe who has no direct genetic connection to me
whatsoever and just because we're human beings so what's really important to ask
is what's the quality of the match how much information did you look at [Music] as it turns out Professor Murphy was
right on Wednesday July 12 2017 Idaho Falls Police put out this press release stating that they took the DNA testing
to the next level and recently received a DNA report that clears Michael Usry Jr
and his family of involvement in the Angie Dodge homicide case the report from the DNA lab also stated that they
were 87.63 confident that the unknown DNA from the Angie Dodge crime scene did not
match the usri family [Music] Carol Dodge must now find the strength to keep going you have to be really
strong to continue the journey to Justice I don't know how she goes on and yet I can
understand how she could never quit Carol is worried that police will never catch Angie's killer if they remain
focused on their theory of the crime that Chris and two of his friends killed Angie I hope that they can now go
forward and get out of the Chris tap box stop looking for two to three people when we just have one DNA that's all we
got is one DNA everyone involved in the case has vowed to never stop searching for the man who
murdered Angie Dodge even the young filmmaker once suspected of being her killer he could have walked away and I
probably would have I continue to stick with it because mainly because of Carol Dodge
I want to help her I love Carol We're In It Together [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you

Police have DNA evidence in a brutal murder, but can't match a killer -- so how did a public DNA database lead police to suspect a filmmaker of murder? CBS News correspondent Anne-Marie Green investigates. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

Brief Summary

The episode reveals the wrongful conviction of Chris Tapp in Angie Dodge's murder and filmmaker Michael Usry's wrongful suspicion due to DNA evidence.

Key points

The Murder of Angie Dodge. Angie Dodge, a 19-year-old, was brutally murdered in Idaho Falls, leading to a complex investigation.
Michael Usry's Interrogation. Filmmaker Michael Usry finds himself a suspect in the murder case of Angie Dodge.
Chris Tapp's Confession. Chris Tapp confesses to Angie's murder after extensive interrogation, despite DNA evidence suggesting otherwise.
The DNA Breakthrough. After years of searching, police use a public DNA database to find a lead in the case.
Michael Usry Cleared. Michael Usry is officially cleared of the murder of Angie Dodge after DNA testing.
Chris Tapp's Confession. After 23 days of interrogation, Chris Tapp confessed to Angie's murder, but was he coerced?

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I just didn't know what they were talking about.

Michael Usry's confusion during police interrogation.

2:51WatchAug 22, 2023

Tension

75/ 100High tension

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.