On June 9, 2026, ABC Audio and 20/20 announced "The Snare," a new true crime podcast diving deep into the infamous wrongful conviction of Chris Tapp. The announcement has thrust Tapp's complicated legal history back into the spotlight, reminding listeners of the starkly different phases of his public narrative.
On Dateline NBC, host Keith Morrison walked listeners through the darkest chapter of the 1998 trial, recounting how "Chris Tapp added to his confession something very disturbing. He didn't just watch Ben Hobbs do it. He played a role in Angie's rape." But that confession was later proven to be entirely coerced. Reflecting on his eventual exoneration, Chris Tapp described watching the real killer, Brian Dripps, finally tell the truth: "He finally did what was the complete total truth and said he acted alone, and I had nothing to do with it."
The ultimate vindication of Tapp's release remains one of the most dramatic moments in true crime history. Keith Morrison captured the raw emotion of that day, reporting that "the courtroom exploded in celebration as a deputy removed Chris Tapp's handcuffs for the last time, and he was engulfed in the arms of Carol Dodge." As "The Snare" prepares to launch, audio-documentarians are poised to examine not just Tapp's personal tragedy, but the police tactics that extract false confessions in the first place.