Caldwell Man Confesses To Raping & Killing 18-Yr-Old Girl

This case has been COLD for 23 years and finally, law enforcement found enough proof... so much proof that the man behind the murder has stepped forward admitting guilt.

53-year-old Brian Leigh Dripps of Caldwell, Idaho is now behind bars at the Canyon County Jail and will soon be extradited to Idaho Falls to face murder charges that may end up with him facing a sentence of death.

Dripps was a suspect in the rape and stabbing of 18-year-old Angie Dodge back in 1996 but they just couldn't get enough proof together to convict.  After 23 years and a mountain of evolving techniques in law enforcement, police tracked him down in Caldwell, followed him, picked up a cigarette butt he discarded, and got his DNA off of that which matched the DNA of the rapist and killer from 1996.

When authorities brought Dripps in for questioning he denied the crime until seeing all the evidence and finally confessed to the murder.

What's crazy about this case is that another man is currently behind bars (Chris Tapp) for this same murder.  Tapp originally confessed to killing Dodge but later retracted his confession saying he was coerced into saying the things he said.  He's had a lot of support over the years from different organizations and even the family of the victim all saying he IS NOT the person who murdered this young girl.  Authorities still believe he may have had something to do with the murder so what's going to happen with Tapp is on hold for now.  The main focus right now is Dripps who will be facing charges asap.

Below is a picture of Angie Dodge that KTVB posted earlier today.  A HUGE thank you to the law enforcement involved in never giving up on her.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Angie's family.  May they find peace after all these new developments have occurred and hopefully they can move on now and live life.