Meet Dalia Dippolito… the woman who tried hiring a hitman to off her husband and, when caught and arrested by police, argued as part of her defense that she thought she was “acting” for a realty tv show.
The flowers from her wedding are still alive when court records show she approaches a former boyfriend, Mohamed Shihadeh, a part-time actor and convenience-store owner, to get advice on terminating her husband.
“She asked Mohamed if he could find her a guy who would get the job done, i.e. a hit-man,” said Ebner.
Cops believe Dalia is serious. Ebner says Mohamed realizes he may be dealing with a woman who is a bit unstable. He does the right thing and pays a visit to the Boynton Beach Police Department.
Part One:
Cops arrange for Dalia to meet an hitman undercover officer. They even hire the film crew from the show “COPS” to record the moment where Dalia is “notified” that her husband has been “shot.”
Police send in undercover officer Widy Jean, posing as a hit-man to seal the deal.
“You sure you wanna kill this dude?” Jean asks on an undercover police recording. “When it’s done you’re not gonna be able to change your mind.”
“There is no changing my mind, I’m positive, like 5,000-percent sure,” Dalia says on the recording. “When I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it.” She even throws in a hefty bonus to have Michael gunned down in public.
Part Two:
Dalia’s defense at trial was… bizarre.
She claimed that she wasn’t really trying to have her husband murdered, but that she was “acting” in order to become a reality TV star. But that defense was rejected at court.
“Dalia Dippolito was convicted of solicitation for murder and was sentenced by the judge to 20 years, almost the maximum sentence,” said Ebner.
“It was pure evil,” the judge said at sentencing. “You were taking advantage of a guy that was gullible, that was in love with you, and you contrived these elaborate plans.”
Micheal Dippolito is relieved — and most of all, he’s still alive.
“As far as the sentence, I’m 5,000-percent happy with it,” Michael Dippolito tells reporters outside of court.
But as it turns out, Dalia’s “acting job” when she is told about her husband’s “murder” did in fact render her a YouTube sensation after cops released the video to the public.
And that video ended up being the keystone of her appeal.
Part Three: