Michael & Dalia Dippolito: Solved Case
*I do not include pictures or videos of any crime scene or victim after their death. I find it very disrespectful to the victims and their families. Also, some people would feel uncomfortable or sickened by some of the visuals. If you would like to see pictures or videos, you can find them easily with a Google search. I also tend to avoid cases that involve young children. If it does involve a young child, a warning will be provided for the faint of heart.
Videos
If you would rather listen to the following information, check out Kendall Rae's YouTube video about it!
Also, check out this playlist of clips from this case!
The Sad Saga of Dalia Dippolito
Victim Background
The case of Michael & Dalia Dippolito took place in Boynton Beach, Florida in 2009 and continued until as recent as 2017.
Michael Dippolito met Dalia as an escort and the two began dating. After only a year of dating, the couple decided to get married. The couple was described as "sexual, into partying and having fun together". They were both very into reality TV as well and both had a desire to be cast on a reality TV show.
Michael's past was bumpy. He had a history of dealing steroids and other drugs. He had been on probation for years when this case began and was clean and "together".
What Happened?
The Searches
In 2009, Michael and Dalia's house was randomly searched by Michael's probation officer. The couple had been married for only a month at the time, and the search had left the officer empty-handed. A few months later, the police pulled Michael over and said they had received an anonymous tip that he was dealing drugs out of his car. The police searched his car and were left empty-handed once again. At this point, Michael began suspecting that someone was out to get him, possibly an ex-associate from his drug dealing history. A second tip came in a few months after that one, and they searched his car once again. They found a little bag of cocaine tucked in his spare tire, which Michael later claimed that it was planted on his truck. Michael managed to talk himself out of getting arrested at the time, and his suspicion that someone was out to get him was starting to get more real. Once again, another tip had come in and led police to do another search of their home, finding nothing.
Red Flags
Dalia Dippolito went to a friend (and ex-lover) claiming that Michael was abusing her and that the relationship was moving too fast. She confided in her friend, Mohamed Shihadeh, that she needed a way out of the relationship because she was concerned for her own safety and that she wanted his help to do it. She asked Mohamed if he knew anyone who could kill her husband and stated, "if you don't do it, I'll have to." This made Mohamed very concerned for Michael's well-being and reported Dalia's request to the police.
The Set Up
If you haven't pieced it together by now, I'll explain – Dalia was the one leaving the anonymous tips in attempts to have Michael arrested, and Michael was unaware that his wife was planning to have a hitman sent after him.
After Mohamed made his report to the police, they set up a meeting between him and Dalia with a hidden camera for proof Mohamed's report. In the video, Dalia claimed that Michael would "come after her" if she filed for a divorce and that the police would assume that someone from Michael's past would be the one who murdered him. Mohamed then claimed he had a hit man who would murder Michael for her, and Dalia gave him $1,200 and a picture of Michael to give to the hit man.
After this meeting, the police had Mohamed set up a meeting with Dalia and their "hitman", who was an undercover narcotics officer. During this meeting, Dalia claims she is "5000% sure" she wants to go through with this. This meeting was done to prove her intent even further and would strengthen the case against her. Check out the actual video of this meeting: Woman Hires Hit Man to Kill Husband
With video proof of Dalia's intent to have her husband killed, the police decided to take things a step further. The police came to their home in the early morning while Dalia was at the gym and told Michael that he had to come to the station with them for his own safety. At the station, they had Michael watch the clips from the set-up meetings with Dalia. This was when Michael reported he noticed that money had started going missing and that the drugs were planted on his truck. He also mentioned that Dalia stole over $100,000 from him. Check out more of Michael's side of the story: Dalia Dippolito Trial – Husband Michael on the Witness Stand
While Michael was being brought back to the station, the police sergeant called Dalia while she was at the gym at 6:40 a.m. and told her that she needed to come home immediately. When she arrived home, the sergeant told her that there was a "report of a disturbance and shots", that "Michael was found dead", and that "witnesses saw a black male running from the scene." Dalia then brought out her poor acting skills and began to "grieve" over her husband. She was then brought back to the station for "questioning". Check out the video of Dalia "learning the news": Dalia Dippolito Learns Her Husband Was "Murdered"
While at the station, the police brought in "the man who the witnesses saw fleeing the scene" and told her that he's the one who killed Michael. With even more fake tears, the police decided to break the news to her that she does, in fact, suck at lying. When they told her the entire thing was a setup and that she was going to jail for attempting to have her husband killed, she began to deny everything and actually asked to speak to Michael. Check out the video of Dalia finding out the truth: Dalia Dippolito Questioned by Police
The police decided to bring Michael in to see her. When he entered the room, Dalia repeated "come here, please come here" to Michael and that she "didn't do anything to him"
Conviction/Sentence
When Dalia was arrested shortly after the set-up, Michael received a call from Dalia of her claiming that all the videos "weren't true" and that she's innocent in the whole thing. Check out the recording of the phone call: Dalia Dippolito Calls Her Husband From Jail
First Trial (2011)
Dalia hired a defense attorney who came up with the argument that Michael was "in on it too" because they were both into reality TV and had a desire to be famous. Michael (obviously) denied these claims and the defense did not hold up in court. Dalia found guilty of solicitation to commit first-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The lawyers later appealed this ruling because one of the jury members had been misinformed – that Dalia was planning to kill Michael with antifreeze. This made the original trial irrelevant and they had to begin a second trial.
Second Trial (2017)
In the second trial, Dalia's defense attorney claimed that Dalia was victim of "police entrapment" – that the police set her up and that she was innocent. The police were working with the show "Cops" during this case and they claimed that they were framing her to get an entertaining episode and to continue working with the show. The jury was split 50/50 and it was declared a mistrial. It had been 8 years at this point since Dalia was first caught and had been on house arrest the entire time.
Third Trial (2017)
On June 6th, 2017, Dalia was finally found guilty of solicitation to commit first-degree murder. She was sentenced to 16 years of prison but is only required to serve 8 years since she was on house arrest for 8 years already. Check out the video of Dalia's retrial: Dalia Dippolito Retrial Verdict 06/16/17
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