Forensic Transmissions Episode 24: Dalia Dippolito Police Interview
On July 31 2009, Mohammed Shihadeh notified police in Boynton Beach, Florida, that we was concerned that his ex-girlfriend, 26-year-old former escort Dalia Dippolito, was plotting to kill her husband of six months, 38-year-old Michael Dippolito. Shihadeh was enlisted by police as a confidential informant, and instructed to put Dalia in touch with a “Mexican hitman” who asked for $5000 to kill Mike Dippolito. The hit went ahead the following day, and Dalia returned home from the gym to find police tape surrounding her house. She was informed that her husband had been shot and killed, and she burst into tears, appearing inconsolable.
Listen to the police interview with Dalia Dippolito about the “murder” of her husband. She’s asked who she believes might be responsible, and comes up with a number of plausible suggestions related to Mike’s criminal conviction for fraud. However, at the end of the interview, the police reveal to Dalia that the “Mexican hitman” was actually an undercover police officer, Widy Jean, and that Dalia’s meetings with him were taped by police. Listen also to the police interview with Michael Dippolito about the bizarre things that he’d experienced since being married to Dalia, such as an attempted poisoning with antifreeze.
Dalia Dippolito, who denied the charges, claiming she thought she was practicing for a reality TV show, had three trials. In her first trial, deliberations lasted for about three hours before a guilty verdict was returned. This verdict was later overturned due to a sleeping juror. In her second trial, a jury of four women and two men deliberated for a total of about nine hours before a mistrial was declared. In her third and final trial, in July 2017, she was found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in prison.