Boynton Beach Newlywed Murder-For-Hire Trial Begins Monday
WEST PALM BEACH (CBS4) - A Palm Beach County woman accused of hiring a hit man to kill her husband of six months will face a jury next week.
Dalia Dippolito, 28, faces one count of solicitation to commit first degree murder, which could net her up to 30 years behind bars.
Dippolito was arrested in August 2009 after soliciting an undercover cop to murder her husband Michael Dippolito, 38. The two had only wed six months prior.
Boynton Beach Police allegedly got wind of Dippolito's plot from her ex-boyfriend.
Investigators arranged for Dippolito's ex-boyfriend to meet with her at a Mobil gas station on Gateway Boulevard to finalize the arrangements.
During their conversation, Dippolito reportedly gave the confidential informant $1200 for the hit man to buy a gun; she also gave him pictures of her husband and their home. Dippolito also allegedly wanted to know when it would take place so she could arrange to be at a hair appointment and thus have a credible alibi.
Dippolito met with an undercover Boynton Beach police officer who pretended to be the hired 'hit man'; the two met in the parking lot of a CVS drug store.
When the 'hit man' asked Dippolito if she really wanted to go through with this, she reportedly laughed and said she'd be very happy once it was done. She then allegedly agreed to pay him $3,000 for the murder.
Detectives set up a crime scene at the couple's home and had their video camera's rolling when detectives told Dippolito as she arrived home that her husband had been murdered.
Dippolito was captured on camera breaking down and crying upon hearing the news. Crocodile tears, prosecutors allege.
Police said she was then taken to the police department where she came face to face with the man who she was told had shot her husband twice in the head. Investigators then revealed the truth – the 'hit man' was a cop and her husband was alive and well in the next room.
According to court records, Dippolito had tried two times before to kill her husband. One time, allegedly hiring street thugs to close the deal, but the thugs later reneged. She also allegedly spiked her husband's drink with odorless anti-freeze. He reportedly spit out the drink after commenting that it tasted like gasoline.
Michael Dippolito said he just doesn't understand what drove her to do something like this.
"There's no reason she had to do this. She's well off. She could've just left," said Dippolito.
In hindsight, however, he said he should have noticed the warning signs, like missing money and nasty notes left on his car.
"There was a lot of funny stuff going on. I overlooked a lot of things. You try to see the best in people, not the worst."
