Dalia Dippolito, The Woman Who Accidently 'Hired' An Undercover Cop To Kill Her Husband

Aug 5, 2024
8 min read

Split image of a man and woman beside a police officer embracing a woman outdoors; headline mentions Dalia Dippolito and undercover cop.

Imagine paying $7,000 to have your husband killed, watching police tape go up outside your house, sobbing into an officer's arms when told he's dead, and then seeing him walk through the door very much alive. That's more or less what happened to Dalia Dippolito on a summer morning in Boynton Beach, Florida in 2009. The hitman she'd hired was an undercover cop. The grieving widow act had been recorded in full by a COPS film crew. And the whole thing was about to be shown on national television.

Dalia and Michael

Dalia Mohammed was born in 1982 in New York and moved to Boynton Beach, Florida with her family at the age of 13. After high school, she worked variously as a real estate agent and an escort. It was in the latter capacity that she met Michael Dippolito in October 2008. Michael, born in 1970, was more than a decade older, had a prior fraud conviction for running a foreign currency scheme that targeted elderly investors, and was still married to someone else when they met.

Their relationship moved fast. Michael divorced his wife and married Dalia in a courthouse just five days after the divorce was finalised, in February 2009. Within a month, according to Michael's later testimony, things had already turned sour. He claimed Dalia stole $100,000 from him shortly after the wedding, had drugs planted in his SUV on two separate occasions in an attempt to get his probation revoked, and he believed she spiked his iced tea with antifreeze. He also claimed she had a lover impersonate first a doctor, then a lawyer, to help conceal the theft and to make Michael wrongly believe he'd completed his probation obligations. Dalia denied all of it.

What's not in dispute is that by the summer of 2009, just six months into the marriage, Dalia had decided she wanted out. And she'd settled on a method.

Man kisses woman on cheek, smiling, with ocean background.

The Plot Unfolds

Dalia Dippolito's motives appeared multifaceted. Financial gain seemed to be a significant driving force. Michael Dippolito, a convicted felon who had made his fortune through less-than-legal means, had substantial assets. Evidence presented at the trial suggested that Dalia was seeking to claim her husband's money and properties. Moreover, there were indications that she wanted to end the marriage without the complications of a divorce, which could have resulted in a less favourable financial settlement for her.

Personal relationships also played a crucial role. Dalia was reportedly involved with other men during her marriage. Prosecutors argued that she was eager to start a new life with another partner without the burden of her husband.

The person she turned to was a former lover named Mohamed Shihadeh. Shihadeh later said she'd asked him to find someone willing to kill her husband, and that she'd even discussed poisoning Michael as an option before settling on staging a fake break-in that would make the killing look like a botched robbery. Shihadeh initially resisted, but when Dalia kept pressing him, he contacted the Boynton Beach Police Department and agreed to work as a confidential informant.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/d5cc5f_070ec27b92004fbda2d2088944ea6286/360p/mp4/file.mp4

The Sting Operation

The case took a dramatic turn when the Boynton Beach Police Department received a tip from a confidential informant. This informant, a former lover of Dalia, revealed her intentions to hire a hitman to kill her husband. Acting quickly, the police set up an elaborate sting operation to catch Dalia in the act.

The informant introduced Dalia to an undercover police officer, Widy Jean, posing as a hitman. Over a series of meetings inside a vehicle rigged with hidden cameras and microphones, Dalia discussed her plans in detail and agreed to pay the undercover officer $7,000 to carry out the murder. She handed over a down payment along with photographs of Michael. The resulting 23-minute recording became the centrepiece of the prosecution's case across all three subsequent trials. She was caught on tape saying, "I'm positive, like 5,000 percent sure" about wanting her husband dead.

The COPS Film Crew

Adding to the bizarre nature of the case, the police had invited a reality TV crew from the show "COPS" to document the sting operation. The presence of the cameras ensured that every step of the plan, from the initial meetings with the undercover officer to Dalia's arrest, was captured on film. This collaboration between law enforcement and television provided an unprecedented level of transparency and turned the case into a public spectacle.

On the day of the supposed murder, the police staged a crime scene at the Dippolito residence, complete with crime scene tape and officers informing Dalia of her husband's death. Her reaction, which included feigned shock and tears, was recorded and later used as evidence against her.

When she returned, there were several police cars parked in front, the house had been cordoned off with yellow tape, and a forensic photographer was documenting evidence. She sobbed into an officer's arms when he told her the news that Mike Dippolito was dead.

It began as she might have expected. Sergeant Paul Sheridan comforted her as a widow and took her to the police station to help them identify a suspect.

Gauging her reaction, Sheridan brought a handcuffed Widy Jean into the room and claimed the "suspect" was seen fleeing her house. Jean, playing a caught criminal, denied knowing Dalia Dippolito. She denied knowing him, as well.

But then, police made a startling revelation. Mike Dippolito appeared in the doorway, and told her he knew everything.

"Mike, come here," she begged. "Come here please, come here. I didn't do anything to you."

He told her she was on her own. Dalia was charged moments later with solicitation of first-degree murder.

Shortly after she was placed under arrest.

Young girl in car looking out window, showing 0603, 00:01:07, 04:45:23. — Dalia Dippolito was caught by a hidden camera during her solicitation of an undercover cop to murder Michael Dippolito.

Initial Conviction (2011)

The legal proceedings against Dalia Dippolito have been as dramatic and complex as the crime itself. From the initial arrest to multiple trials and appeals, the courtroom drama has captivated the public and legal experts alike.

Dalia Dippolito was first tried in 2011. The prosecution's case hinged heavily on the video evidence obtained during the sting operation, where Dalia explicitly plotted the murder of her husband with an undercover officer posing as a hitman. The footage showed Dalia agreeing to the murder plan and providing detailed instructions and payment.

During this trial, the prosecution painted a picture of a manipulative and calculating woman driven by greed and a desire to start a new life without her husband. They argued that Dalia saw murder as the easiest way to gain control of Michael Dippolito's assets and eliminate the need for a messy divorce.

The defence, however, attempted to discredit the prosecution's case by suggesting that Dalia was set up and that her actions were part of a staged scenario planned by her husband, who sought to use the situation for his gain. They called a reality TV expert who testified about the lengths people go to for fame, and a digital forensics analyst who found that Dalia had searched online for "reality shows auditioning in Florida" and "VH1 castings" about three months before the sting. Despite these arguments, the jury found the prosecution's evidence overwhelming. Dalia was convicted of solicitation to commit first-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The presiding judge described the plot as "pure evil" and reprimanded her for her lack of remorse.

Appeal and Overturned Conviction

In 2014, Dalia's legal team succeeded in getting her conviction overturned on appeal. The appellate court ruled that the trial judge had improperly dismissed a juror who expressed doubts about the prosecution's case. This decision granted Dalia a new trial, setting the stage for further courtroom battles.

The Retrial (2016)

Dalia's retrial in 2016 ended in a mistrial. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, reportedly deadlocked at a 3-3 split. This outcome highlighted the challenges the prosecution faced in convincing all jurors beyond a reasonable doubt of Dalia's guilt.

Second Retrial (2017)

The third trial took place in 2017, and this time, the prosecution refined their strategy. They again relied on the damning video evidence, but they also introduced new testimony and expert analysis to bolster their case. One significant piece of evidence was Dalia's phone records, which included incriminating text messages and calls.

The defence maintained their position that Dalia was part of a scheme orchestrated by her husband, who allegedly wanted to create a sensational story to launch a reality TV career. They argued that the video evidence was misleading and that Dalia's behaviour was consistent with someone who believed she was participating in a staged event rather than a real murder plot.

Despite these arguments, the jury found Dalia guilty once again, returning their verdict in just 90 minutes. This time, she was sentenced to 16 years in prison, slightly less than her original sentence but still a significant term. Prosecutor Craig Williams called Dippolito "a master manipulator" who needed to be imprisoned "to protect society."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqewcptFUro

Key Testimonies and Evidence

Throughout the trials, several key pieces of evidence and testimonies played critical roles:

Video Footage: The recordings of Dalia meeting with the undercover officer and her reaction to the staged crime scene were pivotal. These videos showed her calm and collected demeanour when planning the murder and her ostensibly staged emotional response when informed of her husband's "death."

Phone Records: Text messages and phone call logs provided insight into Dalia's communications and her intent. These records contradicted her defence's claims and supported the prosecution's narrative of a premeditated plot.

Police officer gently holds woman's shoulders, speaking to her at scene. — Police staged a crime scene to convince Dalia Dippolito that her husband had really been killed.

Expert Testimonies: Behavioural experts testified about Dalia's actions and responses, interpreting them as indicative of genuine intent to commit murder rather than participation in a hoax.

Confidential Informant: Mohamed Shihadeh, the former lover who tipped off the police and introduced Dalia to the undercover officer, testified about Dalia's determination to see the murder plot through. At the third trial, he also said he had only wanted police to call Dalia, not arrest her, and that she'd told him she was being abused, a claim the prosecution disputed.

Young woman crying, wearing a black Adidas cap and blue tank top. — Dalia Dippolito was arrested and placed in handcuffs at the police station after she learned her husband was still alive.

After the Verdict

While on house arrest awaiting her second trial, Dalia gave birth to a son. Michael Dippolito, who remarried and continued to live near the condo he'd once shared with Dalia, testified at the 2017 sentencing that the case had consumed nine years of his life. "People will say, 'You're really lucky to be alive,'" he said. "I guess, but I can't get to that because I had to deal with this nonsense for nine years."

In 2017, a recorded jailhouse phone call was made public by ABC News in which Dalia discussed using a drone to drop wire cutters over a prison fence to facilitate an escape, referencing a case in South Carolina where an inmate had done exactly that. No escape was attempted.

Mugshot of a young woman with dark hair and a serious expression. — Dalia Dippolito will be released from prison in 2032.

In September 2019, the Florida Supreme Court declined to review her 2017 conviction without comment. Her legal team subsequently asked the US Supreme Court to hear the case; in February 2020, the court declined. Dalia Dippolito remains incarcerated at the Lowell Correctional Institution in Marion County, Florida, and is scheduled for release in 2032.

The case has become one of the most referenced examples of a murder-for-hire plot caught on camera, drawing comparisons to other cases where domestic partnerships turned lethal, including Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander and Candy Montgomery. What set the Dippolito case apart was simple: almost every step of it was on film.