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The Dalia Dippolito True Crime Story Interview with the Victim, Micheal Dippolito. — Transcript

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0:16[music]
0:24Dalia and Michael Dipilito's romance
0:26read like a Hollywood script. [music]
0:28It was fast, furious, sweaty, very
0:32sexual.
0:34Dalia was young, fit, and attractive. a
0:37stereotypical, you know, South Florida
0:40babe.
0:41Michael was a larger than-l life bad boy
0:43with a dark past.
0:45Tattooed Italian, a huge personality,
0:49but also has a criminal side.
0:52He's done some very bad things.
0:54Had he put his past behind him,
0:57all of these unexplained events were
0:59occurring.
1:00Calls were made to his probation
1:01officer.
1:02He's dealing steroids out of his house.
1:04He's dealing drugs out of his house.
1:05ecstasy, all kinds of calls.
1:08Then one morning, Dalia came home and
1:10found their condo surrounded by police
1:13cars.
1:14Miss Dipo, is your husband Michael?
1:16Okay, I'm sorry to tell you, man. He's
1:18been killed.
1:19Caught on tape, Dalia's reaction would
1:22soon be at the center of a case that
1:24asked what was real and what was
1:27reality.
1:28It It was basically a made for TV movie
1:31from the onset.
1:53Boon Beach, Florida, August 5th, 2009.
1:5626-year-old Dalia Dipilito was at the
1:58gym when her cell phone rang at 6:40
2:01that Wednesday morning. The caller was a
2:04sergeant with the Boon Beach Police.
2:06Sergeant, he tells her, "Hey, something
2:08happened at the house. We need you to
2:09come."
2:10Minutes later, Dalia arrived at the
2:12condo she shared with her husband,
2:1438-year-old Michael Dipilito. And what
2:17she found was the sort of thing most
2:19people dread.
2:21Yellow tape around the house, crime
2:22scene investigator taking photos,
2:24fingerprinting the front door.
2:26Dalia headed for the condo, but one of
2:28the detectives pulled her aside before
2:30she reached the front door. Mr.
2:32Dipolito, I'm Sergeant Ramsey. I'm I'm
2:35the one that called you. Thank you for
2:36coming. I'm sorry to call you. Listen,
2:38we had a report of a disturbance at your
2:40house and there were shots fired. Is
2:42your husband Michael? Okay. I'm sorry to
2:44tell you, man. He's been killed.
2:47He's been killed, man.
2:51Try to calm down.
2:53She's just beside herself crying,
2:55doubled over.
2:56Apparently in shock, [music] she asked
2:59to see her husband.
3:02I can't have the door. You have to find
3:05this door. [screaming] Okay. I need you
3:07to calm down. I need you to GO THROUGH
3:10THESE. [laughter] OKAY. IS THERE
3:12ENEMIES? Is there anyone?
3:15Okay. Who want to hurt him? I saw a
3:18black man running from me. I can't let
3:19you see. Ma'am, I cannot do this right
3:22now. Ma'am, I CAN'T
3:25[screaming] I need you. I need you to
3:26take me to the station. I can't go with
3:29these detectives. If you want to help
3:30your husband, okay, if you want to help
3:32your husband, you need to go to the
3:33station with these gentlemen and tell us
3:36everything you know about who he knows,
3:37who he's connected to. With Dalia
3:40obviously too distraught to drive, the
3:42detectives placed her in the passenger
3:44seat of an unmarked car. But before they
3:46drove away, she made one last plea to
3:49see her husband.
3:51Can I go inside my house, please?
3:53I can't let you in there. It's a crime
3:54scene right now. We need to get all the
3:56evidence we can. Is he inside?
3:57Yes, ma'am. He is inside, and I can't
3:59let you
4:00The answer was no. But it wasn't because
4:03her husband was lying dead in the house.
4:06In fact, he wasn't in the house. And he
4:09wasn't dead either.
4:14Dalia had met Michael Dipilito less than
4:16a year earlier in October of 2008.
4:19It seems like it was a very, very
4:21intense relationship and it happened
4:23extremely [music] fast.
4:24We got along so well. We did everything
4:27together. Everything was easy, smooth,
4:29interesting, fun. We just clicked.
4:32At the time, Dalia was bouncing back and
4:34forth between a boyfriend in California
4:37and her family in South Florida.
4:39She went to Catholic school. She, you
4:41know, did some college. I mean, she and
4:44she was raised in a nice household. She
4:47had a nice family.
4:48Her parents were divorced when she was
4:49relatively young, but she remained with
4:52her mother and a sister and a brother,
4:54and apparently her grandparents were
4:56[music] very close. and lived nearby and
4:59it was a stable environment that in
5:01included a real commitment to family
5:03values.
5:04Days after meeting Michael, Dalia
5:06returned to California, but she didn't
5:08stay for long.
5:10She flew in a week later after we had
5:12met and she stayed with me [music] and
5:15she never left.
5:16Soon after she moved in, Dalia
5:18introduced Michael to her family.
5:21Michael really liked being part of
5:22Dalia's family. I think that was one of
5:24the things that attracted Michael to
5:26Dalia. It wasn't the only thing that
5:28Michael was attracted to.
5:30She's a very attractive lady. I mean,
5:32you know, beautiful hair, beautiful
5:33smile, um, great build, a stereotypical,
5:37you know, South Florida babe.
5:39Dalia was also able to offer Michael a
5:41level of stability. Before they met,
5:44[music] Michael Dipilito had lived a
5:46turbulent life.
5:51Michael was a South Florida transplant
5:53[music] who had grown up on the mean
5:55streets of South Philly.
5:57He's done the best he can to survive
6:00with the uh tools that he was given.
6:02I had an opportunity to come to Florida
6:05and you know considering you know I'm
6:07basically homeless living in an
6:08abandoned house and you know the bad
6:10lands of Philadelphia. The thought of
6:12palm trees and you know all these nice
6:14things of Florida I'm like sure let's
6:16go. some of his business enterprises
6:18[music]
6:19hadn't been entirely legal.
6:21He was involved in a boiler room
6:24operation where he basically took
6:25investors money um and used it for his
6:28own personal interest.
6:29It was backed by organized crime and
6:31[music] uh you know I'm addicted to the
6:34money.
6:34The money wasn't all he had been
6:36addicted to either.
6:38Michael struggled with a drug addiction
6:40for a very very long time. Arrested in
6:432002, Michael [music] had spent 7 months
6:46in prison and he was still on probation
6:48when he met Dalia in 2008. I'm a person
6:52that has a [music] bad history. It
6:54doesn't make me a bad person. On paper,
6:57I probably look like a terrible person.
6:59I'm not telling you I'm a saint, but I'm
7:01not a bad person.
7:02That's precisely what he had told Dalia,
7:05too. According to Michael, he hadn't
7:07tried to hide his shady past. And I
7:10would tell her the stories of the
7:12trouble I've been in and how I just want
7:13to get away from it. I just want to, you
7:16know, I just want to put it behind me
7:18and finally be done with it.
7:20Dalia didn't appear to be put off by
7:22Michael's past. Instead, she focused on
7:25the future.
7:26She was always talking about plans of a
7:28future together.
7:29And as far as Dalia knew, their
7:31prospects appeared bright. Michael told
7:33her he had kicked his drug habit and
7:35that he had started a new career in
7:37internet marketing. He had even saved up
7:40more than enough money to buy the couple
7:42a brand new condo.
7:43Pays cash, you know, goes right into the
7:45bank with all the cash and gets a
7:47cashier's check and buys this house
7:49outright. Despite paying cash for the
7:51condo, Michael had over $100,000 left in
7:54the bank. Money that was supposed to go
7:57to the people he had defrauded.
7:59While on probation, he has to pay
8:01restitution to his victims. He was doing
8:03the best he can to save up his money. On
8:06February 2nd, 2009, 4 months after their
8:09first date, Dalia and Michael surprised
8:11their friends and family by announcing
8:14that they were married. We got married
8:16at the Delray Beach Courthouse. We did
8:18it, you know, with the paperwork and
8:20all. And it was it was kind of funny
8:21because we looked at each other, we're
8:23like, we really did this. And we laughed
8:25and we're like, yeah,
8:26he was moving pretty quick, but you
8:27know, if he was happy.
8:28Dalia definitely looked happy. She was
8:31so loving to him and always telling him
8:34how much she loved him and embracing
8:36him.
8:36It looked to me she was in love with
8:37him.
8:38He was a good wife as in like she'd do a
8:40lot of little things for me and it was
8:41just exciting to like okay great like
8:43thank you. You know
8:45Dalia and Michael's next few weeks were
8:47happy ones spent hanging [music] out and
8:49making plans.
8:51We had similar ideas and goals. You
8:54know, we're going to do this. We can,
8:55you know, we're talking about traveling.
8:57But on March 12th, little more than a
9:00month into the marriage, a late night
9:02knock on their condo door threatened to
9:04derail the couple's dreams.
9:06I go to the [music] door. I see my
9:07probation officer and I see a bunch of
9:09police behind him. And I'm thinking, I'm
9:11like, "What?
9:12This probation officer is getting calls.
9:14He's dealing steroids out of his house.
9:16He's dealing drugs out of his house,
9:17ecstasy."
9:19The police didn't find any drugs, but if
9:21they had, the consequences could have
9:24been severe. He could have gotten
9:27violated on probation and placed back in
9:29in prison.
9:31Michael says the police raid left him
9:33rattled. And
9:34I had been on probation probably 6 years
9:37and I've never had a visit like that.
9:39He had called me to say that he was
9:41wondering um you know who I thought may
9:42have been out to harm him. And um you
9:46know truly had no idea. Michael had
9:48kicked his addiction years earlier, and
9:51while he had a criminal conviction on
9:52his record, it had not been for dealing
9:55drugs. So, Michael and the authorities
9:57had to wonder who was the mysterious
10:00caller and why had they accused him of
10:02dealing drugs.
10:04He had been good for 6 years and it
10:06didn't make sense. Nothing had changed.
10:08It wasn't like they were observing that
10:09he was acting different or changed
10:12anything in his lifestyle or could have
10:14been using drugs like he had as a as a
10:16youth. So, it was suspicious to the law
10:19enforcement and probation.
10:20As for his new wife, Dalia appeared to
10:23take the disturbing incident in stride,
10:26proposing to take her husband's mind off
10:28his troubles. She even suggested a
10:30spur-ofthe- moment romantic getaway in
10:32nearby Palm Beach.
10:34And we stayed the night, it was my
10:36wife's idea, let's go spend the night at
10:38the beach. It'll be nice.
10:40But the next morning, Dalia and Michael
10:42found more police waiting for them in
10:44the hotel parking lot. They say, "We got
10:46an anonymous call that you're dealing
10:48drugs out of your vehicle and um can we
10:52search your car?"
10:53For a second time, the police failed to
10:56find any drugs.
10:58And to Michael's relief, Dalia continued
11:01to support him.
11:03We're getting along and we're still, you
11:04know, visiting her family. We have an
11:07active sex life. Everything's good and
11:09dandy. We're still making future plans.
11:11Although Michael also claims the
11:13back-to-back incidents left him more
11:15than a little uneasy.
11:17I'm really freaked out. I'm thinking,
11:19who's who's doing this?
11:21Was it someone he'd ripped off in his
11:22old life? An associate from his old
11:25organized crime days?
11:27He was actually considering every
11:28possibility, you know, who could be out
11:31for him. He was going through, you know,
11:32his rolodex, looking at people in his
11:34past.
11:35Whoever it was didn't give up easily. On
11:38March 29th, Dalia and Michael had been
11:40out to dinner when once again they found
11:43police waiting for them [music] in the
11:44parking lot.
11:45Mike looks at her and says, "Oh, what? I
11:47guess they're probably here for me."
11:48They were summoned by another anonymous
11:51tip.
11:52They ended up finding a little bag of
11:55cocaine under my spare tire.
11:58And I'm thinking to myself, now I'm
12:00going to jail. I'm going to jail. I'm
12:02going to jail. And I even I think I
12:03started crying to this cop. Talking to
12:06the police, Michael swore he knew
12:08nothing about the drugs. Instead, he
12:10claimed he'd been set up repeatedly. It
12:13was really strange that out of nowhere,
12:15you know, all of a sudden these um
12:17unexplained events were occurring.
12:20Incredibly, Michael managed to talk
12:22himself out of getting arrested.
12:24They said, "We're not going to make an
12:26arrest here. Something's not right."
12:28The police confiscated the drugs and
12:30then they let him go.
12:32And I can't even believe they let me go.
12:34But would the mysterious stalker be so
12:37easily dissuaded?
12:38This is kind of creepy. I would go home.
12:40I'd searched my whole house. I'm
12:42freaking out.
12:46Coming up, the police make another
12:48surprise visit.
12:50I guess I didn't know if they were there
12:51to arrest me or what was going on.
12:53And extreme measures are taken to find
12:55out. I'm
12:56sorry to tell you, man. He's been
12:58killed.
13:25By July 31st, 2009, Dalia and Michael
13:29Dipilito had been married for almost 6
13:32months.
13:32They had a nice life. They had a nice
13:34home. Um, they were both working, making
13:36money. They were both very happy
13:38together. The physical attraction was
13:40amazing. and we, you know, we got along
13:43very well that way.
13:44There was one thing interfering with the
13:46newlywed's happiness. However,
13:48all of a sudden, there were these very
13:50mysterious phone calls, [music]
13:52anonymous phone calls being made to
13:53probation or to law enforcement saying
13:56that Michael Dipolito was involved in
13:58some type of criminal activity.
14:00Michael assumed the calls were somehow
14:02related to his troubled past.
14:05In Michael's past, he's done some very
14:07bad things. In 2003, the former con man
14:11had spent 7 months in prison on theft
14:13and fraud charges.
14:15He had scammed some people out of some
14:17money, but um he immediately took
14:20responsibility for it, plead guilty.
14:22Was someone he'd scammed behind the
14:25mysterious calls? Was an old organized
14:27crime associate trying to set him up? Or
14:30was there another explanation? On July
14:3331st, Boon Beach police received another
14:36phone call concerning the Dipilitos.
14:39Only this time, the caller identified
14:42himself. He was an old friend of Dalia's
14:44named Muhammad Shahada.
14:46Muhammad is someone that had known Dalia
14:49for years. He told the police that he
14:52was concerned about Dalia's husband.
14:54She told Muhammad that Mike Tipelito
14:57beat her and that he was horrible to
14:59her, that he was abusive. the alleged
15:02abuse wasn't what Muhammad wanted to
15:04report. Instead, he told police that
15:06when he'd urged Dalia to go to the
15:08police, she had suggested another more
15:11direct option for dealing with her
15:13husband.
15:14She asked if I knew someone who can kill
15:16her husband for her.
15:18That's when he said, "I don't want to be
15:19a part of this."
15:20And when he refused, according to
15:22Muhammad, Dalia had tried to get her
15:25hands on a gun, his gun.
15:28He always keeps a gun in his glove
15:30compartment. She actually reached in his
15:31glove box and took [music] his gun out
15:33and made the comment if she's not if
15:36he's not going to help her that she
15:37would do it herself.
15:39Muhammad said that he'd managed to take
15:41the gun away from Dalia.
15:42I got really mad. I told her to get the
15:44hell out of the car.
15:45But the incident had also led him to
15:47call the police.
15:48He's like, "This this girl is serious."
15:50[music]
15:51The allegation was also serious and
15:53police needed to ensure the caller's
15:55information was good before acting on
15:58it. At first, you question it. Of
16:00course, you don't know if it's real or
16:01who is this guy.
16:02It's not often that a citizen comes,
16:04[music] you know, to the police
16:06department with this kind of a crazy
16:07story.
16:08There was at least one way to verify it.
16:11However, they had him set up a meeting
16:13with Dalia.
16:14Prior to the meeting on August 1st, the
16:17police hid a surveillance camera in
16:19Muhammad's car and wired him with a
16:21hidden microphone. In
16:22the car, they began talking about making
16:24plans to [music] getting somebody to
16:27kill her husband. According to Dalia, it
16:30was her only option.
16:32Me going and filing for divorce, like
16:34he'll come after my ass, period. [music]
16:36And Michael would have no trouble
16:38finding someone to kill her, Dalia
16:40claimed.
16:41And all his friends were just like
16:43organized crime or whatever.
16:45But Dalia was determined to beat Michael
16:47to the punch and arrange her own hit.
16:50She brought some photos of her husband
16:52and she provided the informant some uh a
16:55photo of her of her u condo where she
16:58lived.
16:59And when Muhammad asked Dalia for $1,000
17:01as a down payment, she didn't hesitate.
17:04When are you going to give the money?
17:06Today.
17:10And as the tape rolled, Dalia got out of
17:12the car, went to an ATM, and withdrew
17:15the cash. We made her believe that the
17:18[music] informant was actually going to
17:19get her in contact with a hitman.
17:21He just needs the price of the gun.
17:22You're sure everything else is okay?
17:24Yeah.
17:24You're sure? Sure.
17:27Yo, what more you want? You're planning
17:29a murder. Come on.
17:30She was just conducting regular business
17:32and didn't even [music] uh she didn't
17:34hesitate at all. Not at all.
17:36Will you smile?
17:38That's all you smile about. Yo,
17:40she laughed through the whole thing
17:41[music] and like like nothing. but she
17:44was planning the murder of her husband.
17:46The handoff complete, Dalia got back in
17:49her car and drove away while the
17:51authorities contemplated their next
17:53move.
17:54They know, okay, this is the real deal.
17:58The information that he this guy was
18:00giving us was credable.
18:02The surveillance tape along with the
18:03money and photo Dalia had provided were
18:06enough to arrest her for solicitation of
18:08murder. But would they be enough to make
18:11the charges stick? Law enforcement
18:13really wanted to capture her [music]
18:14intent and to show that she was
18:17absolutely willing to go through with
18:18this plan.
18:19So on August 3rd, the Boon Beach police
18:22set up a second meeting. This time
18:24between Dalia and the supposed hitman
18:27who was actually an undercover narcotics
18:29officer.
18:31Just want to make sure that you know
18:32this what you want. All right. So sure
18:35you want to kill him, too.
18:38Could we really have,
18:40you know, I'd rather be a less, you
18:43know, whatever.
18:45Dalia didn't want to discuss killing,
18:47but when the supposed hitman started
18:49talking payment, she was quick to
18:52suggest an alternative.
18:54Going to be going to the bank on
18:55Wednesday. I don't know if you know.
18:57Yeah. I don't know if that's public for
18:58you or
19:00what's it doing at the bank?
19:01He has to pull out money for his
19:03partner.
19:03She didn't want to pay a lot of money.
19:05Actually, she just wanted to She said,
19:06"Well, I really want you to go kill him
19:08at the bank because she's going to have
19:10money on him, so you could take that as
19:12your pay."
19:13I don't want to get greedy, but you
19:14know, the mother's only got $10,000 on
19:16them. I'm interested.
19:17Exactly.
19:18And what she's actually trying to do is
19:20finance Mike DO's murder with his own
19:24money.
19:25And she wasn't about to back down.
19:27There's no changing. No, there is no
19:29like I'm determined already. I'm
19:32positive. Like 5,000% sure.
19:36All that was left was sorting out the
19:38logistics.
19:39And are you going to be home Wednesday
19:41morning?
19:41Wednesday morning? Yeah. Unless you tell
19:43me otherwise.
19:44All right.
19:47Okay. Uh do you go jogging in the
19:49morning? You go to the gym in the
19:50morning?
19:51I was going to the gym. Yeah.
19:53We could have arrested her right after
19:55that. Just on that fact of that meeting,
19:57we had the intent [music] that this is
19:59what she wanted done and that was
20:00enough. But the police didn't arrest
20:03Dalia. Instead, they let her drive away,
20:05presumably thinking her husband would
20:07die 2 days later. And on that Wednesday
20:10morning, the police watched as she
20:11headed off to the gym at 5:43 a.m.
20:14This [music] whole time, we have
20:15surveillance on her.
20:17As soon as Dalia left, the police
20:19pounded yet again on the Dipilito's
20:21condo door.
20:22I see a bunch of police officers, you
20:24know, not regular cops either, you know,
20:27like I guess detectives or whatever the
20:29outfit was. So, I'm like, "Oh, boy." And
20:31I he must have saw my reaction. Like, I
20:34guess I didn't know if they were there
20:35to arrest me or what was going on.
20:37Considering his recent string of run-ins
20:39with the police, it seemed like a fair
20:42guess. But nothing could have prepared
20:44Michael for what the lead detective told
20:46him.
20:47He goes, "Look, your wife's going to
20:50have you killed today. You have to come
20:51with us."
20:53Michael was stunned, but he barely had
20:55time to react before he was hustled into
20:58the back of a squad car. They told me,
21:00"Let's go. We got to get out of here."
21:01Michael was removed from the scene
21:03within minutes of the door being open.
21:06Then, as Michael was driven to the
21:08precinct house, the police staged a
21:10setup of their own.
21:12We were going to set up a fake crime
21:14scene around their their town home.
21:16Put some yellow tape around the house.
21:18Um, have a few uh marked units uh marked
21:21police cars in front of the house.
21:23It took less than an hour to set [music]
21:25the scene. At 6:33 a.m., the police
21:29placed a call to Dalia.
21:31Mr. Pledo, this is Sergeant Frank
21:33Ramsey, Boon Beach Police Department.
21:35The sergeant asked Dalia to come back to
21:37her condo that there had been a
21:39disturbance, but he waited to tell her
21:41what had supposedly happened until a few
21:44minutes later in the parking lot in
21:46front of the cameras.
21:47Mr. Dipo, thank you for coming. I'm
21:49sorry to call you. Listen, we had a
21:51report of a disturbance at your house
21:53and there were shots fired. Is your
21:55husband Michael? Okay, I'm sorry to tell
21:57you, man. He's been killed.
22:02Coming up, Dalia learns the truth behind
22:06Michael's so-called murder.
22:07We filmed everything that you did,
22:10recorded everything that you did.
22:12You're going to jail.
22:42Boon Beach, Florida, August 5th, 2009.
22:46It was not quite 7:00 a.m. when Dalia
22:48Dipelito received the devastating news
22:50from the local police. Just 6 months
22:53after marrying Michael Dipilito, the
22:5526-year-old bride was now a widow.
23:00[crying]
23:01Dalia's reaction would have been
23:03understandable if the police hadn't been
23:05convinced it was all an act. They had
23:08her on tape arranging her husband's
23:10murder with an undercover policeman she
23:12thought was a real killer for hire.
23:15Dalia when meeting with this undercover
23:17agent, you know, gave him Michael's
23:19schedule and different options on where
23:21he might want to want to uh kill
23:24Michael.
23:24Michael wasn't dead, however. Mere
23:27minutes before telling Dalia that he'd
23:29been shot, the police had hustled
23:32Michael into hiding.
23:33Took a few minutes for them to tell him
23:34what was going on, and then they
23:36immediately took him away and brought
23:38him to the police department.
23:39Dalia didn't know that, however. She had
23:42been told that he was dead in the house.
23:47Even after she's told that, you know,
23:48her husband was killed, she wanted to
23:51confirm she wanted [music] to see the
23:53body.
23:53But the police wouldn't let Dalia in the
23:56house. Instead, they had a detective
23:58drive her down to the station to answer
24:00a few questions.
24:03Just get We need We need to get your
24:04husband's killer, ma'am. A few minutes
24:07later, Boon Beach detectives ushered
24:09Dalia into a police interrogation room.
24:12At this time, she believes that we're
24:14investigating the fact that her husband
24:15was killed. And we still make her want
24:17her believe that she's not a suspect,
24:19and we give her an opportunity to talk
24:21to us and give us some information to
24:23assist us in the investigation.
24:25Although still tearful, Dalia did her
24:28best to help. And she starts going
24:30through all of this. You know, my
24:32husband was into shady things. and she
24:34gives all these reasons why people would
24:36want to have him killed. [music]
24:37He's been trying to get off probation
24:39and it's just been nothing but problems
24:42the whole time that he's been trying to
24:44get off. Um
24:48people weren't happy that he was getting
24:49off probation.
24:50She uh talks about her how her husband
24:52had enemies.
24:54Meanwhile, Michael was in the next room
24:56watching everything unfold on a closed
24:59circuit video monitor.
25:00I'm just watching it and they're like
25:02asking questions to me. did you know?
25:04And I'm like, "No." I said, "Trust me, I
25:06had no idea." He loved her and he was
25:07blinded by that.
25:09But watching Dalia in the interrogation
25:11room trying to divert suspicion from
25:13herself. He wasn't blind anymore.
25:17That was Michael's aha moment. It all
25:19came together for him and he realized,
25:20"Aha, Dalia is the one that's been
25:22behind all these mysterious anonymous
25:24calls to the police."
25:25I wasn't happy about it, but it was a
25:28little bit of relief. And when it came
25:30to his wife's performance, the ex-con
25:33was even a little impressed.
25:35I got to give the girl credit. Like, she
25:37didn't crack, you know, like she sat
25:39there and sat quiet, which I can't even
25:41believe it.
25:42But how would Dalia react when the
25:44detectives brought in the fictional
25:45hitman in handcuffs?
25:48I put my head down. Well, I'm sorry I
25:51failed you type deal. Because at that
25:53point, she still didn't know whether I
25:55was a cop or not.
25:56You know who this guy is?
25:57No. You've never seen him before?
25:59I've never seen him before. Ever.
26:01I said, "Wow." You know, but she played
26:03that real well.
26:05But moments later, the detectives let
26:07Dalia in on the secret. She was the one
26:10being played.
26:12That's an undercover police officer. We
26:14filmed everything that you did. Recorded
26:17everything that you did.
26:19You're going to jail for solicitation of
26:22first-degree murder on your husband.
26:23I didn't do anything.
26:24Did you hear what I just told you? I
26:26heard what you said that I didn't
26:27everything. Listen to me.
26:31Everything has been recorded. You were
26:33photographed when you sat his car.
26:37She did not react [music] to that. I
26:38mean, she was, I think, in shock. It
26:40still didn't register in her head what
26:42was going on.
26:42She just keeps telling them [music] that
26:43she wants to go home. She wants to go
26:45home and that she didn't do anything
26:46wrong.
26:47I didn't do anything.
26:49Tell me you didn't do anything.
26:50I didn't do anything.
26:51You're going to jail today. [music]
26:56Then, as the detectives cuffed Dalia and
26:59placed her under arrest, they brought
27:01Michael to the doorway of the
27:03interrogation room.
27:05Oh my god,
27:07she's alive.
27:09Come here, please. Come here, Mike. Come
27:12here.
27:14Come here, please. Come here.
27:16She wanted him to come inside the room,
27:18and of course, he wouldn't. I didn't do
27:21anything to you.
27:22Mike, come here. Please come here.
27:26Okay,
27:28we'll take it back. Both of you, please.
27:29Come on.
27:41It was just a shock to him.
27:42I heard a tape recording and it was her.
27:46And you know, I'm not dumb as far as
27:50look, we're not here by mistake. So, I
27:52just I said, "I can't. I can't." And I
27:54walked away. That was basically it.
27:56While Dalia was being booked, Michael
27:58finally had the chance to give the
28:00detectives his side of the story. In the
28:03interrogation room, he filled them in on
28:05all the strange things that had started
28:07happening within weeks of marrying
28:09Dalia. He begins telling us information
28:12in reference to things that have been
28:13happening since he met Dalia. How he's
28:16been set up, where he's found drugs in
28:19his car, how um people have made
28:22anonymous phone calls to the police
28:24department.
28:25I haven't had this many incidents go
28:27wrong in my life and and you know, I
28:29mean, in my life and that I've had since
28:31I met this girl.
28:32But why would Dalia want to get
28:34Michael's probation revoked, much less
28:36have him killed during the sting? Dalia
28:39had told Muhammad it was to get away
28:41from her husband and his mob
28:43connections. But the police suspected
28:45another motive, particularly when
28:47Michael started talking about the house
28:49they owned free and clear and all the
28:51money he'd saved supposedly to pay off
28:54his probation.
28:55She just wanted his money in the house.
28:58Um, I think that that was the her main
29:00concern. She figured if I get him
29:02violated on probation, he'll be locked
29:04up in in prison for 20 to 28 years. And
29:08at that point, I can go ahead and just
29:09keep the money and keep the home.
29:11And when the anonymous phone calls and
29:13planted drugs failed to put Michael back
29:15in prison,
29:16and that's when the plan evolved into
29:18the only other way for me to keep his
29:20money and his house would be to to kill
29:22him.
29:23From there, the police had everything on
29:26tape. almost an hour's worth of video
29:28showing Dalia soliciting the hitman and
29:31arranging the murder. Now the question
29:33was, would she admit that she had been
29:36caught? Once she was booked on
29:38solicitation charges, the detectives
29:41brought Dalia back to the interrogation
29:43room for another statement.
29:45I actually um ended up interviewing her
29:47to see if she would come, you know,
29:49clean with what happened.
29:51The answer was no.
29:53Why did you want Michael killed?
29:56I never said I wanted him killed.
29:58Yes, you did. It's on tape.
29:59I didn't I didn't say
30:00it's on tape a lot. So, you did
30:03I didn't say that I wanted him killed.
30:06I didn't.
30:06In the face of copious physical
30:10evidence, she continues to deny.
30:14And her denial continued even when
30:16confronted with actual audio of her
30:19conversation with the undercover
30:20officer.
30:22Was that your voice? guys are treating
30:23me like a criminal and I'm not. I'm I'm
30:27not like I'm not that kind of person.
30:29I'm just not.
30:30In that instant, you can see the level
30:35of delusion
30:38that she is operating under.
30:41But there was one thing that Dalia could
30:43not continue to delude herself about.
30:47If I'm not going home, then I'd like to
30:49speak with an attorney, please.
30:51There you go. That's all.
30:54All right. Based on that statement, this
30:56isn't an interview. Okay. You
30:58understand?
31:00Please don't make my phone call.
31:02After making her phone call, the Boon
31:04Beach police walked Dalia out in
31:06handcuffs and placed her in the patrol
31:08car that would take her to the Palm
31:10Beach County Jail.
31:12I didn't do anything and I didn't squat
31:14anything. What was that?
31:15I didn't do anything and I didn't squat
31:18anything.
31:21Dalia's denials continued later that
31:24evening when she called Michael from
31:26jail.
31:27I took the call because I had to. I just
31:29had to hear what she was going to say.
31:31But it's not possible. What you're
31:34saying is not true.
31:36How in the hell did I hear it and see
31:38it?
31:39I heard what you heard. It's not true. I
31:42heard what you heard and I saw what you
31:43saw. Everything they showed you, they
31:45showed me.
31:46And how is it not? How are you telling
31:48me that? giving you my word that it's
31:51not true.
31:52It's just incredible how this girl
31:54sticks to that story.
31:56Dalia could deny all she wanted, but
31:58within 24 hours of her arrest, millions
32:01of people had seen the same video
32:03footage her husband had. In an era of
32:06cell phone cameras and flip cams and
32:08people, you know, immediately calling
32:10the news stations to give them
32:12information, we wanted to be able to
32:15give it to the media and the public
32:16ourselves and explain it properly. And
32:19that's that's exactly what we did.
32:21Once on the internet, Dalia's
32:23performance proved to be an instant hit.
32:26It went viral in 12 minutes.
32:28The networks quickly took notice, too.
32:31It became a national story. [music] And
32:33then within a day, an international
32:35story.
32:36It just had all the the right elements.
32:38You know,
32:38they were a good-looking couple. She was
32:40very young. The case was very sexy. It
32:43was basically a made for TV movie from
32:46the onset.
32:49Coming up, will the surveillance footage
32:51be enough for a conviction?
32:53We had video of her talking about this
32:57murder for higher plot or will the plot
32:59take a surprising twist? There was
33:02another Google search for castings
33:04reality TV.
33:35West Palm Beach, Florida, April 26th,
33:372011. Just 2 years after marrying her
33:40husband, Michael, in a courthouse
33:42ceremony, Dalia Dipilito was back in a
33:45Palm Beach County courtroom. Only this
33:47time, she was on trial for soliciting
33:49his murder. In August of 2009, a mere
33:53six months into the marriage,
33:5428-year-old Dalia had been charged with
33:57trying to hire a hitman to kill Michael.
34:00[music]
34:00We had video and audio recordings of her
34:04talking about this murder for higher
34:06plot.
34:07In the year and a half since Dalia's
34:08arrest, millions of people had seen that
34:11video, either on YouTube or on
34:13television. The video of the whole crime
34:16scene and her making contact with our
34:18detectives at the crime scene went
34:21viral. The edges spread like a [music]
34:23wildfire.
34:24According to the prosecutor's opening
34:26statement, the tapes prove that Dalia
34:28was guilty of soliciting her husband's
34:31murder. She wanted Mike Telledo dead.
34:34There is absolutely no doubt about that.
34:37I'm positive like 5,000% sure. The
34:40evidence was so direct and overwhelming.
34:44How would the defense counter almost an
34:46hour of videotape that allegedly showed
34:49Dalia hiring a hitman? In his opening
34:52statement, Dalia's attorney argued that
34:54when the police set up the fake crime
34:56scene outside the Dipilito's condo, they
34:59were the ones being deceived. According
35:02to the defense, the deception had
35:04started when their informant, Muhammad
35:06Shahade, had come forward. the defense
35:09was Stalia Deleo [music] and Muhammad
35:12were all in on this together, that
35:14Muhammad was um a a wannabe actor and
35:18[music] that he had gone to the police
35:20department and set this whole thing up.
35:22And the fact that everything ended up on
35:24video was no coincidence, the defense
35:26claimed.
35:27The defense was that Mike wanted to be
35:29on reality television and that this is
35:31was a stunt [music] to be on reality TV.
35:34But Michael had strayed off the script.
35:36According to the defense, Dalia's
35:38attorney claimed that Michael figured
35:40the case would get more attention if the
35:42police and the media thought it was a
35:45real murder for hire plot.
35:47He's duped him into representing to you
35:50that he is a victim in this case.
35:53I was like, "Oh my god." I mean,
35:55couldn't you come up with something
35:56better? But then the more I thought
35:58about it, I mean, that would have been
35:59the best excuse to um argue the fact
36:03that she's on video saying the things
36:05that she was.
36:06But that afternoon, when prosecutors
36:08started presenting their case, it would
36:11be Michael's turn in front of the
36:13cameras.
36:14He was a key and essential witness for
36:16the government to prove their case.
36:18In his testimony, he walked the jury
36:20through all the strange things that had
36:22happened during his relationship with
36:24Dalia. how drugs have been planted in
36:27his car, how phone calls were made to
36:29his probation officer [music] that there
36:31were drugs located inside the house.
36:33She did it because she wanted she wanted
36:35the money.
36:36According to the prosecutors, Dalia's
36:38failed attempts to get Michael sent back
36:40to prison had led her to seek a hitman.
36:43That [music] was the easiest way that
36:45she saw out of it. But the fact that
36:48Michael was on probation for fraud
36:50charges would also figure prominently in
36:53his cross-examination by the defense.
36:55The defense's strategy was to just beat
36:58him up and make him look like a horrible
37:00person.
37:01The guy just badgered me for 3 days on
37:03the stand.
37:04Not that Michael didn't get in a few
37:06choice shots of his own.
37:07You're like a parrot.
37:09A parrot?
37:10Yeah.
37:10What does that mean? I've been called a
37:11lot of things. What's a parrot?
37:13You know, come on.
37:15You're winking to judge. He doesn't know
37:16what you mean. What do you mean?
37:18Did you do that on probation? Were you
37:19on probation? Did you do that on
37:21probation? Were you on probation? You
37:23know what I'm talking about. I'm just
37:24having fun with you.
37:25But did the fact that Michael appeared
37:27to enjoy his moment in the spotlight
37:29mean that Dalia's defense was true?
37:32Would he do anything to get on
37:33television, even frame his wife in a
37:36murder for higher plot?
37:38Their defense was a reality television
37:40defense, right? And I think he spent
37:42less than a minute on that fact. you
37:45know, 3 days of badgering me, how I'm a
37:47bad person, I'm on probation. Three days
37:49of that, you know, and one question, did
37:53I want a reality television show was one
37:55question he asked me, I believe.
37:58I'm like, no. And you know, I I if that
38:01was their whole defense, I don't
38:02understand.
38:03On April 29th, jurors viewed the
38:06pre-taped testimony of Muhammad Shahade,
38:09the man who had first tipped police off
38:11to the murder plot. According to the
38:13defense, he'd been in on the prank, but
38:16that's not what he told the jury.
38:18Did you think she was serious about
38:19having her husband killed?
38:22Yes.
38:23Mohamad um testified in court. She had
38:28told him she was trying to have him
38:29arrested, that she was [music] trying to
38:30plant drugs on him.
38:31Dalia's cell phone records also revealed
38:34that she was using another man to call
38:36in the anonymous tips to police. I had
38:39to read word by word of her text
38:41messages and some of those were like,
38:43you know, very graphic and sexual in a
38:46sexual manner.
38:46She would get a text from a number and
38:50text back, who is this? And the the
38:54person would text back, "Well, hung
38:56Kevin."
38:58Um, [music] so she obviously is
39:02uh sexing with various people. She was
39:07so manipulative. Um, [music]
39:10and she used um her her looks and her
39:14body and she used sex as a tool. But
39:17would she try to manipulate the jury?
39:20When the defense started laying out its
39:21case on May 12th, Dalia didn't take the
39:24stand. Instead, the defense turned to a
39:27forensic computer expert to help prove
39:29that Michael was a man obsessed with
39:32reality TV stardom. The expert's
39:34testimony focused on Michael's internet
39:37search history.
39:38There was another Google search for
39:39castings, reality TV in Florida, and
39:43another one for VH1
39:46castings.
39:47Michael's appearance also became
39:49ammunition for the defense.
39:51They were [music] saying Michael was
39:54having plastic surgery and other
39:56cosmetic procedures done to get ready
40:00for a reality TV show.
40:02I just chuckled. I'm like, what? I'm
40:04like, I'm reality television. I'm like,
40:07yeah, I'm that interesting, right? Like,
40:09what would it be based on? Like, I I
40:10couldn't even You want to follow me to
40:12Starbucks? I don't know how far we would
40:14go with episodes of that.
40:16But when the defense rested its case
40:18that [music] afternoon, their unorthodox
40:21strategy left the prosecutor feeling a
40:23little uneasy.
40:24There were situations like Balloon Boy.
40:27People have committed [music] crimes so
40:29that they could become famous. So, there
40:31was a concern that gosh, someone might
40:34just believe this story.
40:38Coming up, the jury delivers its
40:41verdict.
40:42Wow. I I guess to even to this moment,
40:44I'm I'm still in shock.
40:45It wasn't like I went in there saying,
40:47"Oh, I never knew it was going to go
40:49that way." You don't. You just don't.
41:17on trial for soliciting the murder of
41:19her husband, Michael. Dalia Dipilito's
41:22attorneys had argued that the whole
41:23thing was an elaborate prank aimed at
41:26earning the couple a shaunt at reality
41:28TV stardom. Her defense was this was all
41:31an act and that this was all planned by
41:33by Michael, [music] the bleeder husband.
41:36Whether that was true or not was up to
41:38the jury to decide. The wait for the
41:41verdict was nerve-wracking for Michael.
41:43It wasn't like I went in there saying,
41:45"Oh, I never knew it was going to go
41:47that [clears throat] way." You don't.
41:49You just don't. you know, even if you're
41:50right, you you can't be in a courtroom
41:52and think that the right thing's going
41:54to happen because a lot of times it
41:56doesn't.
41:57On the afternoon of May 13th at the Palm
41:59Beach County courthouse, the jury for
42:02person rose and read the verdict.
42:05We find the defendant guilty of
42:07solicitation to commit first-degree
42:09murder.
42:12The reality of the situation didn't
42:14appear to phase Dalia. this girl looked
42:17like,
42:19you know, what just happened? Are don't
42:21I get to go home first or I don't think
42:24she got it. Although her conviction
42:27appeared to have sunk in by Dalia's
42:28sentencing hearing on June 16th. She
42:32even broke down and cried as her mother
42:34and siblings took the stand and begged
42:36[music] the judge for mercy.
42:38It was in that instant you could still
42:41see
42:43a a human being there. You could see the
42:46shame. [music] Then
42:48the judge sentenced Dalia to 20 years in
42:51prison. In his [music] remarks, he said
42:54that getting caught before anyone had
42:55been killed didn't excuse what she had
42:58done.
42:59It was um you know uh horrible to watch
43:03it unfold as as [music] the as the trial
43:05testimony came out.
43:07It was pure evil.
43:0820 years. Wow. I I guess to even to this
43:11moment, I'm I'm still in shock that she
43:12got that
43:13she solicited for murder. Had it not
43:15been a policeman, you know, one person
43:17would probably be dead.
43:18As for her intended victim, he says he
43:21still feels something for Dalia. Pity
43:25to just sit there and and lie and lie
43:27and make up lies about me and gamble
43:30with your freedom on those lies. [music]
43:33It's like, are you kidding me? For a few
43:35hundred,000?
43:37It's sad.
43:41Heat.
43:54Heat.
44:03[music]
44:08[music]
44:23Hey, hey, hey.

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