The woman who allegedly tried to have her husband killed has a creative defense — she says it was a stunt to get herself a reality TV show. In August, 2009, Boynton Beach, FL., woman Dalia Dippolito allegedly attempted to hire a hitman to kill her husband Michael Dippolito for $6,000, not knowing that the "hitman" was an undercover cop. Dippolito, 30, is now facing charges of solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
In a sting operation, Boynton Beach police called Dippolito, telling her there was an emergency at her home, where they set up a whole fake crime scene to make her believe her husband had been killed. They then "broke the news" to Dippolito, and videotaped her response.
The entire conversation between Dippolito and the undercover officer, during which Dippolito reportedly said several times that she wanted her husband killed, was recorded, leaving little wiggle room for a defense. Also working against Dippolito is a flurry of text messages she allegedly sent to a boyfriend while planning the foiled murder-for-hire. During opening statements of the trial, which began April 26, 2011, Dippolito's defense team reportedly said that the entire plot was a scheme for the Dippolitos to attract media attention and land a reality TV show. "It was a stunt that Michael Dippolito, whether he'll admit it or not, hoped to capture the attention of someone in reality TV," said Dippolito's attorney, "Michael Dippolito's hoax to achieve fame and fortune was a bad prank."