How They Met
Mike Dippolito was married at the time he met Dalia in October 2008. His wife was out of town and he logged into an escort site because he was feeling lonely. There, he made an appointment with Dalia, who came over to his place.
But their encounter turned out to be much more than just business. The two got to talking and Mike fell head over heels for this woman he had just met. He wanted to keep seeing her and soon started an affair with her.
Leaving His Wife
When things with Dalia got serious, Mike decided to leave his wife and move in with Dalia. The two had a passionate relationship for a few months before Mike proposed to her.
People in Mike's life thought he might have been rushing, but he was madly in love with her. In his mind, she was the perfect woman, and he couldn't let her slip away.
A Dark Past
Some people might have frowned upon the fact that Dalia was an escort, but not Mike. He did not judge her because he himself was judged by people for being an ex-convict. He had served time for fraud and unlicensed telemarketing a few years before he met Dalia, but now was a changed man.
After he got out of prison, Mike decided to change his life completely. He started his own business and made a lot of money from it, and he did not get so much as a speeding ticket. He was a law-abiding citizen who worked hard and wanted to build a good future with Dalia, and she seemed to be on the same page.
Spoiling Her
Mike spoiled Dalia as much as he could. He would shower her with gifts and let her use his credit card to go shopping whenever she wanted to. They would always do something fun together and dine at the best restaurants in town.
Dalia loved the attention and, most importantly, the money. She had grown up poor and always struggled to keep up with her lifestyle, but now she had a man who would give her anything she wanted.
Tying The Knot
Just four months after they met, Mike and Dalia got married. The two were over the moon, but this newlywed bliss would soon be over. It all started when a massive amount of money disappeared from Mike's account.
He was OK with Dalia going shopping from time to time, but he could not believe it when he realized that $100,000 disappeared from his account, not only because it was a lot of money, but also because he had important plans for it.
Suspicious Behavior
Mike had set that money aside in order to pay restitution to the victims of his fraud charges. He was determined to change his life and make things right, but now all his money was gone. When he confronted Dalia, she said she had invested it and lost it, and Mike not only believed her but also forgave her.
Over the course of their marriage, she also convinced him to deposit a lot of his savings into her account, and he also bought their home in her name. In his mind, he had no reason to doubt her, so he did everything she asked.
Trouble In Paradise
But all this money, the house, the clothes, and the jewelry, just weren't enough for Dalia. After six months of marriage, she began thinking of ways to get rid of Mike. After all, the house was in her name and she had taken as much money from him as she could, so he was of no use for her anymore.
Mike was head over heels with Dalia, but she did not feel the same. She only saw dollar signs when she looked at him, and now that she did not need him anymore, she wanted to get rid of him fast.
The First Attempt
Mike was on probation, so any problem with the law could bring him back to prison, and Dalia knew this. She bought drugs and planted them in Mike's car, then called the police on him anonymously.
They searched his car and found nothing, but Mike had a bad feeling about this. Not long after, the same thing happened again, but the police still found nothing. Dalia made a third attempt at calling the police and this time, they brought sniffer dogs.
Set Up
The sniffer dogs found cocaine in his car, and Mike was shocked. The police noticed that his reaction was genuine, so they pulled him aside and told him that they had received an anonymous tip. Because it was a very small amount of cocaine, they let him go.
This let Mike know that he was being set up by someone. However, he never would have thought it was his own wife doing this. At this point, Dalia realized that framing Mike would be too hard, so she needed to think of something different.
Hiring A Hitman
Since Dalia could not send Mike back to jail, she believed the only way to get rid of him while keeping all of his money was to kill him. After giving it some thought, she decided to contact an ex-boyfriend of hers, Mohamed Shihadeh, and ask him for a favor.
Mohamed had a criminal record, but he had never killed anyone. Still, Dalia contacted him and asked him if he would kill her husband in exchange for money. Mohamed could have just brushed this off, but he took it very seriously.
A Clever Guy
Mohamed was very clever and played it cool with Dalia. He told her he wasn't going to do it himself, but that he would call one of his friends and put him in contact with her. Dalia was happy with this and went home, not knowing that Mohamed had other plans.
Mohamed immediately contacted the police and told them that his ex-girlfriend had asked him to kill her husband. The police then made Mohamed an informant and began devising a plan to catch Dalia in the act.
Putting The Plan In Motion
The police told Mohamed to contact Dalia and tell her that a friend of his was willing to do the job. This "friend" was actually a police officer. He was going to wear a wire during the meeting, which was going to take place in his car.
The car had several cameras and a microphone so that every word coming out of Dalia's mouth could be recorded. Now, the police just had to wait for their meeting to take place.
The Meeting
Dalia went to an empty parking lot to meet the undercover officer and the two got in his car. The man played it cool and asked Dalia all the right questions, even giving her many opportunities to back out and change her mind.
But Dalia seemed extremely happy to get rid of her husband, and even said she was "5000% sure about it. The officer told her that he would kill Mike in their home the next morning, so she should go to the gym at the same time to have an alibi.
A Risky Move
Instead of just arresting her there and there, they decided to make a show out of it. The police would stage the crime scene the next day and tell Dalia that her husband was dead to see her reaction.
The police knew they had an exciting case in their hands, so they decided to get the TV show Cops involved. They would be at the fake crime scene ready to record Dalia's reaction and her arrest. This, however, could later compromise the trial, but they decided to take a risk.
It's On
The following day, the police were staked outside the Dippolito home, and as soon as Dalia left for the gym, the police rang the doorbell. Mike was shocked to see the police there, but was even more shocked to hear what they had to say.
They told him right away that his wife was trying to kill him and that they needed to take him to safety. Then, the police went into the house and staged the crime scene. When Dalia got back home a couple hours later, there were cops everywhere outside her home.
Putting On A Show
Not only were the cops there, but also the whole camera crew from Cops, capturing Dalia's every move. The police told her that her husband had been murdered, and she started fake-crying uncontrollably.
She was screaming and sobbing, but no tears were coming out of her eyes. She still put on a show as best as she could, and one could almost believe her. Then, the police brought her to the station.
National News
After playing with her for a while, the police finally confronted Dalia and told her that they knew she had hired a "hitman" on her husband and that they had her on camera. Not only that, but Mike was alive and well.
Meanwhile, the police released not only the footage of Dalia hiring the "hitman" on the internet, but also the video of her reaction at the crime scene. This quickly went viral and the case became famous all over the country.
Denying Everything
Even after being shown the video of herself hiring the hitman, Dalia kept claiming she was innocent and denying everything. Not only that, but she even called Mike from prison and asked him to help her get out!
The police thought that the case would be easy because they had so much evidence, but they were wrong. It turned out that, because they released the videos to the public before the trial, this may have compromised the jurors.
Sentenced
Dalia's trial began in 2011 and the media was all over it. Her face was on every news channel imaginable, and both she and Mike did interviews for several news outlets. Everyone wanted to know how this bizarre viral case was going to turn out.
Dalia was found guilty of solicitation to commit first-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The judge even said that what she did was "pure evil" and most people would agree.
A Point For The Defense
But the joy of seeing Dalia behind bars did not last long. Dalia appealed her sentence claiming that the fact that the police released those videos to the public compromised the jurors and she deserved a fair trial.
The judged ruled that the actions of the police compromised the case and Dalia deserved a new trial, which was great for the defense. She got house arrest and enjoyed a comfortable life at home while she awaited her new trial.
Justice Is Served
This did not happen once, but twice. It wasn't until Dalia's third trial that she was finally convicted for good and justice was served. Perhaps, if the police hadn't sensationalized the case for the sake of a TV show, things would have gone smoother.
Still, Dalia got 16 years in prison for trying to kill her husband, and now Mike can finally live in peace. He has a new wife and is living a drama-free life, while Dalia sits in prison for a very long time.