The third trial for Dalia Dippolito started with a blockbuster witness, her former husband and the target of the alleged hire-for-murder Mike Dippolito.
Dippolito testified saying that Dalia Dippolito duped him out of $100,000 in savings.
He admitted that he had a drug problem which brought him to rehab in Florida. He also told jurors that he got involved in a commodities scam and owed $190,000 in restitution. In the spring of 2009 Dalia offered to help him.
“Dalia offered to pay 91 thousand,” Mike Dippolito said. “She said: I’ll pay 91 thousand, you put the 100 up. Let’s be done with this so we can do things like a regular couple.”
But according to his testimony that never happened. Instead, his lawyer never got the money, leaving him $100,000 short.
During opening arguments the state said that was part of Dalia Dippolito’s plan to have him be arrested for violating his probation.
Assistant State Attorney Craig Williams read text messages between her and her then boyfriend to the jurors.
“We will have it all,” Williams read. “I really hate him and want to see him rot.”
But that wasn’t all, according to the husband’s testimony. After she had just told him about her pregnancy, he was pulled over with by police and they found drugs in his car.
Prosecutors argued that after six months of trying to get her husband arrested failed, she resorted to looking into hiring a hitman.
““First degree murder by that defendant to murder her husband in cold blood and have two bullets put in his head,” Williams said.
Dalia Dippolito’s defense attorney said he doesn’t believe her ex-husband’s story.
“He claims that he believes that Miss Dippolito was trying to kill him, yet with all these prior alleged bad acts, he never called the police,” Greg Rosenfeld said. “He claimed he spoke with her. But he’s still going to the O with her, he’s still taking her to dinner at City Place. He didn’t really believe that. He’s just going up there after speaking with counsel and testifying that.”
When asked by the defense if he thinks Dalia Dippolito stole the $100,000 from him, Mike Dippolito answered plainly: “I know she did.”