A juror who found Dalia Dippolito ‘guilty’ in her second trial which also ended in a mistrial is opening up about what evidence made up his mind. Dippolito is being tried for the third time in June on a 2009 charge accusing her of hiring a hit man to kill her husband.
Stephen Shaw of Boynton Beach was one of three jurors who found Dippolito guilty of solicitation to commit murder.
He said the video state attorneys showed of Dippolito meeting with the undercover police officer posing as a hit man was what formed his verdict.
“The statement of, ‘are you sure you want to go through with this?’ from the undercover police officer, and the response was not 5 percent, not 500 percent, but ‘5,000 percent sure.’ So again those things you remember.
The state followed that up with a staged crime scene video put together by the Boynton Beach Police Department, showing Dippolito reacting to the news her husband was dead.
“I thought, ‘wow she missed her calling, where is Hollywood when you needed it,’ said Shaw.
Two fellow jurors felt like Shaw, but three others did not. The defense’s argument that Dippolito was entrapped by police won over some jurors.
“I think that won the day for the defense because of the misdirection. These three jurors were, I’m going to use the word ‘scope locked’ on that this was about a corrupt police department, that this poor girl was entrapped,” said Shaw.
In the deliberation room, Shaw admits one juror was not sure at first.
“[She said] I think she’s guilty of something, but I don’t know of what,” said Shaw.
This prompted the jurors to ask Judge Glenn Kelley if there was another charge they could consider, but the Judge told jurors they could only deliberate on the solicitation to commit murder charge. Shaw said they remained deadlocked 3 to 3.
“My thought was that we all had made up our minds,” added Shaw.
Next Friday, jury selection begins. On Wednesday, Dippolito’s attorney fought to keep certain evidence out of the trial including interrogation videos and the famous ‘staged crime scene video’ showing Dippolito being told her husband was dead.
The judge granted some requests from the defense to exclude allegations that Dippolito was an escort, that she tried to poison her husband, and and that she looked up funeral homes.
State prosecutors argued they may use other evidence Dippolito’s attorneys are trying to keep out of the trial, like evidence that Dippolito tried to steal a gun.
The judge has not made a ruling on some of the other requests