Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Dalia Dippolito: Did ‘Cops’ set up wife in murder-for-hire case?

Episode Date: March 3, 2017

Video shows Dalia Dippolito telling an undercover cop she wants her husband dead, but screaming later when police tell her he had been killed. Still, two Florida juries have refused to convict Dippolito of hiring a hit man. Dippolito lawyer Brian Claypool argues Boynton Beach police pressured an informant to set her up so the “Cops” reality show could record it. Nancy Grace debates the Dippolito case in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Dahlia DiPolito walking out a free woman after a judge declared a mistrial and her murder for hire retrial. This is Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. A confidential police informant and former lover of Dahlia DiPolito testified in court Tuesday that he was pressured to set DiPolito up for arrest by the Boynton Beach Police Department or else face prosecution. She was accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill her husband.

Boynton Beach Police staged a fake crime scene where they told DiPolito her husband was dead and allowed film crews from the TV show Cops to record the entire ordeal. I'm Sergeant Ramsey and we had a report of a disturbance at your house, and there were shots fired. Is your husband Michael? Okay, I'm sorry to tell you, ma'am, he's been killed. No, no, no, no. He's been killed, ma'am.

No, no, no, no. Try to calm down. No, no, no, no. Listen, right now, we need to get you to the station. We need to get you to our police station. I can't let you in, ma'am. We have to do our job. If you want him to find his killer.

I'm not just 100% sure I want him dead. I'm 200% sure. Wait, no. I'm 5,000% sure I want my husband dead. I'm not what you think I am. I'm not as sweet as you think. I'm a mean little cookie. Yeah, I am quoting to the best of my

recollection dahlia dipolito you've got to remember this this woman marries seemingly in love and the next thing you know according to police she's caught on video hiring a hitman to murder her husband over what to get her mitts on a $250,000 condo. Now according to the husband and I spoke to him and his lawyer she tried to kill him before with chai tea from Starbucks didn't work so she decided to go with a hitman who happened to be an undercover agent, and he video and audiotaped the whole darn thing. This is Crime Stories. I'm Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. I'm talking about the Florida black widow, Dahlia DiPolito.

And oh, my stars, Meryl Streep, watch out, because they videoed the whole thing. They set up a sting to make it look like the husband had been killed. They told him what was going on. So they set it up as if he'd been killed. Then they find Dahlia DiPolito. They go tell her. She puts on a performance like no other.

Let's take a listen to that audio. And if you could just see the video. But listen to this. Just kick back and enjoy. Roll out i'm sergeant ramsay i'm the one that called you thank you for coming i'm sorry to call you listen we had a report of a disturbance at your house and there were shots fired is your husband michael okay i'm sorry to tell you ma'am he's been killed he's been killed, no, no. No, no. No, no. No, no.

She cries. She bends over in grief, yelling about her dead husband. They take her to the police station. And after questioning her, they let her see him alive and well. And she screams out, Mikey, i didn't do it my question is do what running from me i can't let you see him ma'am ma'am i cannot do this right now

now one trial the defense was i can't she was actually you want to help your husband okay trying to be a reality star like the Kardashians. And this whole thing was a TV reality show script. And she thought the hitman was an actor. And so this whole thing was a script. Now, my question to that was, well, why didn't she tell the police when they arrested her? Hey, hey, hey, whoa, wait, wait. This was just a reality show script. are you talking about no she never said a word until they finally got to trial about a year and a half later then that was the defense now brian claypool

they got a hung jury defense attorney fairly well known brian claypool says that's no longer the defense there's a new defense that the police tried to entrap her that they didn't have enough criminals to deal with that they wanted to frame an innocent person Dahlia DiPolito so they could be on the show cops before I go to very well known defense attorney Brian Claypool who is defending Dahlia this time around. With a brand new defense, I guess the truth changed. I want to thank SimpliSafe, our sponsor for making this podcast possible. SimpliSafe makes home security affordable at $14.99 a month. It is so simple to install.

They even have a video online, and I swear my children who are nine years old could install this thing. A thing I like about it is that it is not connected to your landline or your cell phone. So if someone were to cut the line to your home, this security alarm is not dependent on that. It's got got its own cell activation so you don't have to worry about that it's just not right that wealthy people can have home security and everybody else cannot well simply safe has fixed that go to simply safe.com slash nancy and get another 10 off thank you simply safe joining me right now is the attorney for Dahlia DiPolito, yet another black widow in my book, Brian Claypool.

He is no stranger to the courtroom. Brian Claypool, you know, I just, it hurts me to see you thrown in the same pot stewing with Dahlia DiPolito. I mean, hey, all I can say is don't take a chai tea from this woman, okay? I mean, because you know this ain't her first time at the rodeo. Her husband told me point blank that she tried to kill him before this with some chai tea from Starbucks. What is that anyway?

I don't even know what chai tea is, but whatever it is, he, the husband says, she tried to kill him with that. It didn't work, Brian. Yeah, I've yet to have coffee at Starbucks with Dahlia. But I'll tell you this much. Remember Nancy Law School 101? Remember that doctrine? Remember that doctrine that you got taught about fruit of the poisonous tree? It's a basic legal concept. Remember that one? Well, that's what this case is about. It's about police officers and law

enforcement who can't break the rules, violate the law, and then use the evidence they've generated from a corrupt investigation to implicate somebody, even if you think that person is guilty. It's basic law 101. Brian, let me understand this. Your defense is that no longer that when she hired a hitman to kill her husband, and it's all caught on video, which I love. I love watching Dahlia DiPolito especially when they tell her the

husband is dead she's like I love that so much and she bends over in grief blah blah blah anyway yeah I also like I also like the one where she's got in the car with the hitman and the whole thing is bugged and you know got tricked out with video. And she's not just 100% sure. She says, what, I'm 5,000% sure I want him dead? Now, I thought your defense was that that was really a script for a reality show. Is that not the defense anymore? No. Remember, the second trial we did was in late November,

and we got a hung jury in early December. And in fact, I know I brace yourself. I don't want you to pass out. I'm braced. But five jurors in our favor. It was three to three, and then there were two alternate jurors in the last trial. And one of the TV shows, I believe it was Dateline, tracked them down, the two alternates, and guess what? I must have been able to put something in the coffee of those five jurors because they voted to acquit Dalia DiPolito. Wait, wait, wait. How many jurors were there 50 yeah well well in florida and florida and by the way we're going to have the third trial i don't know if you knew this the third retrial of dahlia dipolito takes

place it starts on on june 2nd i could not be happier i could not be happier i may just have to come down there and watch you brian claypool yeah now what something very serious you said before you started talking about this juror and that juror did this one and that one, according to Dateline. First, they were alternates, thank God in heaven. But you said, oh, that was the defense at the second trial. So you've got a different defense? That's not the defense anymore, that it was all a script? Yeah, right.

The reality script is not part of the defense anymore that it was all a script yeah yeah no right the the the reality script is not is not part of the defense for dying why if it's the truth because that's not because it's not true the the reality is this and a lot of your a lot of your she sat there in court and let her lawyers say all the things she said to a hitman she thought that was a script that was bad that yeah that's naughty lawyers yeah no it it's uh yeah i mean you keep you keep coming back to this chai tea or latte i mean i think something something must have been in that that chai latte of her first lawyer to come up with that well what's the defense this time it wait is the defense this time that the police did it it's their fault oh i'm just so happy yeah well look it's not it's not it's not that it's their fault what a lot of your i try not to

laugh out loud because okay i'm trying not to laugh out loud that first phone call people don't realize this the first phone call made by the confidential informants to the boynton beach police department reported a domestic abuse concern and that person reported that he that dolly has said the following okay here's what she said nancy okay i'm listening i can't wait yeah she said two things she said number one i've been i've been physically abused by my husband and i i i either want to be dead or he needs to be dead that is the context of the first phone call. And the problem that the state prosecutor is going to have in this case, again, is that nobody took serious this domestic abuse call. They didn't filter that out, vet it at all.

Okay, hold on. Let me go back. I want to go back even earlier than that, Brian Claypool. Is it true that Dahlia DiPolito's first date with her husband was when he paid her because she was a hooker? She was not an escort? Whenever I'm down and out and I need a good laugh, I'm going to call you for some quotes. Wait, so you're telling me she was not a hooker? That is comical. Wait, are you telling me she was not a hooker? That is comical. I mean...

Wait, are you telling me she was not a hooker? Was she an escort? She was not an escort. Mike, listen, Nancy, you're believing a convicted felon who propagated that story. Here's a guy who's stealing money from elderly folks. Now, that's what he says. He says that she was an escort and that's how he met her. Why would you believe somebody who lies to elderly folks and bilks money out of them?

Yeah, you're a smart one. They were certainly perfect for each other. You're not going to fall for that Mike DiPolito trap, are you? Watch out. Look out. Yeah, you're a smart woman. They were certainly perfect for each other. You're not going to fall for that Mike DiPolito trap, are you? Watch out. Look out. Yeah, probably. Then how did they meet? You know what?

I know you're going to think this is a joke, and I'm not trying to. What, in Sunday school? But they met at a Starbucks. Yes, it was a Starbucks. So that's where they met. Okay, because I'm looking at evidence evidence I'm looking at evidence right now which are texts from her phone where she is where she's saying hi and she's using her pseudonym and he goes great let's hook up next week.

But question, can we forget the hourly fee and just go out for drinks? Is that Dolly's phone or my ex-girlfriend's phone? I can't, which one is it? And then he says, how are you coming dressed? I would love you in a real short skirt with pink underwear if that's okay she writes back sure and she is setting up a hookup for money so you're telling me that's not a hooker yeah that's not that i haven't seen no absolutely not i don't know where i haven't seen that nancy that wasn't. I don't know where. I haven't seen that. Nancy, that's never going to come into evidence anyway.

You know that, even if that's true. I didn't say it was coming into evidence. I'm asking you what the truth is. I'll tell you where I saw it. It's in the New Times at Broward Palm Beach newspaper. That's where it is, the New Times. I believe my client. It's printed.

I believe my client. I believe that's fiction, and there's no proof that's where it is the new times i believe my it's printed my client i believe i believe that's fiction and i don't there's no proof that's her phone and that she's making those text messages all hearsay so i i don't put any value into that at all i mean i i've known her for over two two years now i've got to know her family nobody wants to know the human side of her everybody i think i know the human side i think i know that brian clay. I think I know the human side. I think I know that, Brian Claypool. I think I know the human side because she was on house arrest with her

mother and had the right to go to her lawyer and to church and somehow she got pregnant. How'd that happen? On house arrest? I think she went somewhere else. Hey, you aren't suggesting I'm the dad, are you?

No, I hadn't thought of that. But now that you brought it up. Come on. Hey, wait. Come on. Are you suggesting that one of those lawyers, one of her meetings with the lawyers, maybe that didn't take place at the legal office? Who knows? I don't know.

I am just looking at all the texts that this woman is sending but you still say she was never a hooker okay it looks like you're under dahlia dipolito's spell i'm worried about you brian claypool well well we died he needs you know that dolly actually mentors some of the some of the people at church she goes she religiously oh dear lord in heaven so you know people you've been in cases before where people are portrayed one way in the public but they're not really that's not really who they are you know so so dolly so let me understand this you say she was not a hooker that she met her husband slash not a hooker what else what would be would be murder victim at a starbucks and that she never tried to put water or uh or

engine coolant in her husband's coffee that was another picture it was chai tea comedy go ahead and then you're saying the first defense that she sat there and and lived through where they claimed in front of a jury that all the things she said caught on tape and the way she cried and carried on when they told the cops told her he was dead but actually it was a sting to see what she would do they found out about it through the alleged hitman and the husband wasn't killed and then when she saw the husband at the police station she goes Mikey I didn't do, I didn't do it. I didn't do it. Do what? Why would she say that? Anyway, okay, so you're saying that was not true. So the defense this time is going to be what?

What's your defense? Yeah, the defense this time is that the police department not only violated its own policies and procedures in trying to set her up and lure her you know what it's like nancy you know what it was like you ever have you ever gone fishing as a girl growing up you throw that line out into the lake and you start pulling you know twisting and turn pulling your line in and trying to hook a fish that's exactly what this police department did they were they were luring her in ho her in, trying to get her on camera. Yeah, because they have so many resources.

They don't have enough dopers and killers and sex offenders. They've got to go try and get Dahlia DiPolito, not a hooker. Okay, so they spend their spare time trying to frame an innocent person. Okay. Oh, absolutely. You want to know why? Let me tell you why nancy you always you always talk about motive don't you right you always talk about motive let

me give you the motive real quick we found an email i'm on my pins and needles yeah okay all right brace yourself again i don't want the paramedics over a second time but here here's another one we found an email email for the second trial. The chief of police is sending an email out to everybody at the police department saying, hey, let me know when the first episode of Cops comes out with Dolly in it so we can have a big viewing party. Ha, ha, ha. Well, gee whiz. That really doesn't bother me. They're more worried about a good TV show for cops than they are a poll. No, gee whiz. That really doesn't bother me.

They're more worried about a good TV show for cops than they are upholding the law. No, they're not. That's your defense. Look, Dahlia DiPolito tried to kill her husband at least once so she could get a hold of his condo. And it was all on video. And that happened to be when cops was in that jurisdiction filming. And that's to be when cops was in that jurisdiction filming. And that's what happened. And then when it was all over, she's so obviously guilty, they were going to watch it and get a kind of a laugh off of it

because they couldn't believe anybody would be so darn dumb as Dahlia DiPolito. Well, Nancy, I'm going to throw you a consolation prize now. Okay, throw me. Here's my consolation prize to you. If I get Dahlia here's my consolation prize to you if i get dahlia in june i'm gonna force you to meet her we're gonna all meet for coffee at starbucks i want to meet her but i'll don't i'm not drinking any coffee i'm not drinking any coffee okay i you're gonna have a face-to-face with her i'm gonna bring to bring my own. I'm bringing my own coffee and a thermos. You can count on that, man.

Brian Claypool, I'm afraid the defense is going to change by the time you finally take it to trial, Brian Claypool. Okay, Claypool. See you in court, man. Thanks for being with us. See you soon, Nancy. Thank you. Bye, love. Okay, Alan.

Alan, did you hear that? That was oh he's still here if you do get her acquitted I want to come to that coffee see what is it with you man can't you see through her don't get near her with a 10-foot pole and for Pete's sake don't have coffee with her lives here I'm trying to save your life people you better watch out we're gonna play pull I'm serious over but I'm not gonna let you she would love nothing more than to marry and she would love to nothing more than to marry a successful lawyer like there you and then off you. Yeah, I mean,

there were rumors floating around that the kid was mine for a while. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Brian, but I have not heard that. Look, you already think so lowly of me for defending you. I don't want you to think worse. I can assure you one fact. It's not my baby, okay? It's not. Good to know.

Good to know. And you know what Shakespeare said? Methinks thou doth protest too much. It's too funny. Again, I want to thank SimpliSafe for being with us on this podcast. SimpliSafe, thank you for making home

security affordable because I want to protect my family, and I'm sure everybody else does too. Thank you, Simply Safe. Nancy Grace, Crime Stories, signing off. Goodbye, friend. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.