After three trials and eight years, Dahlia Dippolito received sentencing from Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Glenn Kelley in her murder-for-hire case.
Dippolito was sentenced to 16 years in prison for trying to arrange the murder of her husband. The shocking crime was captured on video and gained the attention of onlookers worldwide.
Judge Glenn Kelley said the offense was committed in a “cold and calculated fashion” and she deserved to be punished for it.
Prosecutors requested a sentence of 30 years, but Dahlia Dippolito’s attorney asked for mercy, petitioning for no more than two years in prison plus probation. State guidelines recommend a minimum of four years in prison plus probation.
The sentence handed to the Dippolito, 34, was far less than the prosecutors requested, but much greater than her attorney has proposed.
Dippolito was described as “a loving mother” with no prior criminal history by the defense. Prosecutors painted her as attempting “the most ruthless, cruel, inhumane, heartless and deliberate” acts against her former spouse, Michael Dippolito.
Now divorced from Dahlia, Michael Dippolito spoke as the state’s only witness. He descibed meeting his wife when he hired her as a paid escort, then marrying her just four months later. He went on to tell about Dahlia trying to poison him by adding anti-freeze to his tea, and how she stole $100,000 from him.
The former husband of the defendant was obviously angry and peppered his testimony with expletives. The judge complimented his honest remarks, adding that, “He was an innocent victim in all of this.”
Letters in support of the defendant, including one from Dahlia Dippolito’s mother were read aloud in court. Then the defense attorney proposed that his client had all ready served her punishment with eight years of house arrest.
The judge, however; decided that Dahlia Dippolito would receive 16 years in prison.
An appeal is expected. The larger question remains whether or not the judge will allow Dahlia Dippolito to carry out her pending appeal (which can take 2–3 years) on house arrest or if he will require her to remain in prison.
Dahlia Dippolito gave birth to a son while under home confinement. The child is now 14 months old. The defense saw this as a reason to allow the mother to stay home with her child. Prosecutors have used this as evidence of Dippolito’s manipulation. Judge Kelley said he saw merits to both arguments, but, “the child is not going to play a factor in this. It’s not something I need to or want to consider.”
