We have to duck out for a few hours, to work on a big Wired piece that’s simmering on our front burner. Back as soon as possible; in the interim, please enjoy the above “gotcha!” clip of Dalia Dippolito, who was recently busted for trying to get her husband offed. Like so many murder-for-hire amateurs, Dippolito unwittingly found herself steered toward an undercover cop posing as a hitman. If only she’d read out latest Murder Project post, she might have realized that the $3,000 figure she was quoted was far too low. And that realization might have saved her the above embarrassment—being caught on camera faking tears over her husband’s fictional murder. Though, truth be told, we do find her act quite convincing.
(h/t John Dickerson)
Gramsci // Aug 19, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Now I’m no big-city lawyer (crowd gasp), but I just don’t get why they bothered to set up a crime scene and inform the wife of the supposed murder. Did Dateline NBC buy the rights to the case, or did some police chief just really enjoy “Crime and Punishment” or Poe’s “Imp of the Perverse” in high school English? Once she gets out of the car, arrest her– her reaction provides no evidence whatsoever of her guilt. And it is possible, though not probable, that hearing of her husband’s death produced a true sense of remorse and genuine tears. Please, someone tell me what I’m missing.
Brendan I. Koerner // Aug 20, 2009 at 10:43 am
The YouTube poster is identified as the police department’s public-relations office, so I’m guess the chief does, indeed, have his sights set on fame ‘n fortune. They probably set this up explicitly so they could film this video. They already had the lady on tape talking about the plot in graphic detail, so I’m sure they could’ve swooped in and arrested her without the theatrics.
But I did find this entertaining, and it’s not my personal tax dollars at work. So I’m cool with it.
Gramsci // Aug 20, 2009 at 11:42 am
I looked at another video on that chain, where the police basically say “We wanted to show how cold and calculating she was.” Perhaps that’s for sentencing purposes, but if I’m her lawyer I’m licking my chops.
Anyway, if they’re into theater, I wish they had gone all “Cheaters”/Maury Povich/Hamlet on her. Have her husband pop into the interrogation room and pretend she’s the only one who can see him. Or have him dress up as just another cop in the station, who just kind of casually walks past her in the hall as if he didn’t know her, before changing into a janitor’s outfit and doing the same thing a little later. No half-stepping, folks.
eraserhead // Aug 22, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Gramsci, you should ask if Brendon needs any help with his screenplay; you gots some ideas, man. Although I imagine NTHWS is more, like, reality-based.