The former lover and later informant against a Florida woman convicted of trying to hire an undercover officer to kill her newlywed husband has died while on probation stemming from an unrelated stalking case.
Mohamed Shihadeh, 40, the one-time boyfriend of Dalia Dippolito, was found dead in his Sebring, Florida, apartment on October 24, according to a police report.
He was discovered by his brother after family members had not been able to reach him for two days. Police have not reported a cause of death and the results of an autopsy are pending.
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Mohamed Shihadeh, 40 (left), the ex-boyfriend of Dalia Dippolito (right), was found dead in his Sebring, Florida, apartment on October 24
After three trials, Dippolito was found guilty in 2017 of trying to hire an undercover cop to kill her newlywed husband, Michael Dippolito (left)
Dippolito, 37, made national headlines in 2009 when her arrest was featured on the television show Cops.
She was convicted during her third trial in 2017 to soliciting first-degree murder and sentenced to 16 years in prison for trying to get her husband, Michael Dippolito, after just six months of marriage.
An earlier conviction had been tossed on appeal, and her second trial ended in a hung jury.
The investigation against Dippolito began after Shihadeh went to Boynton Beach police and told detectives that the woman wanted to hire a hitman to kill her husband.
Police had an undercover officer pretend to be a hit man and meet with Dalia Dippolito. A 23-minute video shows Dippolito telling the undercover officer she was ‘5,000 per cent sure’ she wanted her husband killed and agreed to pay $7,000 for the hit.
Shihadeh acted as an informant against Dalia Dippolito. He is pictured in a pre-taped testimony during Dippolito’s 2011 trial
Dippolito was sentenced in July 2017 to 16 years in prison. She is pictured listening to her ex-husband’s testimony
Defense attorneys have argued during Dippolito’s three trials that Shihadeh initially contacted police to report her being in an abusive relationship and was later turned into a reluctant informant.
Shihadeh was arrested in 2019 for stalking and threatening his ex-wife
Her attorneys also argued at one point that Dippolito was acting during her meeting with the undercover officer in hopes of starring in a reality TV show with her husband.
Court records reveal that in June 2019, Shihadeh was charged with stalking and threatening his ex-wife. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to less than a year in jail, followed by probation.
In September of last year, Shihadeh pleaded guilty to violating a domestic violence injunction by calling his ex-wife from jail.
This past August, a warrant was filed accusing Shihadeh of violating the conditions of his probation by using cocaine and drinking alcohol, according to an affidavit.
a judge ultimately agreed to reinstate Shihadeh’s probation on the condition that he enters and successfully completes a drug rehabilitation program.
Shihadeh played a pivotal role in Dippolito’s case, having been featured in undercover videos that have been seen by millions on Cops, ABC’s 20/20 and online since the department made them public in 2009.
In one, Dippolito,a former escort, demanded that Shihadeh find her a hit man, giving him a $1,200 deposit for his trouble and to buy the killer a gun.
Dippolito was infamously filmed meeting with undercover detective Widy Jean, portraying a hitman. She said she was ‘5,000 percent sure’ she wanted her husband dead and promised to pay him $7,000.
Police set up a fake crime scene and told Dippolito that her husband was dead.
In 2017, Dippolito was convicted of solicitation of first-degree murder and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Prosecutors believe she wanted control of the couple’s town house and her husband’s savings.
The case gained national attention when Boynton Beach police video from the investigation went viral on the internet and was featured on the TV shows Cops and 20/20.
In an interview with 20/20 last year, Dalia’s defense attorney said she was leading a bible study group
Boynton Beach’s cooperation with Cops had been a key part of the defense, as Dippolito’s attorneys argued detectives manipulated her and their investigation to play to the cameras.
Michael Dippolito, a convicted conman, testified that his wife’s actions ruined his life. He said her unsubstantiated claims of spousal abuse as the reason for her actions still haunt him. He said that when he was arrested for stock trading fraud, he plead guilty and accepted his prison sentence and she should have done the same.
In an interview with 20/20 last year, Dalia’s defense attorney said she was leading a bible study group in prison and trying to maintain a relationship with her young son.
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