WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A Boynton Beach woman accused of hiring an undercover police officer to kill her husband won't be allowed to roam free during the day while she awaits her third trial, but she will be able to attend her brother's wedding festivities next month, a judge ruled Thursday.
Attorneys for Dalia Dippolito sought to lift their client's 24-hour curfew, allowing her to leave her house from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but Palm Beach County Judge Glenn Kelley denied the request during a Thursday morning hearing in West Palm Beach.
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However, Kelley granted some modifications, notably allowing her to attend her brother's wedding festivities next month in Boca Raton, provided that she notifies her supervising deputy in advance of the times and locations.
Specifically, Dippolito was given permission to attend her brother's wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner March 10, his wedding March 11 and her family's post-wedding brunch March 12.
Dippolito will also be allowed to leave the patio of her mother's home and go in the backyard, as long as she remains on the property.
She is already allowed to leave her house to go to doctor's appointments, church and to meet with attorneys Greg Rosenfeld and Brian Claypool at Rosenfeld's West Palm Beach office.
Rosenfeld and Claypool also wanted Dippolito to be able to meet with them at any time and location in Palm Beach County with prior approval, but Kelley denied the request.
In their second motion to modify the conditions of her house arrest, Rosenfeld and Claypool said the requested conditions will ensure Dippolito's presence in court without punishing her.
"Ms. Dippolito's exemplary conduct while on pretrial release for over seven years indicates that she is not a flight risk," the motion said. "She has appeared at all court proceedings and complied with all conditions of pretrial release. Further, the GPS monitor will ensure that Ms. Dippolito continues to appear at all future court proceedings."
File: Second Motion to Modify Conditions of Pretrial Release
Dippolito, 34, is accused of paying an undercover police officer, who was posing as a hit man, to kill her husband in 2009. The Boynton Beach Police Department staged a crime scene and recorded her reaction on the day her husband was supposed to be killed.
She was convicted of solicitation to commit first-degree murder in 2011 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, the Fourth District Court of Appeal reversed the conviction in 2014.
Prosecutors alleged that Dippolito offered an undercover officer $7,000 to kill her then-husband.
Defense attorneys claimed the Boynton Beach Police Department wanted to gain attention by soliciting the "Cops" television show and violated Dippolito's constitutional rights by setting her up with the help of former lover Mohamed Shihadeh, who became a confidential informant for police.
Her second trial last year ended in a mistrial with the jury deadlocked 3-3.
A third trial is scheduled to begin in June.