Just before 8 a.m. on April 2, the Boynton Beach police got a call from a neighbor who lived near Dalia and Michael Dippolito.
The anonymous caller reported hearing screaming, yelling, and banging coming from the Dippolitos' house, and said the fighting had been going on since the night before.
It's unclear if the caller had ever met the Dippolitos, because he or she didn't identify them by name. Instead, the caller said a "dealer" lived at the townhouse with his girlfriend. The dealer had been seen dragging a woman wearing a robe inside the house.
A few minutes later, a police officer knocked on their door. The
Dippolitos
admitted they had been arguing about money. But neither of
them had visible bruises, and both "denied having any physical contact
with one another," according to the police report.
So the officer left.
Four months later, police returned to the house to arrest Dalia for allegedly attempting to have her husband killed.
Suddenly, the April domestic dispute seemed like foreshadowing. A confidential informant told the police that money was Dalia's motive for wanting her husband dead. Michael accused her of attempting to plant drugs in his car. Dalia told the police that Michael was a former crack addict who regularly used steroids.
But back in April, the Dippolitos said none of these things. They were just another couple, embarrassed to be caught fighting loudly enough for their neighbors to hear.
