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Who was Mohamed Shihadeh?
Mohamed Shihadeh was a 40-year-old man who became famous for his role in exposing the murder-for-hire plot of his former lover, Dalia Dippolito, in 2009. He was the one who alerted the Boynton Beach Police that Dippolito was trying to hire a hitman to kill her husband, Michael Dippolito. He agreed to become an informant and helped the police set up a sting operation with an undercover officer posing as a hitman. The case gained national attention when Dippolito’s arrest was featured on the TV show Cops. She was filmed crying when the police falsely told her that her husband was dead, and then arrested her for solicitation of first-degree murder.
How did Mohamed Shihadeh die?
Mohamed Shihadeh was found dead in his apartment in Sebring, Florida, on October 24, 2021, according to a police report. He was found by his brother after family members had not been able to reach him for two days. The police have not reported a cause of death and the results of an autopsy are pending. However, some details from the police report suggest that Shihadeh may have died from a drug overdose.
According to WPBF 25 News, the police found prescription medicine that Shihadeh did not appear to be taking inside his apartment. They also discovered a line of white powder on a counter, a syringe and a crack pipe under the mattress. The police report stated that Shihadeh had met a homeless woman named Linda Lavell at a park the night before his death, and that they went to a motel room with another man. There, Shihadeh said he was forced to take heroin and cocaine to prove he was not a cop. The next day, Lavell was found dead on the bed with Shihadeh’s bare chest, and Shihadeh collapsed outside the room’s door. The police said they do not know how they were moved from the bed.
What was Mohamed Shihadeh’s relationship with Dalia Dippolito?
Mohamed Shihadeh and Dalia Dippolito had dated about a decade before he turned her in to the police. He testified in court that they had met at a Starbucks in 2008 and had an affair for six months. He said he broke up with her when he found out she was married, but she kept contacting him and asking him for help. He said she told him she wanted to divorce her husband, but he refused to sign the papers. She also claimed that her husband was abusive and violent, and that she wanted him dead.
Shihadeh said he tried to dissuade her from killing her husband, but she insisted on finding a hitman. He said he introduced her to a gang leader he knew, hoping that he would scare her off. However, she agreed to pay him $7,000 for the job. Shihadeh then went to the police and told them about Dippolito’s plan. He agreed to wear a wire and record his conversations with her. He also arranged a meeting between her and an undercover officer posing as a hitman.
Shihadeh’s testimony was crucial for the prosecution’s case against Dippolito. She was convicted of solicitation of first-degree murder at her third trial in 2017 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. She had appealed her conviction twice before, arguing that she was entrapped by the police and that she was acting for a reality TV show.
What did Mohamed Shihadeh say about his role as an informant?
Mohamed Shihadeh expressed regret and remorse for his role as an informant in Dippolito’s case. He said he felt pressured by the police to cooperate with them, or else he would face prosecution himself. He also said he feared for his life and received death threats from Dippolito’s family and friends. He said he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression as a result of his involvement in the case.
He also said he felt sorry for Dippolito and still cared for her. He said he hoped she would get out of prison soon and start a new life. He said he wished he could have helped her in a different way, instead of exposing her plot to the world.
What is the reaction to Mohamed Shihadeh’s death?
The news of Mohamed Shihadeh’s death has shocked many people who followed his story and Dippolito’s case. Some have expressed sympathy and condolences for his family and friends, while others have criticized him for his actions and choices. Some have also speculated about the possible connection between his death and Dippolito’s case, wondering if there was foul play involved or if he was haunted by guilt.
Dalia Dippolito has not commented on Shihadeh’s death publicly. She is currently serving her 16-year sentence at the Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, Florida. She is eligible for parole in 2024.
