let's do it. >> michael said he and dalia agreed that they would pool their money to pay off dippolito's debt. >> this is great. you know, she's pushing me forward too. i thought, like, okay, i'm going to get off probation. it's very exciting for me. >> then the plan to get michael out of hock changed again. according to michael, another lawyer said to him, look, you own your townhouse free and clear. why not just turn the title over to dalia? then she can do money things for you, no problem. so michael gave her the deed to the townhouse as well as $100,000 cash, his part of that payback of the restitution debt. the money was supposed to go to his attorney, about you it never got there. >> i'll tell you where it unraveled. as soon as i got dalia that $100,000 is where went downhill. >> and he says after dalia got that nice size chunk of change, he started to have a string of run-ins with the police, including one night after dinner out with dalia. they left the restaurant to find the police swarming michael's vehicle. after a search, they found cocaine stashed beneath the spare tire. >>

dippolito's hoax to orchestrate his own murder to achieve fame and fortune was a bad prank. it was never anyone's intention to harm anyone. >> reporter: the defense argued it was all a tv pitch, michael big break. >> the evidence will show that the plot for the contract killing of mike dippolito was never real. mike dippolito hoped to capture the attention of someone in reality tv. >> reporter: the defense attorney argued that dalia was in on the reality show idea the whole time. that scene out front of dalia wailing? acting, said the defense. >> dalia knew that mike wasn't harmed and hers is a fake reaction to a fake event. >> reporter: the defense pushed michael dippolito hard on cross-examination, accusing him of dragging dalia down with his stupid idea of being a tv star. >> this whole reality thing was actually orchestrated by you, wasn't it? >> i don't know what you're talking about. >> the silliest thing i've ever heard. i mean, uh, completely made up. >> all right, let's bring in our jury, please. >> reporter: and after two weeks of trial testimony, the jury agreed. >> we find the defendant guilty of solicitation to commit first-degree murder. >> reporter: in the end, the jud

dennis murphy: michael dippolito, her husband of six months, gunned down in their townhouse,