Judge denies change of venue motion in murder-for-hire trial
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The process of finding six objective jurors to hear the case of a Florida woman accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her husband plodded forward Monday with the judge beginning to wonder if he’ll need to have an out-of-town jury hear the case.
Judge Glenn Kelley rejected an initial motion by Dalia Dippolito’s attorneys to move the trial out of Palm Beach County or bring in jurors from elsewhere in Florida but after a third day of jury selection Monday wondered aloud if he is “the little boy with his finger in the dyke trying to hold back the flood.”
About 60 prospective jurors remain of an original pool of 200. Jury selection was expected to last two days but will enter a fourth and likely final day Tuesday.
Dippolito’s attorneys argued that local and national news media coverage, including an episode of the television series “Cops,” has made it impossible to find an impartial local jury. Most of the 200 prospective jurors interviewed last week said they knew about the case and think Dippolito is guilty. Those prospective jurors were dismissed, but attorney Brian Claypool argued that wasn’t enough.