Murder for hire

Under new legislation, 2009 was the first "jury trial" in Japan where citizen lay judges participated in a defendant's sentencing.  As the possibility of being called to serve became a reality, we noticed a growing interest from our Japanese audience in US jury trials and criminal investigations, so I began to cover more and more of these stories in subsequent years. 

Because sting investigations are less common in Japan, and the scope of what would be considered entrapment is wider than a US legal interpretation, our audience always responded to stories about murder for hire stings. 

Here are two of many examples where I worked with federal and local law enforcement to document cases where alleged plots to murder were thwarted by successful undercover police work.

The first case is from New Jersey, where 44 year old "soccer Mom" Nicole Faccenda was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to hire a hitman to rub out a romantic rival. ATF Special Agent Michael Alongi broke down the case and shared the evidence that led to Ms. Faccenda's guilty plea. The actual undercover officer who played the "hitman"also spoke to me on camera with his identity obscured, describing his tense interactions with the defendant.  

Next we have my first of two reports from Florida on the case of Dalia Dippolito, who was recorded saying she was "positive, like 5000% sure" she wanted her newlywed husband shot and killed. 

Dalia set up that meeting at a CVS parking lot visible from the condo she shared with her husband and expected to inherit, with a man she thought was a hired assassin. Actually, he was a Boynton Beach Police Department undercover officer wearing a wire.

I produced and shot this segment with Isao Araki reporting, and it features an interview with the arresting detective, Det. Sgt. Frank Ranzie.

The detectives loved these Japanese-anime style storyboards the art department in Tokyo created so much that I want to share them here once again. I believe print-outs still adorn the walls of the detective bureau's break room. The video of the segment follows.