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Dateline is a weekly American television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC and Telemundo. Since its premiere in 1992, the show pivoted from running a variety of news stories to focusing primarily on true crime. The show had shown many real crime stories but certain murder-for-hire cases were particularly startling.
Betrayals, covert affairs, fictitious arrests, and lethal schemes were all part of these stories. In each story, the victim's loved ones wanted them gone & hired someone else to execute it. The murderers commited the crimes via trickery, violence, and deception. These 7 Dateline murder cases were especially significant because they were not just merciless, but also very personal & intricate.
Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.
The list of 7 most shocking murder for hire cases featured on Dateline is given below:
7. Sherry Dally Case (Season 5, Episode 6)
In Dateline, Sherri Dally was shown as a mother of two who used to work in a daycare in Ventura, California. She went to Target on May 6, 1996, to buy a Mother's Day gift. There, a woman wearing sunglasses & a wig appeared in front of Sherri in the parking lot and told her she was under arrest. She displayed a counterfeit badge, cuffed Sherri, and pushed her inside the car. The woman was Diana Haun, and she was having an affair with Sherri's husband, Michael Dally. Diana took Sherri to a remote, quiet place and killed her.
It was weeks before Sherri's body was found in a ravine. She was smacked on the head and stabbed in the chest. Law enforcers were informed that Michael had mistreated Sherri and did not wish to divorce her, such that he would lose his children. Diana had called him three times that morning. In the case of Diana and Michael, they were found guilty of murder and sent to prison.
6. Amy Allwine Case (Season 8, Episode 15)
Amy Allwine resided in Minnesota with her husband, Stephen, and their adopted son, who worked as a dog trainer. Viewers witnessed in this Dateline: Unforgettable episode that the FBI found out from an online paid-for-killing scheme in 2016 that somebody had paid money to have Amy murdered. This guy used the moniker Dogdaygod to send almost $12,000 in Bitcoin. The FBI had warned Amy and Stephen, but all Amy knew was that someone wanted her dead. She received emails instructing her to take her own life later on.
In November, Stephen called the police and said Amy had shot herself. But something did not look right. The oven had a pumpkin cooking in it, the gun was on the wrong side of her body, and the police found strong medication in her system. Police learned that Stephen was having an affair and he wanted to leave the marriage because he was concerned about losing his position at the church. On his computer, a code matched the payment. Stephen was Dogdaygod. He was unsuccessful in hiring a killer, hence he resolved to kill with his own hands. He's now in prison for life.
5. Dalia Dippolito Case (Season 6, Episode 1)
In 2009, Dalia Dippolito married Michael Dippolito. After six months, police knew she wanted him dead. A friend told officers she asked him to help with the murder. He worked with the police and wore a hidden recorder. Dalia was caught on camera speaking with a man she believed to be a hitman. He was really an undercover cop. She said she was sure she wanted her husband gone and offered seven thousand dollars. The next day, police faked a crime scene and told her Michael had been killed.
Her reaction was caught on camera by the Dateline cops. At the station, police told her Michael was alive and showed her the video. She was arrested right away. Dalia said it was all fake and part of a plan to get on reality TV. According to Michael and his friend, that was not so. She received a sixteen-year prison sentence and was found guilty in 2017 following three trials. She still wants another trial.
4. Jamie Faith Case (Season 32, Episode 1)
In Dateline, Jamie Faith worked for American Airlines and lived in Dallas with his wife, Jennifer. On October 9th, 2020, they had been on a morning walk with their dog. A man, who was disguised as a masked man, came out of the blue and shot Jamie seven times. He died on the spot. The man then tied Jennifer's hands and tried to take her rings, and drove away. Jennifer acted like a heartbroken wife. She spoke on the news and asked for help. She also raised more than sixty thousand dollars online.
Later, police found out she had been talking with her old boyfriend, Darrin Lopez. They had sent thousands of texts. Jennifer made fake email accounts and told Lopez that Jamie hurt her. She sent fake pictures, too. Lopez had a brain injury from his time in the Army and believed her. He drove from Tennessee to Texas and waited outside the house. Then he killed Jamie. They located the gun in his house, and his body was covered with Jamie's blood. Jennifer also acknowledged that she lied. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. Lopez was also found guilty and received sixty-two years.
3. Kendra Hatcher Case (Season 29, Episode 12)
Kendra Hatcher appeared on Dateline as a 35-year-old pediatric dentist from Dallas, Texas. She used to date a wealthy dermatologist, Ricardo Paniagua. Ricardo previously had a long-term relationship with a woman named Brenda Delgado. This was something Brenda could not accept when Ricardo broke up with her and began dating Kendra. She became preoccupied with controlling Ricardo. She was surreptitiously tracking his location using an app on his phone. When he was away, she broke into his apartment. She went through his emails and social media. She photographed his new relationship with Kendra.
On 1st September, 2015, the next day, before Ricardo and Kendra could fly to Cancun in the morning, Brenda followed her murder scheme. She found two individuals who assisted her. Crystal Cortes accepted to drive the getaway car at $500. Kristopher Love agreed to do the actual shooting for $3,000. As Kendra walked to her car in her apartment parking garage, Love shot her in the back of the head. Kendra died instantly. Brenda ran to Mexico, where she was caught and extradited to the United States. She received a life sentence. Love was sentenced to death. Cortes got a long jail sentence.
2. Daniel Markel Case
The case of Daniel Markel was featured in several Dateline episodes, including Deadly Mischief, Family Matters, Tallahassee Trap, and Cold-Blooded. Daniel Markel was a 41-year-old professor of law at Florida State University. In 2014, he was shot twice in the head in his garage at his home in Tallahassee, Florida. One of the neighbours called 911 after hearing some shots, and the police discovered that a light-colored Toyota Prius was driving out of the place.
Daniel Markel was killed in a fight over the custody of his two sons. His former wife, Wendi Adelson wished to relocate but Daniel replied that he would not. Her mother, Donna and brother Charlie employed two men to kill him. They hired a third person to plan it. They all would end up in prison. The case astonished the audience since one of the families decided to plan a murder only to win a custody battle.
Also Know: Find more details about the murder of Daniel Markel!
1. Dr. Steven Schwartz Case (Season 34, Episode 6)
Dateline covered Dr Steven Schwartz's case as a shocking murder-for-hire story in the episode "The Death of Dr Schwartz". Dr. Steven Schwartz was an affluent kidney specialist in Florida. Schwartz was shot, strangled and stabbed in his house in May 2014. The assassin experimented with various weapons and seemed familiar with the house. Investigators arrested Anton Leo Stragaj, a contractor who worked for Schwartz.
The DNA evidence identified him as the murderer. Schwartz's wife, Becky Schwartz, also came under suspicion. She reported a robbery to the police, but then acted suspiciously. Some family members believed she was involved. It turns out that his wife Becky had been blackmailing him with information about his past.
In 1961, a young man named Dr Victor Cook was murdered in Hobbs, New Mexico. He had only reached the age of 21. He was shot after being robbed by Schwartz and a friend. At the time, the two men were in great trouble due to gambling debts. Using this information Becky blackmailed the doctor to bequeath his whole estate to her in the event of his death.
The Dateline episode showed a respected doctor whose life ended with a brutal and planned attack. The episode was rated 7.9/10 on IMDb. This case stands out due to the combination of family drama, hidden secrets, and the murder-for-hire theory. It is considered to be one of the darkest real-life crime stories on Dateline.
Also Know: Find more about harrowing details of Schwartz in Dateline!
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