The Millionaire, the Model and the Hit Man

The one thing I've learned in this job is that anything is possible. People will do anything. And if you have $80,000 to throw around, you can absolutely find someone in Los Angeles County to kill your wife. This story is definitely ripe for a made-for-TV movie where you have the ex-model turned housewife with a millionaire husband who is cheating on his wife and tries to hire a hitman because he's not winning his divorce. Monica Olsen used to be a model, and she ran her own skincare company. Dino Gugliemeli was a successful businessman in Los Angeles. He was the lead singer of a rock band, but he would pay to have the rock band play at the House of Blues. And he would tell his employees that they were required to go to his shows. Monica and Dino, they were married for about seven years, and it looked to be a pretty happy marriage. They had two really beautiful children. What Monica didn't know was that there wasn't a time that he wasn't cheating on her. She was in love with this man. Yeah. And had no clue what was going on behind her back. Dino wanted too much. He wanted the hot model wife and his kids, but then he also wanted everything on the side. And I think he wanted Monica to be a certain person or to just follow whatever he said and do whatever he wanted her to do and control her, but he couldn't do that. Someone like Mr. Gugliemeli, when they don't get their way, will do whatever they need to do, legal or illegal, to get their way. And ultimately, he decided that he wanted to end it not through the legal proceedings, but he wanted to kill his wife. And he wasn't gonna do it himself. He was gonna get somebody else to do it. He wanted her dead. He didn't care how it was done. Beat her up, cut her head off, put her in a ditch. My name is Richard Furman, and Dino Guglumelli hired me to murder his wife. I'm Troy Roberts. Tonight on 48 Hours. The millionaire, the model, and the hitman. Tonight's 48 Hours, appropriately set in Los Angeles, is a twisted tale of greed and murder that at times may seem like a Hollywood blockbuster. Like any good thriller, it's one part romance, two parts Hitchcock. But in the end, it's all true. It wasn't a joke to him. It was very serious. Get it over with, be bloody, be bad about it, and end it. Meet Rick Furman. In 2012, millionaire Dino Guglielmelli asked him to kill the mother of his children. Did you ever say, how would the children feel if they lost their mother? More than once. And what did he say? He would say, they'll be much better off without her. I will find them a good mother, and I'll even have you check her out first and make sure she's great and get your approval. Just nine years earlier, this horror story was a love story. Monica Olson, a small-town girl from Canada, made it big as a New York fashion model and then moved to Los Angeles to try her hand at acting. Monica was working very hard towards it, being successful in modeling and acting. Monica's close friend, Olya Banar. She was beautiful. I mean, she's very photogenic. If this whole thing wouldn't happen, we would see her on the big screens by now, definitely. Olya says Monica wasn't in Los Angeles for very long before she was swept off her feet by Dino, a charming farm boy from a big family in Walla Walla, Washington. We all grew up in the same house where my parents live currently. Emilio Guglielmelli says his brother Dino's first love was music. I'm stuck in a place of reason. He's always been a musician, very, very interested in music. Dino dropped out of college and moved to Los Angeles to be a rock star. But that's not how he would make his fortune. Living in the land of health and fitness, Dino saw a need and capitalized on it. He started making and distributing vitamins and other dietary supplements. There's nobody in the world who doesn't want to live longer. And so he parlayed that into a great business. Dino would eventually build the hugely successful, multi-level supplement and skin care company, Creations Garden. Dino was a young, successful man with a lot of money and a lot of power. And when he met Monica, he wanted her and he knew how to get her. Six months after they met, Dino flew Monica to Italy and proposed. Sounds like a fairy tale in the beginning because he proposed to her in Venice. in Venice. I mean, there was a love at first sight. You don't hear those stories. It happened. The couple was married just three months later, and Dino's brother, Gino Guglamelli, attended the lavish wedding. It was pretty fancy for me, the whole thing. Gino says Dino's model wife seemed to complete his baby brother's transformation from farm boy to mogul. He had a successful business. He had nice cars. I think that just added to the image. What were your impressions of Monica? I didn't care for her. I thought she was a gold digger and had other motives. I don't know what it was. Something about her I didn't really care for. She wanted her lifestyle that wasn't sitting at home. You know, her lifestyle was to go to Hollywood and whatever they do in Hollywood. They had nannies, people with the girls, you know, all day long. So he probably spent more time with them because when he'd come home from work, Sometimes she wouldn't come back until later in the evening. I think she was a great wife, and from what I saw of their life, I mean, they were perfect together. But Gino lived with his brother and Monica for six months early on in their marriage and says he saw trouble from the start. Just two people with the same kind of egos, and I think she really wanted to have a career, and I think he wanted her to be a mom. Olya says Monica was a great wife and mother, but when she wanted more, their relationship changed, and so did Dino. Monica was at home, taking care of kids for a couple years, and it was time for her to be more independent. I think Dino was scared of losing control of Monica, starting to be more aggressive, more controlling towards her. By the time Rick Firming came into the picture, the marriage was in its final act. I knew that he was dating all sorts of girls because he liked to brag about it. Rick and Dino were in business together, supplying vitamins and supplements to the military. Rick had served as an enlisted man years earlier and had contacts, and says that impressed Dino. You two became friends. Close. And the closer they got, the more Dino confided in Rick. Dino told me that Monica was a very bad mother, always gone all the time, and slept around with men, women, drank too much, did drugs. Dino filed for divorce, and Rick says he became consumed with the thought of losing half his assets and custody of his children. Dino is, for lack of a better word, a complete control freak and a game player. He had to be one step ahead of everybody. He had to win at the end of the day. Rick says when Dino was ordered to pay a whopping $55,000 a month in alimony, he hatched a plan to have his Canadian-born wife arrested and deported. And he turned to Rick for help. With my military background, Dino thought I was perfect. He would like me to plant drugs in her car, follow her around, and call the police when she's driving erratically to see if she can get pulled over. I had Monica's house keys, Monica's car keys, Monica's credit card statement showing me everything that she's done and replaced what she's been. Dino filed papers showing his company was in trouble, and the alimony was reduced to $25,000. But Rick says it was still too much, too late. What was the final straw for him? He got an email from his own attorney to him stating that he was just better off to give her the $25,000 a month and the credit card and just leave it alone. And that to him, he just lost. His own attorney said, dude, you lost. Give it up. Just pay. It's like asking him to stop breathing. He can't do that. So what were his instructions to you? This has got to end. She's got to go. Get it done. If I wasn't going to do it, he was going to find somebody to do it. Rick told Dino he would take care of Monica, and he did, just not the way Dino wanted. Why are you still alive? You know, I think Rick did the noble thing. Monica Olson. Remarkable. And Deputy District Attorney Emily Cole. Monica is really lucky that Mr. Guglielmelli picked the wrong guy. Otherwise, she'd be dead. widz I remember the first time I saw him he was smiling at me When Monica Olson married Dino Guglamelli, she was sure he was her happily ever after. He was persistent. He was charming. She never dreamt their story would end so tragically. You don't think that the person that you've created a life with can want to harm you and make you suffer. Monica is very intelligent and has a master's degree in international finance. But she says that like a lot of women, she was blinded by Dino's charm and the spoils of his riches. We went out on a date and he said, you know, I have two plane tickets and I want to take you to Paris. Throughout our marriage, he spoiled me. But Monica says things began to change in 2008 when she decided she wanted to go back to work and asked Dino to help her create a skincare line called Skin by Monica. That was kind of my baby. But Dino took charge. Everything was kind of under his control, and I was kept out of the loop. Don't ask too many questions. Monica says the more questions she asked, the angrier Dino became. So she worked on reigniting her modeling career, but that just made Dino furious. There was a change in his personality. Huge. He went dark. I mean, it was as if he was possessed. Monica says she was never the one sleeping around and doing drugs. Dino was. And at the height of that madness, he created his heavy metal rock band. Dino dyed his hair and polished his nails black and told Monica it was all for show. But she says she became terrified of him and started documenting his behavior. Everything that's going on, she's recording on a cell phone. Which is fine, she can do that. She has a relay. When Dino started behaving really badly, Monica would record him on her cell phone. Come on, let's go. Let's go get your backpack. Showing these videos to everyone, saying, look, I don't know what happened to him. This is really crazy. He's behaving like a lunatic. In this incident, Dino fired a nanny who his children love. You don't understand. You can't be here, Anna. You are lost. because she was too loyal to Monica. You can't do that, Alex. Look, it's not a choice. After Dino filed for divorce, he had refused to move out. What Monica didn't know is that while Dino was living in the guest house, he was already planning to get rid of her by paying his friend Rick Fuhrman to do it. How did he want Monica killed? That would depend on the day. Rick says he tried to keep Dino happy and stall him through the divorce, hoping it would all end when there was an agreement. But things just kept escalating. She was definitely putting him through the ringer, and he wanted her to suffer. So I came up with this idea of letting him know that she was infected with AIDS. And then just a matter of time, Dino, it'll all be over. Don't worry about it. And that worked for months. How did he react when you told him that you infected Monica with HIV virus? How big can you smile? It's not a joke. I mean, literally, how big can you smile? Because this was pretty big. Rick made it clear he never actually infected Monica with the virus. It was just a lie to Staldino. But meanwhile, things at the Guglamelli home were about to spiral out of control. It was the night of January 16, 2012. He was getting in my face right then and there in front of the kids. My first thing was to get the kids removed. Monica says she rushed the children into her room and locked the door. But before she could dial 911, Dino once again beat her to it and accused her of assaulting him. He said that she wrapped her hands around his neck and it caused scratches and that she hit him. Monica was arrested and Emily Cole was assigned to the case. The story was corroborated somewhat by their daughters. So the case was filed as a misdemeanor domestic violence case. So there was evidence that she had struck him. There were pictures. He showed me a picture that his daughter or one of his friends took or something of this itty-bitty little cut and I basically said, man up. I've cut myself worth shaving. Still, Dino was able to get a restraining order against Monica and was granted full custody of their daughters. I'm being given a restraining order to stay away from my kids, to stay away from the house, to stay away from my business. It all sounds too familiar to this woman. Do you see parallels between your story and Monica's? It's the same story almost. Leisha Devine, Dino's ex-wife. At any given moment, he would do anything to make me lose my kids. That was his goal. Leisha says during their divorce, Dino accused her of doing drugs and being abusive and then took everything, their daughter, their home, and the business they started together, Creations Garden. The Dino I married was a caring and compassionate guy. The guy I divorced was callous, mean, calculating. The best way to describe it is Javalon Haidt. Looking back in hindsight, this is exactly what he did to his second wife. He brought up domestic violence charges, and he was able to get custody of their child then. And that's exactly what it looks like he was doing with Monica. I'll do the pink fairy. Monica lost custody of her girls for 13 months, and then charges were finally dropped for lack of evidence. But that's when Dino pushed Rick Furman to execute the plan. The pressure was on the killer. Three, five, seven, ten times a week. Phone calls at 4 a.m. in the morning. When's this going to end? Are you sure you can get it done? There's always problems, even in normal divorces with couples that fight over certain things. But you somehow make it work for the benefit of your children. There is no such a concept in his mind. It's all or nothing. It's the Hunger Games. It's kill or be killed. Monica was about to find out how right she was. Rick Furman couldn't stall Dino any longer and says he's no killer. So he decided to visit Monica's divorce attorney and spill the beans. We had quite a detailed discussion. And you told him that Dino wanted Monica dead? Absolutely. How did your husband want you killed? I mean, in a horrific way. He wanted to make it look like a drug killing, like I had been kidnapped in Mexico, and he wanted me raped, and he wanted my head cut off. That's pretty horrific. Monica's lawyer took Rick Furman's information to the district attorney's office, and the case of attempted murder was assigned to none other than Emily Cole. I didn't automatically recognize the googly-melly name. It was his daughter's names that I recognized from the domestic violence case. That's what clicked in my head that I'd met this guy before. But before Cole could make an arrest, her investigators needed solid evidence. The detective said, would you be willing to wear a wire? And I said, sure. On October 1st, 2013, he did just that. You're positive. That what? You want her dead? Um. 100%. Why wouldn't I? Why wouldn't you? Good question. On the afternoon of October 1st, 2013, Rick Furman and Dino Guglamelli did something they'd done many times. They were just going to have lunch, and this is where they usually went. Spicy mint chicken. Let's do the penne and curry beef. But prosecutor Emily Cole made sure that this time, the tables were turned. The detectives in this case, from the Sheriff's Department major crimes, they were sitting here watching Dino and Furman have their lunch. Was it nerve-wracking having that lunch? Yeah, I was pissed. I was very angry. I literally just wanted to grab him from off the other side of the table and just rack his brain a little bit and go, do you understand that you've got everything? You've got the frigging American dream and you're just an idiot. Instead, Furman set about catching a killer on tape. There's no going back when we get up out of this seat. So what did Furman have to get out of Dino? Well, first of all, he needed to give him an opportunity to say no, to back out at all times. But he needed for Dino to understand that at the end of this conversation, by the time they walked out that door, that there was no way that Dino was going to be able to stop what he would put in motion. I'll be happy when it's over. That's why I'm really happy. We did exactly the same routine as we done for a year It was the same conversation Nothing was changed Nothing was embellished Nothing was made up In a moment Rick calls typical, Dino is heard justifying his desire to have Monica killed because she lied during a deposition in the domestic violence case against her. She went into her deposition and lied and said that I scratched myself to set her up. I feel like she never touched me. I never let all those scratches came from me going to the bathroom and scratching myself. And she looked me straight in the eyes and said, that's when I knew that I wanted her to come. But I could never, ever trust her or anything or anything came out of her mouth. And I knew then that she would do anything to hurt me. This is a clip from the recording that was made that day at this restaurant. between Dino and Mr. Fuhrman. I'll ask you a simple question. You're positive. They're what? You want her dead. 100%. Are you sure the girls are fine? They're totally fine. Probably because they're dead. So this is significant because this was a clear declaration that he wanted his wife dead. No matter the consequences, he wants her dead regardless of who it's going to hurt. It's like a dream come true. She's tried so hard to hurt me for so long. And done so much, you know, evil things. Three or four times, I gave him the way out. Are you sure you want her dead? when I get up out of this seat, it's done, it's over. I think his words were, it's been a long time, but why wouldn't I? Why wouldn't I? Why wouldn't you? Good question. But what are the kids going to do for a mother? Don't worry about it. I'll find a good one. By the time we're out at lunch, it's already done. You just need to figure out how to pay me. Oh, I'll pay. How much? You already told me how much. $80,000? That's what you told me. Rick says that in earlier conversations about killing Monica, Dino made it clear he wanted it done while she was traveling abroad. So Rick told Dino that while they were at lunch, Monica was away on vacation in Mexico, where she would die that day. Are you telling me it's going to be young today? Are you serious? Yes. I'm going to leave this room. Rick convinced Dino that a hired assassin in Mexico would kill Monica before they had time to digest their lunch. I don't want to know anything. There you go. I'm not going to tell you that. I'll read about it in a paper. Yes, you will. Mexico. Painfully aware of the sting operation, Monica was hiding out in a hotel room in Beverly Hills. That night, Dino went home to his daughters, presumably thinking their mother was dead. The following day, the recording was brought to me. We listened to it, and then I filed the case. Dino Guglamelli was arrested at his home in Valencia, California, in front of his daughters and charged with attempted murder. They saw him being arrested. The girls were taken into protective custody, and Monica had to pick them up at the jail. What I don't understand is why the hate, the deep-seated anger and hatred towards you? You know, um... That's a question for him. One I would eventually get to ask him over the phone. You have a prepaid call from Pitchdito, an inmate in corporate California. It is not hard to destroy a college. Last season, the podcast Campus Files brought you stories of fraternity drug rings, stolen body parts, campus cults, and more. And now Campus Files is back for another season. There's a guy screaming into his phone. He's like, I just saw Charlie Kirk get assassinated right in front of me. Every week is a new episode and a new story. It was so chaotic. It's almost like a university on a siege. Listen to and follow Campus Files. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, Dino. Hi, Charlie. I just want to remind you that you are being recorded, Dino. The only way I could ask Dino Guglamelli why he wanted his wife, Monica, killed was via telephone. My first question to you is, what mistakes did you make? What are you guilty of? Dino is being held in this facility in Corcoran, California, which doesn't allow cameras. Dino says he is the victim here. He calls Rick Furman a master conman who convinced him they could make millions selling vitamins and supplements to the military. When that con started to unravel, Dino says Rick set him up for attempted murder. You're not taking any responsibility for this? No. No. Ask Furman. Why did he do it? After two years and a manipulation on a military contract and all this stuff, why did he do that? He didn't have to. I wasn't going out trying to find somebody to knock off my wife. He had a conversation. Prosecutor Emily Cole confirms that Rick did indeed con Dino into thinking there was a big contract coming his way. Rick forged Department of Defense documents to lead Mr. Guglielmelli to believe that there was some big business deal. And Mr. Fuhrman explains that he did that in order to keep Mr. Guglielmeli happy, because a happy Dino doesn't want to kill his wife. Is there a military contract? There's military contracts given every day. I particularly am seeking one for supplements, and I'm still working on it today. And that's really all I'll say with that. Our investigation brought forward the information that Mr. Fuhrman only spent a year in the military. He had a very basic military background. He was honorably discharged on injury. Rick Fuhrman is a chameleon because he'll be whatever you want him to be. And just like Emily Cole, we found Richard Fuhrman hard to pin down. Are you a hitman? No. Have you ever killed somebody? Not on U.S. soil. That's it. Move on. But you have killed someone. Move on. he'll say and do what he thinks you want him to do. I think Dino and Mr. Fuhrman were very similar in that respect, and I think that's why they got along so well. But while it was obvious that Rick Fuhrman was a phony, the conspiracy to kill Monica was very real. By the time we're out of lunch, it's already done. You just need to figure out how to pay me. Oh, I'll pay you. How much? You already told me how much. $80,000. That's what you told me. I've listened to the tape, and it's very clear on the tape. You wanted your wife killed, and you were willing to pay $80,000 to make it happen. Well, the whole money aspect has come up numerous times about him wanting money and needing money, and I've been paying him money for a long time. I don't know how much money I paid him. I think in total I paid him probably $50,000 to secure the military contract. And it was always, well, how are you going to give me the money? And where's the money going to come from? I was questioning all the time. By the time the hour and a half lunch was up and he asked me those questions, I was, you know, was it about killing somebody? I really didn't think anybody was going to be good. I'm just answering the question. I know what the date appears to be like, but I didn't take any of it seriously. I really didn't. Dino claims it was Rick Furman who wanted to get rid of Monica because she was trying to sabotage his military contract. Are you sending letters to them? Are you saying to me, Dino, that Rick Furman was the one who proposed killing Monica? All the time, yeah. And you never said that? Any of this stuff. No. No, you never said it. The more I pressed Dino about what he said on the tape, the more he blamed Rick Furman, and the less his story made sense. Well, on the tape, it's very clear that you understood that once the lunch with Rick was over, there was no turning back, that he was going to kill Monica. He talked like that. I don't think it's my place to go into detail because... But we listened to the whole tape and there is no mistaking what Dino and Rick were discussing Even Dino brother agrees Did you hear the recordings Yes Between your brother and Rick Furman Yes What did you make of it? The recordings kind of speak for themselves. They had a conversation about killing Monica. Dino made it clear more than once that he wanted her dead. Yes. And he was willing to pay $80,000 to have it done. Yes. Yes, he did. Does that surprise you? Yes, it does surprise me. And I truly believe, though, the whole situation snowballed out of control. I believe in my heart there may be, you know, how guys talk, everybody gets mad, you say things and whatever. He could say, I wish she was gone. Somebody said, I can get rid of her for you if you want. The guy was a real blowhard. and I could see the situation where he'd say, I can take care of that, no problem. I can do that for you. Sure, go ahead. kind of ignored it because that was my focus. And that was wrong. It doesn't show a weakness in me being greedy. I even have recognized what was going on. And I'll never forgive myself for that. But to Emily Cole, this wasn't about a phony military contract or Rick Furman. This was a clear-cut case of murder for hire by Dino. Are you sure the girls are fine? They're totally fine. All they need is their dad. All they need is their dad. There was just one problem. Cole's star witness was an alleged con man. Were you concerned about putting Rick Furman on the stand? To an extent. Why? He had his own credibility issues, and that was brought forward in the preliminary hearing. There were a lot of things that the defense attorney brought up that didn't make him look great. The defense portrayed Furman as a fraud, who manipulated Dino with a fictional multi-million dollar military contract for supplements. Cole knew that would happen again if Furman was called as a witness in front of a jury. But the case wasn't Mr. Furman, it was the tape. But would the tape be enough to convince the jury? You're positive. Then what? You want her dead. Nine months after Dino Guglielmelli was caught on tape and charged with attempted murder for trying to have his wife killed, Emily Cole was preparing for trial. The evidence from the tape had the potential to send Dino away for life. When Mr. Fuhrman tells him that when he leaves this room, he can't change the fact that Monica's going to be killed. And Mr. Guglielmelli agrees to that. That is Mr. Guglielmelli pointing the proverbial gun at Monica. And there's no way for them to come track it back to me, right? No, that's why I asked you about the money. Cole had solid evidence on that tape, but she also had a big problem. Rick Furman himself. Just before trial, she decided she wasn't going to take any chances and made a stunning decision. she offered Dino a deal, plead guilty to attempt a murder in the second degree and serve only nine years in prison. He had never spent a day in jail previous to this incident. He didn't have a record. Mr. Guglielmelli didn't commit violence on anyone either. And I think this was a fair sentence. I think my life is worth more than that. To me, the intent shows the criminal mind. The intention. So if I try to kill you and the bullet misses you by half an inch, am I less of a criminal because I don't have a good aim? Is he less of a criminal because Richard came forward? Did you want this to go to trial? Yes. Absolutely. I was shocked. I remember calling, asking them, why are you offering him a plea? What I got back was, don't worry about it, he'll never take it. Don't worry about it. he's going away for life. But after my mom said, please just take the deal, I took the deal. Dino is serving his time here at this state prison in Corcoran, California. He will be eligible for parole in 2021. He will get out angry. He will get out vengeful. And he will get out thinking that the game still needs to be won. Despite suspicions that Rick Furman is a conman, he has not been charged with any crime. His biggest fear is when Dino is released. That's what's scary for me. There isn't any doubt in my mind that my life would be in danger. And Monica fears for her safety as well. I know that my husband's very resourceful. He may have asked Rick, but he could ask many other people too. He had a lot more than $80,000 at his disposal to have me killed. So do you believe money will be waiting for him when he's released? If he has control over it from prison, then absolutely. He will have access to several millions. Dino's brother, Gino, insists there is no money left. She claims that there's $4.5 million overseas. Okay. Go find it. His second wife, oh, there's $20 million overseas. Go find it. How come nobody's finding it? Seriously, where is it? Honestly, the guy is in prison. Can't somebody go get it? Do you have any sympathy for Monica? No, I think she pretty much brings on all of her misfortune herself. But I didn't like her before, so I'm certainly not going to like her now. What if your brother was actually associating with a real hit man? Monica could be dead today. I guess by the tape, it's probably true. But I believe that my brother in his business world probably knew more capable people if he wanted something like that done than Richard Furman. That's why I think it was just something said between two guys that spiraled out of control. Does Monica have any reason to fear for her safety after you are released from prison? Of course not. I just want to take care of my kids. I want to pay child support. I want to be a good providing citizen and a good providing father. But Dino might have a hard time with that. Monica is proceeding with divorce, fighting for the house, whatever money is left. And she has full custody of their daughters. How do you explain something like this? And how do you make them adjust to a new life, knowing that their father is alive, knowing that their father, you know, is in prison? Do they know why he's in prison? Yes, they saw him being arrested. So they were very present that morning. Vandala, my youngest, she said, she said, you know, Mommy, God gave Daddy a time out. But Dino still claims he is the victim. I've been criminalized, Troy. It's just destroyed my life. And I don't get it. I don't understand why everyone wants to attack me. And this guy set me up. Monica is lucky because in the end, Rick Furman is not a killer. He's someone that might bend the truth or omit the truth, but he's not a killer. And that's what saved Monica. Monica's main concern now is her children. I know his intention is to reunite himself with the kids and take those children away from me. I know that that's... Is that one of your greatest fears? Do I think about it? Yes. Am I going to live in fear every day? No. I'm not going to allow this man to do this to me. No. I intend on really making something of my experience and not shying away from what happened because I think that if somebody can look at my life and what I've been through and learn from it, then I've done something right. Anything else you want to say? You have 30 seconds remaining. Um, you know, it's 15 minutes of fame. It's turned into 30 seconds of fame. In September 2019, Dino Guglielmelli was released on parole after serving more than six years. His parole ended on June 9, 2021.