Michelle Hadley, 39, is recounting the harrowing experience of spending 88 days in jail after being falsely accused of cyberstalking and threatening her ex-fiancé, Ian Diaz, and his wife, Angela Connell. Her story is now the subject of the Netflix documentary "A Toxic Love Story."
The ordeal began in May 2016 when Diaz and Connell reported to Anaheim, California, law enforcement that Hadley was sending threatening messages from an email account named "LilithIsTruth." These messages escalated from warnings like "You must be gone" to more menacing statements, including accusations of theft and threats of sexual assault. The couple also obtained a restraining order against Hadley.
The Framing Incident
In June 2016, the case took a dramatic turn when Diaz claimed Hadley had posed as Connell to respond to a Craigslist advertisement seeking women for a rape fantasy scenario. The ad's poster, identified as "Rick," reported receiving a message from "Lilithistruth" detailing a desire to be forcibly raped. Connell later claimed to have been physically threatened in her garage by an assailant wearing a ski mask, an event she attributed to Hadley. Police bodycam footage captured Connell's distressed account and pointed to a mark on a wall as evidence of the attack.
Investigation and Discovery of Deception
Despite Hadley's arrest on felony stalking charges, authorities began to suspect a larger deception. Investigators discovered that Angela Connell had a history of fabricating personal crises, including a previous ex-boyfriend's account of her faking a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis and a pregnancy with twins. Investigations revealed that Connell had sent threatening emails to herself and staged the Craigslist incident.
Federal investigators continued to suspect Ian Diaz's involvement. A lengthy investigation uncovered fragments of "LilithIsTruth" emails on Diaz's computer, confirming he had authored at least one of the messages. It is believed Diaz sought revenge after Hadley paid the down payment on a condo they had shared. After their split, Diaz remained in the condo and later moved Connell in.
Legal Ramifications and Aftermath
Angela Connell was arrested in January 2017 and pleaded guilty to charges including fraud, false imprisonment, and falsely reporting a crime. She was sentenced to five years in prison and released in 2020. Ian Diaz was arrested in May 2021 and convicted of stalking, perjury, and obstruction of justice, receiving a 10-year prison sentence. He was dismissed from the U.S. Marshals Service in 2023 and remains incarcerated, with his appeal denied. He is scheduled for release on January 31, 2031.
Michelle Hadley was cleared of all charges and released after 88 days in jail. She later sued the Anaheim Police Department for more than $25,000, alleging investigators overlooked evidence that could have exonerated her. The city settled the lawsuit with Hadley in 2021 for an undisclosed amount, reportedly around $1.8 million. Hadley has since found a personal "fairytale ending" with her daughter.