Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
A California woman spent 88 days in jail after being accused of stalking her ex-partner’s new wife, only for a chilling web of lies to later reveal who was really responsible, as shown in Netflix’s A Toxic Love Story.
Michelle Hadley’s relationship did not simply end badly. Instead, it spiraled into an elaborate plot that saw her portrayed as a dangerous and fixated ex, even though she had done nothing wrong.
At first glance, the case against her appeared overwhelming. What investigators eventually uncovered told a very different story.
Michelle met Ian Diaz in October 2013, and their relationship progressed quickly. Diaz was then working as a U.S. deputy marshal, and before long the couple were engaged and buying a condo together in Anaheim, California.
What Michelle thought was the beginning of a happy future soon became deeply troubling. Court records later described Diaz as controlling and abusive, including pressuring her into sexual fantasies she did not want to participate in.
After experiencing a dissociative episode, she fled and returned to live with her parents.
Even after the relationship ended, however, Diaz did not disappear from her life for long. He soon formed a new relationship.
Not long after, he met Angela Connell. Their romance moved fast, and within months she had moved into his apartment. The pair then married in February 2016, and Angela later claimed she was pregnant with twins.
The documentary explains that Angela began receiving threatening emails from someone calling themselves ‘Lilith’, who said she was watching her.
Ian and Angela repeatedly contacted Anaheim police about the messages. Matters escalated dramatically when ‘Lilith’ allegedly arranged for a man on Craigslist to carry out a so-called ‘rape fantasy’ at their home.
“At what point does this girl get arrested?” Ian questioned.
On June 24, 2016, Michelle was arrested at Ian and Angela’s request and taken away in handcuffs. She was later arrested again on July 14, 2016 and spent 88 days in jail in total before the case against her collapsed.
The case began to unravel after Michelle’s arrest, when Ian learned that Angela had lied about being pregnant with twins. That discovery prompted closer scrutiny of the claims she had made.
As investigators revisited the cyberstalking evidence, they found signs that Angela had actually sent the threatening emails herself, while the Craigslist “rape fantasy” advertisements were tied to accounts and internet activity connected to Ian and Angela’s residence.
The more authorities examined the situation, the less the original accusations held together.
By January 2017, Michelle had been exonerated of the criminal charges against her. Prosecutors later concluded that Ian had orchestrated the scheme to frame Michelle, while Angela helped carry it out. Both were ultimately held accountable in separate criminal cases.
Angela received a five-year state prison sentence, while Ian was sentenced in federal court to 10 years and one month in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, cyberstalking, perjury, and obstruction of justice.
Michelle later gave birth to her first child on the same day Ian was sentenced. In a statement to NBC News, she said: “I am so grateful to the [Justice Department Office of Inspector General] for the work they put into this case and to the jury for a conviction that has brought so much peace to my family and restored some of the faith we lost in the justice system as a result of Diaz’s crimes against me.”
A Toxic Love Story is now streaming on Netflix.
The documentary was added to Netflix in June 2026.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.
If you’ve been affected by sexual assault, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org