Netflix has done it again, and added another unmissable addition to their catalogue of true crime documentaries.
Following in the footsteps of the recent Maternal Instinct, Should I Marry A Murderer? and the Worst Neighbor Ever series, comes A Toxic Love Story.
The one-off film, airing from July 22, tells the incredible story of Ian and Angela Diaz. When violent threats are made against Angela, the finger is immediately pointed at Ian's former partner Michelle Hadley - the case seems a straightforward one.
However, as Michelle spends time behind bars the real truth emerges, and it's not long before investigators open up a horrifying web of deceit.
What did Ian and Angela Diaz do?
Ian Diaz was a deputy U.S. marshal who purchased a condo in Anaheim near Disneyland, in June 2015. He made the purchase with his then fiancee Michelle Hadley, who'd been the one to make the down payment on the property.
The couple secured a joint mortgage together, but when their relationship ended, the pair ended up in an ongoing dispute over their former home.
Ian met a new partner, Angela Connell, and the couple married in 2016 while Ian was still having issues about the condo with Michelle.
Soon after they were married, Ian and Angela started getting threatening emails from someone calling themselves "Lilithistruth." The emails continued, using similar religious undertones implied by the handle - Lilith is a name associated with female demons.
Disturbingly, "Lilithistruth" even began responding to "rape fantasy" ads posted on Craigslist. According to The Washington Post, men post advertisements on the site soliciting women who are "willing to engage in sex resembling rape."
A woman identifying herself as Angela Diaz responded, allegedly telling the men she wanted "forcible sexual intercourse even if she screamed or resisted."
Angela maintained someone was responding to the ads impersonating her, reporting to the police that men were arriving at her house to act out their fantasies because of them.
Police acting on a report she made claiming attempted rape found visible redness on her neck and breasts, and her clothing ripped.
Bodycam footage seen during the documentary shows Angela describing to the police how she'd been "grabbed from behind" and "choked" by men coming to her home because of the Craigslist ads.
With Ian and Angela constantly suggesting all evidence pointed to Michelle Hadley being "Lilithistruth", she was arrested and charged in 2016, and spent 88 days in prison while she awaited trial. She faced a life sentence if convicted.
However, while Michelle was being held, investigators took a closer look at the case and made some shocking discoveries.
Michelle hadn't been the person behind the threatening emails and ad responses, Angela had sent them to herself, and fabricated every aspect of the story to frame Michelle.
Angela is said to have used virtual private networks and third-party servers to make it look like Michelle was behind the emails.
Investigators had to work hard to remove IP address disguises and found the messages had actually come from Angela's condo and mobile phone, and her father’s home in Arizona.
As well as framing Michelle, Angela was also accused of faking a pregnancy and cancer, forging doctor’s notes, posing as an attorney and forging a check.
At the time, there was no evidence Ian was involved in his wife's scheme. However, he was arrested in 2021 on federal charges of cyberstalking, conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and perjury.
News reports suggest prosecutors and law enforcement did not reveal why it had taken five years to charge him in connection with the crime. Michelle Hadley was exonerated of all charges.
Where are Ian and Angela Diaz now?
Angela Diaz was sentenced to five years in prison in October 2017. She has now served her sentence, but her current whereabouts are unknown.
Ian Diaz was sentenced to 10 years and one-month in prison for conspiracy, cyberstalking, perjury, and obstruction of justice. He remains incarcerated and serving that sentence.
Incidentally, Ian's conviction came on the day Michelle Hadley gave birth to her child, a daughter. In a statement made to NBC News, Michelle said when hearing of Ian's conviction:
"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."
"My life has been filled by strange, often symbolic, and sometimes beautiful coincidences like this. My daughter represents my rainbow after a very long storm, and my heart has never felt so full."
A Toxic Love Story airs on Netflix from July 22.
