To take you into custody. Youre incarcerated. Potentially for the rest of my life. But hiding behind the threats was a cybersecret. Evil. Its something the devil might do. So who was the real devil . The d. A. In this case would use the word, diabolical. I think hes close to the mark. A dangerous game with someone playing for keeps. I would wake up and i would think, this is just a nightmare. And it wasnt. Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Dennis Murphy with diabolical. Reporter locked in a cage the shrieks of women howling in the night. This isnt real. This is like something you would see in a movie. This doesnt happen in real life. Reporter how did a selfdescribed goody twoshoes, a disney princess, get swept away in a conspiracy so convoluted, so twisted . This is one of the most well thought out, well executed plans. And its scary. Diabolical absolutely. Reporter a tangled web . You bet. An altogether bizarre plot. Complicated scheme. Very complicated. Very creative. This is the most shocking form of love rivalry that ive ever seen. Reporter there would be allegations of harassment. Cyber stalking. Assault and attempted rape. Someone was going to get hurt someone was going to jail. And at the end of the nightmare . Well, no one saw that coming. You decide whether it was a love rivalry, but in the beginning it was clearly a boy meets girl love story. It was a very intense period of my life in the sense of just a very kind of whirlwind type of romance. Reporter august 2013. Twentysomething Michelle Hadley met a u. S. Marshal named ian diaz over a cup of coffee. Things moved fast. He told you that he loved you, or you were beautiful . Yes. He sorta hit you with a thunderbolt, huh . Yeah, kind of early on, actually. Yeah, about the second date he was telling me he loved me. You think s slow down buddy, here, [ laugh ] or or what wh did you welcome it . Well, i think you know, i think when [ laugh ] youre a young girl whos kind of been raised on the fairytale princess dream. Its very exciting and flattering. Reporter could this be her prince charming she was meeting over a cappuccino. The man she had dreamed of since she was a little girl . She was very imaginative, very intelligent, and she just loved to play and create. Reporter michelles mother suzanne and father michael raised her and her younger sister in this modest home in ontario, california. She was a Cross Country runner. Good student. I was an overachiever. [ laughter ] you were the kid who ruined the curve for everybody else, huh . Yeah, actually sometimes. Reporter michelle was offered a scholarship to attend dickinson, a wellregarded liberal arts college back east in pennsylvania. You mustve both been very proud of how your child was working out. Oh, yeah. Very proud. Reporter after graduation, she tried various careers before eventually landing a marketing job at disney. And now she had met this man ian diaz, the u. S. Marshal, her very own prince charming. In december 2014, for her 28th birthday, he whisked her off to new york. He took her to the sweeping vistas atop Rockefeller Center and proposed. And you said . I said yes. Yeah. I said yes. Reporter it was time to find a starter castle to complete the fairytale. Just minutes from her job at disney, they bought into a new Condo Development in anaheim. She would be able to watch the disneyland fireworks from the roof. I put the whole down payment down. You paid the whole down . I paid the whole down payment, yes. Reporter they waited for the condo to be finished and in june, they moved in. But, michelle said, thats when the relationship changed. Fell apart, actually. Twomonths later, she packed her jetta with whatever stuff she could fit in and left. Showed up at her parents doorstep. Surprised . Tell me about that night. Well, i had gotten a text from her saying, can i come home . And i said, you dont even need to ask. Why were you not suited for him, in your opinion . I didnt feel that the relationship was healthy for me. Not nurturing for you, or not nurturing for me, yeah. Were there tempers . Were there lets just say that im not a strong personality. And so, you know, i have to be very careful the kinds of people i surround myself with. Its almost better for me not to be in a relationship than to be in a bad one. Reporter but there were still ties that bound the former couple a mortgage, the deed to that condo in anaheim which became a source of tension. Both hired lawyers. But it got personal. Michelle claimed ian was unfaithful even abusive. And she sent him a strange email, the language laced with religiosity and references to the bible, satan, and a mythical demon called lilith. Please explain to your real Estate Attorney that gods law is above all laws, including the law of man. Lilith, you may try to hide behind the law of man, but it is a weak shield that will bend and crack against the sword of god. Ian denied her allegations and said he was so alarmed by michelles email that he applied for a restraining order against her. He accused her of infidelity and wrote, because of her emotional instability, history of fits of rage i fear for my safety. The request for the restraining order was dismissed a few weeks later, and the law of man prevailed or so it seemed. The lawyers hashed out a compromise. We actually ended up getting a Settlement Agreement. Reporter ian and michelle signed it in november 2015. The deal allowed ian to stay in the condo, but he had six months to get his own mortgage. Failing that, hed have to sell the condo and split any profits with michelle. Michelle stood to lose most of her down payment about 10,000. But she said it was worth it. I moved on with my life completely 100 completely. Um, i actually had started dating again. So you had this toothache of a problem with the condo, but that was not a major part of your life. Well, and once the Settlement Agreement was signed, it was just a waiting game. Reporter she went back to school. Started an mba program at chapman university. Ian too moved on quickly, married a woman named angela. But the nagging condo issue still wasnt resolved, and the sixmonth deadline was approaching. And thats, kind of, when all the fireworks started happening. Soon, more emails, really frightening ones, aimed at a new target. When we return angela was claiming she was receiving long, rambling emails, saying that her husband, ian, doesnt love her, and that she better get out of the picture soon before he hurts her. And not long after the emails arrive, so do police. I said, whats going on out here . And the guy said, we just arrested michelle. 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I said, well, then open the door, cause it scared her, i guess. Reporter yeah. And so a woman throws down a restraining order. Reporter here. Youve been served, kind of thing . Yeah. Here, youve been served. With the police. Two officers there. And it was from angela diaz. Reporter the restraining order was for michelle who was still living at her parents home. It came from angela diaz, ians wife of three months. Who had recently announced she was pregnant. Angela came into the picture not long after ian and michelle had actually broken up. Reporter reporter Kate Briquelet covered this story for the daily beast. She spent hours digging through the curious emails michelle sent ian during the condo dispute. One minute shes very polite and thanking him for reminders on her car insurance. The next minute, you know, shes saying that hes satan and the antichrist. Reporter even after they signed the agreement on the condo the emails kept coming. Ian got this one on may 22. You told me i was your first love, but you did not treat me like the precious, perfect treasure i am. You have sinned against god, and i want my power back because it belongs to us, the daughters of god. Then, something new and strange started happening. Angela began receiving emails, too. Long, rambling emails saying that, you know, her husband ian doesnt love her, that michelle is, you know, his one true love and that ian is cheating on her. He manipulates women. She better get out of the picture soon before he hurts her. Reporter these new emails to angela sounded like michelles emails to ian, complete with biblical imagery. But they came from multiple email addresses and were signed, jason ray. Telling angela that she would always be eve and that michelle was ians lilith, his truth, and that angela would never be his one true love. Reporter then another email to angela appeared. The subject line die. The message, i hope you are scared of death tomorrow. Be prepared. Dont sleep, be watchful of the daughters of god, the email continued. We will steal your child and we will watch as it dies. Angela said when she looked to see who sent this email it was from, Michelle Hadley. Reporter you can understand from angelas point of view why shed be so rattled. Right. Reporter a barrage of emails arrived on may 31, 2016. Be warned angela, youve lost. I am going to end you. You will suffer. I will pray for you. The next morning, june 1, angela filed for that restraining order. The one police served at the hadleys home. It read in part ms. Hadley has been emailing me for over one week, repeatedly threatening my life, my marriage, my safety, slandering my husband. Reporter the rhetorical language you used in your email to your ex. Yeah. Reporter had a kind of biblical, Old Testament veracity to it. They said, this is the same person. Well, no comment on that. But, you know reporter but to your ears it was not at all . No. No. Reporter michelle admits she did send fire and brimstone emails to ian. Although she was reluctant to discuss them on camera. She later told us, it was a symptom of post Traumatic Stress disorder, which she blamed on her volatile relationship with her ex. But, she told us, she never sent any emails to angela. In fact, michelle says she didnt even know her. Ive never heard of her, ive never communicated with her. Reporter couldnt say where she lived or pick her out of a lineup. Exactly. I mean, im assuming she lives in the condo with him. But aside from that, thats the extent of what i know about her. I dont know what her job is. I dont know where she works. I know nothing about her background. Reporter or so she said. Police thought otherwise. There was very compelling evidence. Reporter sgt daron wyatt is the Public Information officer for the Anaheim Police department. Reporter there was some very vivid religious, ferocious imagery that was clearly written by michelle to her ex that seems to be the same kind of emails that are coming to angela. Did that drive some of your theory about the case . I cant talk about specifics, but there was clear and convincing evidence to believe that Michelle Hadley was the person who was sending the emails. Reporter a judge ordered michelle to cease all contact with angela and ian. But the emails continued. June 6th you will pay for this. I hope to god you are ready for the pain i will show you. Then this burn in the fiery pits of hell tonight, as by gods law. You will be hurt. Three weeks after the restraining order was filed, police returned to michelles parents house. They have a search warrant for my devices. And so i hand all my devices over, i give them all the pass codes. And he opens up my cell phone. Reporter the officer looked through her email account. Checked the activity there. Then arrested michelle for violating the restraining order. I heard doors slamming out in front. And i went out in the front and i said, whats going on out here . And the guy said, we just arrested michelle. Reporter arrested your michelle . Yes. Reporter she was placed in a holding cell. Her parents posted a bond to get her out and after a very long night, they picked her up from the Anaheim Police department. There she was sitting on the steps out in front. Reporter its one of the stranger days of your life. The strangest. Reporter but strange days were only beginning. Coming up from daggers by email to danger at the front door. Somebody was posting ads online through craigslist saying that they wanted to fulfill this rape fantasy. When dateline continues. Ds two medicines called bronchodilators, that Work Together to significantly improve lung function all day and all night. Anoro is not for asthma. It contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. 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Reporter a young woman who lived an exemplary life, good student, shes trying to get an mba, and well, theres two sides to every person, and all were seeing is the evidence that looks very clear that everything is is originating from Michelle Hadley. Reporter but the case against michelle went way beyond threatening emails. Police had evidence she was up to something much more sinister, something stomachchurning. It began in early june about the same time as the deadline on the condo was approaching. Somebody was posting ads online through craigslist saying that they wanted to fulfill this rape fantasy. Reporter rape fantasy as a genre . I dont think ive ever heard of this. I had never heard of it either, until this particular case. But apparently yes, theres a market for it. Reporter its a type of personal ad you can find them on craigslist and elsewhere online. Men seeking women who want to meet and act out a rape. A woman responded to the ad i have been dying to have a rape fantasy occur. If you can fulfill this tonight, please let me know. I am 30, tall, gorgeous and ready. I have a yorkie i walk every night. Come find me. The email gave an address, the condo in anaheim where angela and ian lived. On june 13, angela and ian told police a man showed up at their door expecting to have violent sex with angela. They told police they sent him away, but other men followed all invited by email responses to rape fantasy ads. It escalates again, now to the point that angela diaz calls the police department, reports that another person had shown up and had actually tried to rape her. Reporter Police Officers responded to angelas 911 call. Reporter what do they encounter . They encounter a very distraught angela diaz who says that another person has shown up, and and reporter and shes got abrasions, look here, right . Correct, on her neck. And her shirt is torn. Reporter this is way beyond internet misdemeanor mischief, this is a criminal act in your city oh, mo most definitely a criminal act. Reporter who was inviting men to rape angela . Police believed there was no question it was Michelle Hadley. Thats what led them to arrest michelle outside her parents home. Angela reported that during the night michelle spent in jail. She received no threatening emails. But then michelle made bail. She was out. And almost immediately the emails start again. Reporter so is there kind of a feel here, look, we warned you about this activity. Correct. Reporter and its continuing. Correct. Reporter this is a very complicated scheme, kate. Yes. Reporter daily beast reporter Kate Briquelet tried to unravel the story from her office in new york city. Angela diaz appeared to be the victim at the center of an increasingly dangerous game. She was afraid for her life. She was afraid to go anywhere. She felt that she had to uproot her whole life, take down her online profiles, and hide. Reporter july 11, two weeks after michelle bailed out of jail. A new rape fantasy ad appeared on craigslist and a response. Once again, the email directed the man who placed the ad to the home of angela diaz. Reporter and what would michelles motivation be in doing this campaign . Its interesting. I mean, theres th fact that theres some sort of a love triangle going on, right . Theres two women, one guy. And theres also the unsold condominium. Reporter the condo was still a factor in the story. The bank had not approved ian and angela for a mortgage. So, it was time to sell, as agreed to. But that wasnt going to happen, according to michelles father. The exboyfriend was digging in his heels. Hes not gonna sell the condo. He does not want to move out. Period. He made that clear. Reporter on july 12, 2016 even as she remained under investigation for cyberstalking and worse, michelle filed a breach of contract lawsuit against ian over the condo. The next day angela called police. Another man was outside her condo. Anaheim detectives found a 17yearold in the courtyard. He told police he was responding to a craigslist ad. Orange County District attorney Tony Rackauckas. We gotta get her off the street. Its hazardous to angela at this point. Reporter michelle looked like a loose cannon out there. She did. Reporter capable of harm. Absolutely. Absolutely. Reporter police got a warrant, and once again arrested Michelle Hadley. Its very hard to see your daughter being placed in handcuffs. And i just kept saying to him, no. No, i cant believe it. Reporter this time it was much more serious. Michelle was charged with stalking, making criminal threats and six counts of attempted rape for directing those men to angela diazs door. Michelles second arrest got the attention of reporters both in Orange County and across the country. The headline seemed too kooky and convoluted to even be true. Reporter bail this time was 1 million. Michelle faced life in prison. Reporter this rock bottom moment for you, michelle . Absolutely. Its the scariest moment of my life. Coming up a princess behind bars. I stood out like a sore thumb. With no prince charming in sight. I got a death threat letter. What if one of the girls goes after me . What happens then . For her kids to eat. Even though dinner time has become less strict, we remain strict as ever when it comes to our standards. Made with premium cuts of 100 kosher beef, so you can feel good feeding your family, no matter what time dinner is. Hebrew national. We remain strict. Buy one take one is back starat olive garden. Come in for a fan favorite like smoked mozzarella chicken here and leave with a great meal too. Buy one take one. Hurry in, its only for a limited time. 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Theres nothing in character with the michelle that youve raised here . Not at all. Its actually 180 degrees so out of sync with her behavior. Reporter they went to see michelle on her first day in jail after being charged. Is this gonna be a conversation with phones through glass . Yes. Yes. Theres cells without cages, but shes in a caged one. You know, i dont know why she always has to be in a caged one, but she does. Reporter michelles bail was set at a million dollars. To get her out, mike and suzanne would have to come up with about 10 percent of that. Thats 100,000 cash. They told their daughter they had enough to do that, or to hire a good lawyer, but not both. Bottom line is were just gonna have to fight this, and theres no bail, and thats it. How tough is that, suzanne . You you had the money. You couldve had her home for dinner. Yeah, it was pretty tough. I told my dad i was scared to death. I didnt know what was gonna happen in jail. But i told my dad, i was like, i can handle it. Dont worry about me. Go get a good attorney. And youre incarcerated. Yup, for potentially the rest of my life. Reporter the girl who loved disneyland, fairy tale princesses, and her morning starbucks, said shed stay behind bars and tough it out. Jailhouse denims were her new black. Well, i stood out like a sore thumb. What is your cell like . Tiny. They have two bunk beds, a table and two chairs, and then your toilet is actually attached to your sink. And so everyone can kind of see in. So you never get any privacy. What is the day in jail . It they wake you up at 4 30 a. M. Then they bring you your breakfast. Which is what . Its usually some sort of gruel looking potato mash. I dont even know how to describe it. And im guessing not a foamy starbucks. No starbucks. While were talking about food, whats lunch . Bologna sandwich, and really, really nasty bologna. I almost didnt eat for the first, you know, three or four days. Michelle, the sounds of the jailhouse. Yeah, good luck sleeping in jail. [ laughs ] the door slamming, its very loud. And the women at night sometimes scream like banshees. So youll hear it echoing throughout the jail. Reporter the population of street hardened prisoners took a close look at the petite young woman from the good home now living in their cell block, checked her out especially after that story about her in the local paper got passed around. After that article, i had women coming up to my cell door harassing me about it. I got a death threat letter at one point slipped under my cell door. What if one of the girls goes after me . What happens then . One of the women who took you under your wing said, you gotta toughen up, girl. Yeah. [ laugh ] she did talking to you. Yeah. [ laugh ] you need to develop a little swagger in you yeah, well, apparently i walk like a church mouse and thats not cool. And she said, youre gonna get hurt in here because you look weak when you walk. You need to become scarface, huh . Yeah, yeah, yeah. Reporter of course, to the outside world, she already was scarface. Kate briquelet of the daily beast reported on the case. These were incredibly serious charges that michelle was facing, felony charges that included attempted forcible rape. Reporter meanwhile, michelles parents were in crisis mode looking for an attorney. You dont have criminal Defense Attorneys on your speed dial, im guessing. Correct, we do not. Reporter mike and suzanne wanted the right lawyer to deal with a cyber crime. They also wanted to start working on michelles defense right away. Their daughter was in trouble, so they started their own investigation. Was it clear to you, mike, that if youre gonna claw your way out of this thing, youve gotta understand the story told by the computers . Correct. The forensics of this case. Absolutely. So youve gotta learn a whole bunch of jargon here. I know ip addresses and all the other stuff. Reporter an ip address is a numeric code that identifies a Computer Network or an individual device. Mike had copies of all the incriminating emails from the evidence filed with that restraining order. He started going through them with software that traces ip addresses. This Investigative Software that you used to become your own detective, is that something you gotta go to cal tech to get a copy of . Is this, nsa material . Oh, gosh, no. Its the the 15yearold kid material. Reporter as mike got results, suzanne would organize them. He would print out on yellow pads of legal paper, all the ip addresses and then i would take all of them and id put them on a spreadsheet and then we highlighted where certain ip addresses were the same. The idea being that this ip address is gonna go back to a physical location. Yes. Reporter if they could trace an email sent from one location and prove michelle was somewhere else at the same time, it could be an alibi. But to d. A. Tony rackauckas, it looked like a bad set of facts for Michelle Hadley. Looking at the emails and the and the pictures and the ads looked like Michelle Hadley was just doing this, this terrible thing, stalking and victimizing of of angela. Reporter the wheels of justice were grinding slowly, and the lives of two young women were hanging in the balance. Coming up michelle gets a break. She was in class. And a lawyer with a mission. This is, kind of, the case you go to law school for. This is the reason you become a lawyer. When dateline continues. As, like a heart attack or stroke. And with Heart Disease, your risk is even higher. You didnt know that. No. Yeah. But, wait, theres good news for adults who have type 2 diabetes and Heart Disease. Jardiance is the only type 2 diabetes pill with a lifesaving cardiovascular benefit. 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They sure did guywhousedtoaskifyoucould hearhimnowwithverizon . Or just paul. Weve been up here for ages. You should switch to sprint like i did. Nowadays, every network is great but with sprint, you are not paying a ton for unlimited or overages. Thanks, paul. Works for me daddy, can we switch to sprint . I dont feel too good. Dont get hooked by verizon and let a 1 difference in Network Reliability cost you twice as much. Switch to sprint unlimited for 20 per month per line for 5 lines. 20 per month per line for 5 lines. For people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay. Com. Reporter each day in jail was a struggle for Michelle Hadley. Not just the daily grind, but the death threats, the fear, living in legal limbo. She took comfort writing long letters to her family. Trying to convince them, and maybe herself, that she was okay. July 21st, 2016. Dear ma, daddy and rebecca, my commissary order finally arrived today. So i have paper and decent pencils among other goodies. Writing has always relaxed me and since im pretty sure this ordeal is the most stressful of my life to date, you can expect to get letters from me. I wanted to send you one positive thing and one thing i want to do when im free as much for my mood and sanity as for yours. One positive thing, i havent had this much time to read in a long time. Wish list, a gourmet burger and a glass of red wine. All my love, michelle. Reporter i hear a lot of you reassuring them in that. That was exactly what was happening. I didnt want them to worry too much. I didnt want them to be afraid. They were already fighting so much on the outside and doing so much work. And i wanted them to be proud of what a brave girl they had raised. Reporter but as the weeks turned into months, her brave front started to crack. There were mornings when i would wake up and i would open my eyes and i would see the white jail cell wall and i would think, okay, im gonna wake up a second time. This is just a nightmare. And it wasnt. It was for real. I was starting to feel like i was slipping away. Reporter you felt your humanity slipping away . Yeah. She looked absolutely not even close to a criminal. Reporter that youre gut talking, right . My guts pretty good. Reporter michelles parents hired defense attorney Michael Guisti to defend their daughter. Guisti felt an instant connection to the hadleys. I looked at michelles family and to a large extent i saw my family. I saw i saw a working class family who fiercely defended their child. She was a young, ambitious mba student who was nothing but brighteyed and optimistic. Reporter and who was facing life in prison. For no reason. No reason. Reporter so this is, kind of, the case you go to law school for. This is the reason you become a lawyer. Reporter guisti had more than faith in michelle. He also had the Computer Research michelles mom and dad had done on the emails at the heart of the case. Michael hadley was convinced theyd found something crucial. Reporter why are michelles digital fingerprints on this thing . Theyre not. Theres no digital fingerprints whatsoever. Reporter it looks like its coming from michelle. It looks like somebodys trying to make it look like its coming from michelle. Thats for sure. Reporter the hadleys spreadsheet showed some of the incriminating emails were sent when michelle could prove she was in a classroom at chapman university. Heres michelle at school. Shes at chapman and heres emails coming. And shes in class. She was in class doing her final course presentation. Theres no way shes gonna be sending this email. Reporter the hadleys and defense attorney guisti thought they had it, proof that michelle was innocent. But they knew it would be tougher to convince prosecutors. A District Attorney is never gonna buy my evidence. A District Attorney is gonna have to convince themselves that they have evidence which might accidentally coincide with what i have. Reporter in fact, police and prosecutors were still doing everything they could to link those emails to michelle. We have a very skilled detective that was working on the case and he was in constant communications with the District Attorneys office and trying to piece it together, to help prove a case and solidify it for court. Reporter problem was it just it wasnt coming together. These electronic messages were coming from from a different place. And we couldnt verify that it was coming from Michelle Hadleys device. Reporter it was a blow to the prosecutions case, but there was more evidence than just ip addresses. There was the bad blood between michelle and ian, the restraining orders, those harrowing attempted rapes of ians new wife, angela. And that fire and brimstone language of the threatening emails, so distinctive and seemingly in michelles voice. Reporter so that language of religious retribution made it appear to be michelle. Reporter you stand before god on this thing and thats right. And that caused the police and and our investigators as well to look at it and say, well, this is michelle writing this. Reporter one thing was clear, though. The Computer Forensics had blown a sizable hole in the prosecutions case. Guisti seized the moment and worked out a deal. The da would release michelle from jail. But he would not drop the charges against her. And the investigation would continue. After 88 days, michelle walked out of jail. On the outside, basically my parents. They were there waiting for me and got my coffee. Got my reporter famous coffee. The good cup of coffee, huh . Yeah. The good cup of coffee which oh man i had been dreaming about that for so long. Reporter it was an incredible moment for the hadleys. A legal victory, but not the end of the road. Shes still in jeopardy. Shes still charged with the same crimes. Reporter and shes got an ankle bracelet on. She had an ankle bracelet on. I already felt like i was so scarred from jail. And wearing that device, you kind of still feel like youre an animal. And i just remember thinking, how did i get here . I didnt do anything. Coming up if michelle wasnt sending the emails, who was . And why . The d. A. Has a word for it. Diabolical. How did that word come to you . Diabolical is something evil. Its something that the devil might do. Lt of overactive nerves. Lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. Woman for some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function, so i feel better. Lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. 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Paired with crispy onions, fresh baby spinach and kale the signature sriracha sandwich is yours to enjoy on your choice of beef or chicken. Pick one up, and take the flavor up. But do it today. Because its only here for a limited time. Reporter with every thump of her heart, michelle felt she was losing a little part of herself. Out of jail. But not out of jeopardy. Free to go to a high end coffee shop. But not allowed to remove the ankle bracelet tracking her. I had wrapped it with this sports bandage because i was so embarrassed to be wearing it, you know . Reporter but everything was about to change. After a thorough search of michelles digital devices, investigators concluded the damning emails did not come from them. We actually have a lab our own Computer Forensics lab, and then we have people that are very welltrained, and and thats really how this came to fruition that we were able to to determine that Michelle Hadley wasnt the suspect. Reporter this was momentous. After months in jail. After the ankle bracelet. Michelle hadley was cleared. Youre happy, but your emotions are all over the place cause youre kind of coming out of this fog. Im very lucky that my parents were there to take care of me cause its a rocky transition. Reporter now police faced a daunting new investigation. The suspect could be literally anybody with a cell phone or access to the internet. We cant show where it was coming from without the service of a search warrant, and then getting the information from the Internet Service provider. And it took months. Reporter Police NeededCritical Data from internet providers to confirm the precise times and locations of the Cyber Attacks against angela. They executed more than 50 search warrants and court orders during their investigation. Theres very few cases where weve had to write that many search warrants just to get to the bottom line, to get to the truth. Reporter and when they finally started getting the information they needed, the results were stunning. The ugly trail of ones and zeroes seemed to show that at least some of the hateful emails were coming from the condo in anaheim. The one ian and michelle had been to court over. The one ian and angela were now living in. The condo suddenly looking like the scene of the crime and the motive, all in one. This is where angela and ian lived. And i dont think they wanted to leave. If the exgirlfriend crazy, psycho exgirlfriend in the public eye is incarcerated and away, that resolves some of these Financial Issues . Right. Theyll have complete control over their residence. Reporter and now both of them were suspects ian, the us marshal and angela, the pregnant newlywed. In a way it makes more sense if youre looking at conventional motivation that it would be the exboyfriend, diaz right rather than the woman he married. Right, exactly. Reporter but the deeper they looked, the more police zeroed in on the woman ian married, and all the bizarre goings on swirling around her. One that stood out was angelas report that someone tried to rape her in the garage of the condo. You have to go to an alley to get to the garage and the garage doesnt have an address on it. Ah, so youre wondering how this alleged so assailant actually found her. That gets to be a question but then also there was some surveillance cameras that were in the area. And presumably would have shown someone tryin to enter and you didnt have that. We didnt have that. What about the scene itself . When you start questioning whether or not this could have happened, and her story about how she fought the guy off and compare that to the rather light injuries that she was showing it all started looking a little bit sketchy. Reporter investigators uncovered more sketchy behavior. Angela seemed to have a troubling history. We started seeing some of the fraudulent things that shes you know, that shes been involved in. Some bad checks. Bad checks. Faking a cancer episode. Faking a cancer episode. Things like that. Reporter the da says angela lied about Something Else too. She was not pregnant with ians child. But it wasnt the trail of lies that really mattered, it was the trail of emails that ultimately cracked the case. It turned out the emails sent from the condo didnt come from a computer at all. But, says the da, from a cell phone. Angelas cell phone. In an already beyond strange case. This turned things up to 11. Their original victim ended up being their number one suspect. Hows that for whiplash . I dont think anyone could believe it. Reporter it was time. Six months after Michelle Hadley was first charged, angela diaz was arrested and jailed. Good morning and thank you all for coming. Reporter da Tony Rackauckas held a press conference and delivered the stunning news. I am here to announce the filing of a felony complaint against Angela Marie Diaz by the orange County District attorneys office. Reporter there were no charges against ian, the man in the middle. The da said angela diaz was the mastermind and sole actor in an elaborate scheme to portray herself as a victim. She had quite simply framed Michelle Hadley. Michelle is accused of being angela who turned out to be angela pretending to be michelle pretending to be angela. Reporter the charges were just that convoluted. Angela accused of sending herself threatening emails. Inviting men to her own home to rape her. Inflicting injuries on herself. And all to put her husbands exgirlfriend behind bars. Whats more at least for a few months, authorities say, she succeeded. When someone who is innocent gets arrested and charged with a crime, thats not just a bad day, its a nightmare. It needs to be made clear in the media and in cyberspace, ms. Hadley is an innocent victim of a diabolical scheme. How did that word come to you . And what do you mean now about diabolical in this scheme . Diabolical is something evil. Its something that the devil might do. Not to be too glib. Your theory was wrong, but you untangled it. Is that what happened here . Well, that is right. Uhhuh. Youre sorry that the first theory was wrong . Absolutely. You know, its a terrible thing to accuse an innocent person. Were the apologies enough . Your county authorities doing in effect a walk of shame. Saying, we got this terribly wrong. I appreciate the apologies. But the apologies dont rebuild your life and the apologies dont undo whats been done. Ill carry this around for the rest of my life and theres still that question of whats ahead. Reporter one thing ahead is a lawsuit. Michelles lawyer Michael Guisti has already filed paperwork against the city of anaheim. Its going to allege violations of her constitutional rights, and among those, was being kept wrongfully in jail. The Anaheim Police department, our detective, didnt create the situation. Angela diaz did. We did what we had to do as the circumstances came about, and as the evidence presented itself, up to and including continuing to investigate and exonerating michelle. Reporter angela is facing a slew of felony charges, including kidnapping, false imprisonment, perjury, and forgery. Last month, she pleaded not guilty to all of them. The failure to investigate adequately the role of ian diaz in it is a serious concern. Reporter Allison Margolin is angelas defense attorney. She says shes yet to see proof that angela, not ian, was the culprit. Maybe it exists. Maybe it doesnt exist. But i havent seen evidence yet that is dispositively linking angela versus ian to to any of the conduct in the emails, et cetera. We reached out to ian hoping to speak to him, but got no response. Is he in on this thing . Well, at this point there isnt any evidence that indicates that he is. Everything points to her. Reporter if angela is the one behind the alleged plot, michelle has a question for her, why . Thats the hardest part of this thing for me to wrap my brain around. Shes never met me before. She doesnt know anything about me. Whats the motive . I cant imagine. Shes not fighting over your ex. She has your ex. Exactly. Im not in the race. Why come after me . Reporter the civil and criminal cases are just starting to make their way through the court system. Michelles personal struggle is just starting too. A struggle to rekindle the spirit of an innocent young woman whose life was changed forever by something. Well, something diabolical. I dont think theres anything more evil than finding a girl who believes in the best in humanity, and who loves other people deeply, and making her question who she is. Making her question her faith in humanity. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Well see you again sunday at 7 00, 6 00 central. And of course, ill see you each weeknight for nbc nightly news. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, good night. Next winning Lottery Ticket in bay area worth big buck. And what were learning about a suspicious death. And Business Owner killed during a robbery. Next. I feel really bad about what i did. With that person. Right now at 11 00, a warning going out about this man. Registered sex offender moved into bay area city. Tonight with his past behind him, what saying about his future in the bay area. News at 11 00 starts now. Question is will he offend again . New at