are coming to angela. did that drive some of your theory about the case? i can t 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 god s law. you will be hurt. three weeks after the restraining order was filed, police returned to michelle s 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, what s going on out here
even close to a criminal. reporter: that you re gut talking, right? my gut s pretty good. reporter: michelle s parents hired defense attorney michael guisti to defend their daughter. guisti felt an instant connection to the hadleys. i looked at michelle s 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 bright-eyed 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 michelle s mom and dad had done on the emails at the heart of the case. michael hadley was convinced they d found something crucial. reporter: why are michelle s
and had actually tried to rape her. reporter: police officers responded to angela s 9-1-1 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 she s 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. that s 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 it s continuing. correct. repor
reporter: one thing was clear, though. the computer forensics had blown a sizable hole in the prosecution s 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. she s still in jeopardy. she s still charged with the same crimes. reporter: and she s 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 you re
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 prosecution s 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. she s still in jeopardy. she s still charged with the same crimes. reporter: and she s 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