>> 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 attorney's office and trying to piece it together, to help prove a case and solidify it for court. >> reporter: problem was -- >> it just -- it wasn't coming together. these electronic messages were coming from -- from a different place. and we couldn't verify that it was coming from michelle hadley's device. >> reporter: it was a blow to the prosecution's 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 ian's new wife, angela. and that fire and brimstone language of the threatening emails, so distinctive and seemingly in michelle's voice. >> reporter: so that language of religious retribution -- >> made it appear to be michelle. >> reporter: you stand before god on this thing and -- >> that's right. and that caused the police and -- and our investigators as