>> somebody was posting ads online saying that they wanted to fulfill this rape fantasy. >> everything pointed to her husband's acts. >> they said, we're going to take you into custody. >> your carson. rated >> for potentially the rest of my life. >> hiding behind the threats was a cyber secret. >> even. something the devil might do. >> who was the real double? >> dea in this case would use the word diabolical. >> i think he's close to the mark. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> hello. welcome to dateline. michelle hadley seem to have it all. olympic normally, solid education, what the opportunities and support to help her fulfill the promises of youth. now, she had a fiancée she was crazy about. her life was about to be turned upside down. here is dennis murphy what diabolical. >> locked in the cage. the shrieks of wind and howling in the night. >> this isn't real. it's something we see in the movies. it doesn't happen in real life. >> how did a self-described goody tissue, disney princess, he swept away innocent conspiracy so convoluted, so twisted? >> this is one of the most well thought out, well executed plants. it is scary. >> diabolical. >> absolutely. >> a tangled web, you bet. altogether bizarre plot. complicated scheme. >> very complicated. very creative. >> this is the most shocking form of love rivalry i have ever seen. >> there would be allegations of harassment, cyber stalking, assault and attempted rape. someone was going to get hurt. someone was going to jail. at the end of the nightmare, well, no one saw that come in. you decide whether it was a love rivalry. 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 a role went type of roe mouths. >> august 2013, 20 something, michelle hadley, met the u.s. national famed dias overcome coffee. >> he told you that he loved daniel beautiful? >> it you thunderbolt? >> kind of early on. yeah. about the second day, he was telling he loved me. >> did you think, slow down, buddy. did you welcome it? >> i think when you're a young girl who has been based on the fairytale princess dream, it's very exciting and flattering. >> could this be her prince charming she was leading over a cappuccino? the man she dreamed of since she was a little girl. >> she was very imaginative, very intelligent. she loved to play and create. rachel's mother, suzanne, father, michael, raise her and her younger sister in his modest home in ontario, california. she was a cross country runner, that student. >> i was an overachiever. >> ruined it for everyone else. >> sometimes. >> michelle was offered a scholarship to dickinson, a liberal arts college in eastern pennsylvania. >> you must both been very proud of her. >> yeah. >> after graduation, she tried various careers before landing a marketing job at disney. now, she had met this man, ian diaz, u.s. marshall, her very own prince charming. and december 2014, for her 20th birthday, by he was drafted new york. to the rockefeller center that proposed. >> you said? >> i said yes. yeah. i said yes. >> it was time to find a starter castle to complete the fairytale. just minutes from her job disney, they walked into a new condo development in anaheim. she would be able to watch that disneyland fireworks from the roof. >> i put the down payment down. >> you did? >> i paid the whole down payment, yes. >> they waited for the condo to be vanished. in june, they moved in. but rachel said that that is when the mission relationship change. belle park, actually. two months later, she packed her jacket with whatever stuff she could didn't and let. showed up at her parents doorstep. >> surprise. tell me about that night. >> one, i had gotten a text on her saying, can i come home? they said, you don't need to ask. >> when we not see for him, in your opinion? >> i did feel the relationship is healthy for me. >> nurturing grief? >> not nurturing for me, yeah. >> with their tempers? >> let's just say that i'm i'm not a strong personality. i have to be very careful the kinds of people and surround myself with. it's also better for me not to be at that a relationship that they have won. >> but there is still ties that bound the former couple. a mortgage. the date that condo in anaheim, which became a source of tension. both hired lawyers. it got personal. michelle claimed that it was unfaithful. even abusive. she sent him a strange email. the language they sought religiously and references to the bible. i'm mythical demon called la la. please explain to real estate -- cause loss of all loss. including the law of man. you may try to hide behind a lot of that, but it is a weak shield that will bend and crack against this sort of god. ian denied her allegations it was so alarmed by her email that she applied for a straining order against. heard he accuse her of infidelity milk, because of her emotional instability, bits of rage, i fear for my safety. the request for the trading order was dismissed a few weeks later. back at the live member failed, or so it seemed. the lawyers hashed out a compromise. >> we had just getting a settlement agreement. ian and michelle signed it in november 2015. that deal allowed ian to stay in the condo, but he had six months to get his own mortgage. failing that, he would have to solve a condo and split any profits with michelle. michelle stood to lose most of her down payment. about $10,000. she said it was where that. >> i moved down my life completely. 100%, completely. i started dating again. >> it wasn't a major part of the life. >> was a settlement agreement was signed, it was a waiting game. >> she went back to school, started an nba program at chaplin university. ian, two, moved on quickly. married a woman named angela. the naked condo issue still was a result. and the six month deadline was approaching. >> that's another firework started happening. >> soon, more emails. really frightening once and a new target. coming up -- >> angela was claiming that she was receiving long, rambling emails saying that her husband, ian, doesn't love her. that she better get out of the picture, soon, before he hurts her. >> and after [inaudible] arrived, so do police. >> i said, what's going on out here? guys, and we just arrested michelle. >> when dateline continues. n dateline continues ♪breeze driftin' on by...♪ ♪...you know how i feel.♪ you don't have to take... 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yes. >> she's was scared, i guess. open those down restraining order. >> you've been served? >> yes, the concern. two officers were there. it was from angela diaz. >> the restraining order was for michelle, who was still living at her parents home. it came from angela diaz, ian's why the three months, who had recently announced she was pregnant. >> angela came into the picture not long after ian that that michelle had broken up. >> reporter kate covered it for the daily beast. she spent hours digging through the curious emails that michelle said ian during the condo. >> one minute she's polite and thanking him for reminders on her car insurance, the next minute she is saying that he is the anti christ. >> even after they signed the agreement, the evils kept coming. ian got this one on may 27th. >> you told me i was reversed. like you did not treat me like that precious, perfect treasure i am. you have sent against god. 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. >> law, rambling emails saying that, you know, her husband, ian, doesn't love her. that michelle is his one true love. that ian is cheating on her, that he millipedes women. she better get out of the picture before he had started. for >> the new emails to outlaw sounded like michelle this's emails to ian, complete with biblical imagery. it came from multiple you know that. >> telling angela that she would always be and michelle was his truth. angela what never be his one true love >> then, another email to angela appeared. the subject, diet. the message? i hope you are scared of death tomorrow. be prepared. don't sleep. be watchful of the daughters of god. email continues. we will still hear child and biffle watches it dies. angela said what she loved to senate who sent the email it was from michelle. >> you can understand them angela why should be so rattled. >> right. >> a barrage of emails robbed unpaid that, first 2016. >> be warned, michelle we -- angela, you've lost. you will suffer. i will pray for you. the next morning, june 1st, angela filed first rainwater. one place served at the hadley 's home. you bet in part, miss hadley has been emailed me for over one week repeatedly threatening my life, my marriage, my safety, slandering my husband. >> the rhetorical language you used in your email to your ex, had biblical, old testament rossiter. it is as a? >> well, no comment on that. you know -- two >> years, it was. not >> now. no. >> michelle admit she said fire brimstone emails to it, she was just elected to discussing my camera. she said it was a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder that she blood on her bow -- volatile villages epithets. she told us that she never sent any emails angela. tipped back, michelle said, she didn't know her. >> i've never heard of her. and never communicating with her. >> it is a where she lived pickardville? >> exactly. i'm assuming she loves a condo with. tampa side that, that is the extent of what i know about her. i don't know what her job is, i don't know where she works. i know nothing about her background. >> more so she said. please that otherwise. >> there was compelling evidence. >> sergeant dared by it was a public information for that anaheim police. >> there was biblical imagery that was clearly read by michelle to her acts, it is to be in the same emails that are coming to angela. to that drive some of your theory but the case? >> i can't talk about specifics. there was clear and convincing evidence to believe that michelle hadley was the person who is sending her emails. >> a judge ordered michelle to cease all contact with angela and ian. but the emails continued. just six, you will pay for this. i hope to god you are ready for the pain. this, burn and the fire pits of hell tonight as by god's law. you will be hurt. three weeks after the restraining order was filed, police returned to's parents house. >> devilish search warrant for my devices. i had all my devices over. i give them all the past codes. she opens up myself. and >> the officer looked at her email account, check the activity there. that arrested michelle for violating the restraining order. >> i heard or slamming up front. i went out and i said, what is going on out here? >> the guy said, we just rested michelle. >> arrested your michelle? >> yes. >> she was placed on hold exam her parents posted a bond to get her out after a long fight -- >> she was sitting out on the steps up front. >> one of the stranger days. >> the strangest. >> strange days wrongly beginning. coming up -- from badgers by email to things in the front door. >> someone is posing as online to craigslist to see if they wanted to fulfill the right path to say. >> monday i continue. monday i continue i don't. new cascade platinum plus has me doing dishes... differently. scrub? soak? nope. i just scrape, load and i'm done. only platinum plus is bigger. with double the dawn grease fighting power and double the scrubbing power. for a no rewash clean... and a cabinet ready shine. rewash? not in my house. upgrade to new cascade platinum plus. dare to dish differently. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ ♪ non-drowsy claritin knocks out symptoms from over 200 allergens. without knocking you out. feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. live claritin clear. 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i don't think i've ever heard of this. >> i didn't hear that either until this case. yes, there is a market for it. >> it is a tight personal ad. you can buy them on craigslist and elsewhere online. men seeking women who want to meet and act out of rape. of women responded to the ad. i've been dying to have this fantasy occur. if you can feel this tonight, please let me know. i am 30, tom, gorgeous, ready. i have a yorkie i walk every night. come find me. the email gave an address, the condo and anaheim where angela and ian let. on june 13th, angela and ian told police a man showed up at her door, expected to have violent sex with angela. he told police they sent him away. other men followed. all invited by email responses to rape fantasy ads. >> it had escalated began. to the point where angela calls plays department that another person had showed up and had actually tried to rape her. >> police officers responded to angela's 9-1-1 call. >> what did their counter? >> they encountered a very distraught angela diaz who said that another person had shown up. >> and she is abrasions. i care. >> on her neck. her shirt is torn. >> this is beyond misdemeanor mischief. this is a criminal act that you're seeing. >> most definitely, a criminal act. >> who is inviting men to rape angela? places like there was no question that it was michelle hadley. that is what led them to arrest michelle outside of her parents home. angela reported that during the night that michelle sent -- suspended home, she didn't receive an. emails michelle may bail, she was out. >> almost immediately, but the mail started again. >> who is the deal here the book is actively? >> correct. >> it is continuing? >> correct. >> this is a complicated scheme. >> yes. >> daily beast reporter tried to unravel the story from her office in new york city. angela diaz appear to be at the center of an increasingly dangerous game. >> she was afraid for her life. she was afraid to go anywhere. she felt she had to approve her whole, and take down her online profiles and hide. >> july 11th, two weeks after michelle build out of jail, a new rape fantasy ad appeared on case less and a response. once again, the email directed to the home of angela diaz. >> what what michelle's motivation being doing this? >> it's interesting. the fact that there is some sort of love triangle going on, right? there's two women and one guy. there is also the unsold condominium. >> the condo was still a factor in the story. the bank had not approved ian and angela for a mortgage. it was time to sell as agreed to. that was not going to happen, according to's bother. the ex-boyfriend was digging in his heels. >> you have yourself a conduct, he doesn't wanna move out, period. he makes that claim. >> on july 12th, 2016, even as she remain under investigation for cyber stalking and worse, michelle filed a breach of contact against ian over the con -- conduct. the next day, angela call plays. another minute was outside her condo. anaheim detectives found a 17-year-old in the courtyard. he told police that he was responding to a crisis at. >> tony was the orange county district attorney. >> get out the straight. it's hazardous to angela at this point. >> michelle looks like a loose cannon out there. >> she did. >> absolutely. absolutely. >> police got a warrant. once again, arrested michelle hadley. >> it's very hard to see your daughter the placed in handcuffs. i just kept saying to him, no, no. i can't believe it. >> this time, it was much more serious. michelle was charged with stalking and making criminal threats and six counts of attempted rape for directing those meant to diaz's door. michelle's second rest got attention from reporters in that one county across the country. >> to cooking and calm validity even be true. >> bill this time was $1 million. they michelle slept in prison. >> this is ruffin for you, michelle? >> absolutely. it is a scariest moment of my life. >> dateline returns after the break. ter th break. so, we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it cleans better, and doesn't leave behind irritating residues. and it's gentle on her skin tide free & gentle is epa safer choice certified. it's got to be tide new emergen-c crystals pop and fizz when you throw them back. and who doesn't love a good throwback? 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>> not at all. >> it's actually 180 degrees so out of sync with her behavior. >> they want to see michelle on her first day in jail after being charged. >> this is going to be conversation with phones for glass? >> yes. >> yes. >> there are cells without cages. she is in a cage when. i don't know why she was asked of indication. she does. >> rachel's bill was set at 1 million dollars. to get her out, mike and suzanne would have to come up with 10% of that. that is $100,000 cash. they told their daughter that they had enough to do that or to hire a good lawyer. but not both. >> bottom line is, we are going to fight this. there's no bail. that's it. >> how tough is that, susan? yet the money, you could've had her home for dinner. >> yeah. it was pretty tough. >> i told my dad, i was scared to death. i didn't know what was going to happen in jail. i told my dad, i can handle it. don't worry about me. go get a good attorney. >> you are incarcerated? >> yeah. for potentially the rest of my life. >> the girl who loved disneyland, fairytale princess and her morning starbucks said she stayed behind bars and tough it out. jailhouse denims were her new black. >> i stood out like a sore thumb. >> what was yourself? like >> tidy. they have to putt beds, a table and two chairs and your toilet is attached to your sink. everyone can see and. you never get any privacy. >> what is a danger? >> they wake up at 4:30 a.m.. they bring you your breakfast. >> which is? what >> it's usually some sort of role looking potato mesh. i don't even know how to describe. >> i'm guessing that if only starbucks. >> now starbucks. >> we're talking about food. what is village? >> bloody sandwich and really, really nasty velocity. i almost didn't it for the first three or four days. >> michelle, the sounds of the jailhouse? >> yeah. good luck sleeping and jail. the door slamming is very loud. the women at night sometimes scream like banshees. you will hear it going through the jail. >> the population of prisoners took a close look at the poteet young woman from a good home, now living in their cell block. checkered especially after the 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 route letter one point slipped under my cell door. what if one of the girls goes after me? what happens then? >> one of the woman who took you said, you have the tough enough, bro. >> she did. yeah. >> you need to develop sweater. >> apparently i walk like a church mouse and that is not cool. she said, you're gonna get hurt in here because you look weak when you walk. >> you have to become scarves? >> yeah. yeah. yes. >> according to the outside world, she already was scar face. skip cape breton lay of the daily beast reported on the case. >> these were incredibly serious charges that michelle was facing. felony charges that included attempted forcible rape. >> meanwhile, michelle's parents were in crisis mode, looking for an attorney. >> you don't have criminal defense attorneys on your speed all and guessing? >> we do not. >> michael suzanne wanted the right lawyer to deal with a cyber crime. they also wanted to start working on michelle's defense right away. their daughter wasn't trouble. they started their own investigation. >> was it clear to, like, if you're going to probably wear this, thank you have to understand the story told by the computers? >> correct. >> the forensics of this. >> absolutely. >> you have to learn a bunch. >> i know ip addresses, all that other. step >> and ip addresses a numeric code that identifies a computer network for an individual device. mike i top use of all the incriminating emails from the evidence filed what that restraining order. you started going through the software that traces ip addresses. >> this investigative software that you become your detective, is that something you have to go to caltech to get a copy of? it's isn't as a material? >> gosh, no. a 15-year-old kid material. >> it's like a salt, suzanne what organize them. >> he would print out on yellow pads of legal paper all of the ip addresses and then i would take all of them and i would put them on the spreadsheet. we highlighted where certain ip addresses or the same. >> the idea being that this ip addresses going to go to physical location? >> yes. >> if they could trace the email sent from one location and prove michele was somewhere else at the same time, it could be an alibi. but a dea tony rick aukus, they look like a bad set of facts for michelle hadley. >> looking at the emails and the pictures and the ads, it looked like michelle hadley he was doing this terrible thing, stocking and victimizing angela. >> the wheels of justice were grinding slowly. the lives of two young women were hanging in the balance. >> dateline returns after the break. after th break. itizer kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in the air. because scent can't sanitize. lysol can. did you know most dish soaps don't remove all the grease, even with scrubbing? 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i wanted them to be proud. of what a brave girl they had raised. >> as the weeks turned into months, her brave front started to crack. >> there were mornings when i would wake up and i will bring my eyes and i would see the jostle of all and i would think, okay, i'm going to wake up a second time. this is just a nightmare. and it wasn't. it was for real. i was starting to feel like i was slipping away. >> you thought your humanity slipping away? >> yeah. >> she was nothing like a criminal. >> that's forgotten? >> my gut is pretty good. >> her parents hired michael guisti. michael guisti felt an instant connection to the hadley's. >> i looked at michelle's family, to a large extent i saw my family. i saw a working class family who fiercely defended their child. she was a young, ambitious nba student who was nothing but bright-eyed and optimistic. >> and was facing life in prison? >> for no reason. no reason. >> so, this is the case you go to law school for. >> this is the reason we become a lawyer. >> rachel's mom and dad showed guisti the computer research they had done on the emails at the heart of the case. michael hadley was convinced they found something crucial. >> why are michelle's digital fingerprints on this? that >> they're not. there are no digital fingerprints whatsoever. >> it looks like it's coming from michelle. >> it looks like someone is making it look like it's coming from michelle. that is for sure. >> they spreadsheet showed something credit mandating emails were sent what michelle could prove that she was in the classroom at chapman university. >> here's machelle a school, and. janet here emails coming. she's in class >> she was in class doing her final course presentation. there's no way she's going to be sending this email. >> the athletes that they had. it proved that michelle was innocent. defense attorney guisti disagreed. he knew it would take skillful legal window to convince prosecutors. >> a district attorney is never going to buy my evidence. a district attorney is going to have to convince themselves that they have evidence which might accidentally coincide with what i have. >> it back, police and prosecutors were still doing everything they could to link those emails to michelle. >> we have a very skilled detective who's working on the case. he was a constant communication with the district attorney's office and try to piece it together to prove the case at solidify have record. >> problem was -- >> it wasn't coming together. >> his electronic latches were coming from a different place. we can verify it was coming from michelle hadley's device. >> it was a blow to the prosecution's case. but there is more evidence that just ip addresses. there was the bad blood between michelle and ian, the restraining orders, those harrowing attempted rapes of bensley wife, angela. and that fire and brimstone language of the threatening emails so distinctive and seemingly in michelle's voice. >> that language of religious retribution, they appear to be michele. you stand before got on the? saying >> that's. or that caused the police are investigators as well look at it and say, this is michelle. >> one thing was clear that, the computer forensics had blown a sizeable hole in the prosecution's case. guisti seize the moment and worked out a deal. the dea would release michelle from jail, but he would not drop the charges against her. and the investigation would continue. after 80 days, michelle locked out of jail. >> on the outside, basically my parents, they were there waiting for me and got my coffee. >> like a cup of coffee. >> the good cup of coffee. which, man, i've been dreaming about that for so long. >> it was an incredible moment for the headlines. a legal victory, not the end of the road. >> she still in jeopardy. still having charges. she had ankle bracelet on. >> i felt like i was so scarred from jail. and wearing that device, you feel like you're an animal. i just remember thinking, how did they get here? i didn't do anything. >> coming up -- if michelle wasn't sending the emails, who was? and why? >> i'm here to announce a ballet felony complaint. >> i don't think anyone could do that. >> the dea has a word for it. we >> diabolical. >> how did that work come to? you >> diabolical it's something evil. >> when dateline continues. keep your laundry smelling fresh waaaay longer fresh for weeks, make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high, you know how i feel. ♪ ♪ breeze driftin' on... ♪ [coughing] ♪ ...by, you know how i feel. ♪ if you're tired of staring down your copd,... ♪ it's a new dawn, ♪ ♪ it's a new day... ♪ ...stop settling. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good. ♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy makes breathing easier for a full 24 hours, improves lung function, and helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. take a stand, and start a new day with trelegy. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy, and save at trelegy.com [♪♪] did you know, unless you treat dandruff regularly, it will keep coming back. try head & shoulders shampoo. dandruff is caused by irritation to a germ that lives on everyone's scalp. unlike regular shampoo, head & shoulders contains zinc pyrithione, which fights the dandruff-causing germ and helps prevent it from coming back. it's gentle on hair and provides up to 100% dandruff protection, clinically proven. try head & shoulders shampoo and conditioner. for best results, use with every wash. this has been medifacts for head & shoulders. 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[ tires screeching ] jordana, easy on the gas. i gotta wrap this commercial, i think i'm late on my payment. it's okay, the general gives you a break. yeah, we let you pick your own due date. good to know, because this next scene might take a while. for a great low rate, go with the general. wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. next scene might take a while. it's to die for. and it's all right here. streaming was never this easy, you know. this is the way. you really went all out didn't you? um, it's called commitment. could you turn down the volume? here, you can try. get way more into what your into when you stream on the xfinity 10g network. welcome back. >> welcome back. michelle hadley had been released from jail. michelle hadley has been released from jail. if she hadn't sent those ominous emails filled with references to -- and kidnap and rape, who did? could the answer be in the emails themselves? now, with the conclusion of our story with dennis murphy. >> with every thump of her heart, michelle felt that she was losing a part of herself. out of jail, but not out of jeopardy. free to go to a high and coffee shop, but not allowed to remove the ankle bracelet tracker. when >> i wrapped it with the sports bandage because i was so embarrassed to be wearing it. you know? >> everything was about to change. after a thorough search of michelle's digital devices, investigators concluded the damning emails did not come from them. >> we have a lab, our own computer forensics lab. we have people that are very well trained. that is how this came to fruition. we were able to determine that michelle hadley was not the suspect. >> this was momentous. after months in jail, after the ankle bracelet, michelle hadley was cleared. >> you are happy, but your emotions are all over the place because you are coming out of this fog. >> please face a daunting new investigation. a suspect could be literally anybody with a cell phone or access to the internet. >> we can't show groups coming from about the service of a search warrant. getting the information from the internet service provider chuck moves. >> police needed critical data from internet providers to confirm the precise times and locations of the cyberattacks against angela. they executed more than 50 search warrants and court mortars during their investigation. >> they're very few cases where we've had to write that many search warrants just to get to the bottom line, to get the truth. >> when they finally started getting information that they needed, the results were stunning. the ugly trail of ones and zeroes came to show that at least one of the people emails were coming from the condo in anaheim. the one ian and michelle had been to court over. the one ian angela we're 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 let. i don't think they wanted to leave. >> so, if the ex conference, crazy, cycle excrement in the public eyes incarcerated, that resolves financial issues? >> right. they will have complete control over their residents. >> now, both of them were suspects. ian, the u.s. marshal and angela, the pregnant government. >> in a way, it makes more sense if you're looking at conventional motivation that it would be the ex-boyfriend, diaz and the woman he married. >> right, exactly. the deep it looked, the more police zeroed in on the woman and married. all the bizarre goings on. one that stood out was angela's report that someone tried to rape her in the crash of the condo. >> if you go to the alley to get the garage. crushes and have a dress on. it >> how did this assailant found her? >> that's a question. there's also some surveillance cameras that were in the area. presumably, what a shot someone tried to enter. we didn't have that. >> help out the scene itself? >> the question whether this could have happened and strive how she felt like i, of compare that to the light injuries she was showing, it looks sketching. >> investigators uncovered more sketchy behavior. angela seem to have a troubling history. >> you start seeing some of the fraudulent things that she's been involved. and >> that checks? >> faking a cancer episode? >> faking a cancer episode. things like. that >> the dea says that angela lied about something else. she was not pregnant with ian's child. it wasn't that trail applies that really mattered. it was the trail of emails that ultimately cracked the case. it turned out the emails sent from the condo didn't come from a computer at all, but, says that he, from a cell phone. angela's cell phone. and a beyond strange case, this turn things up to 11. >> the original victim ended up being their number one suspect. >> has that for whiplash? [laughter] >> i don't think anyone could believe it. >> it was time. six months after michelle hadley was first charged, angela diaz was arrested and jailed. >> good morning, thank you for coming. >> the dea, tony rackauckas, held a press conference and a look at the stunning evidence. >> i'm here to announce the filing of felony complaint against angela diaz by orange county district attorney's office. >> there are no charges against ian, the man in the middle. the dea, said that angela diaz was the mastermind and soul after in an elaborate scheme to portray herself as a victim. she had quite simply framed michelle hadley. >> michelle is accused of being -- angela and pretending to be michelle pretending to be angela. >> it was just that convoluted. angela accused of sending herself threatening emails, invited men to her own home to rape her. inflicting injuries on herself. i'll to put her husband's ex-girlfriend behind bars. what is more, at least for a few months, authorities say that she succeeded. >> and someone who's innocent gets arrested and charged with a crime, that's not just a bad day. it is a nightmare. it needs to be made clear in the media and in cyberspace. this hadley is an innocent victim of a diabolical scheme. >> what do you mean nobody diabolical in this scheme? >> diabolical something even. it's something that that -- might do. >> your theory was -- >> that is right. >> you're sorry that your theory was wrong. >> absolutely. it's a terrible thing to accuse an innocent person. >> but the apology is enough? where county authorities during a walk, and say we did this terribly wrong. >> i appreciate it apologies, but the apologies don't rebuild your life. the apologies don't undo what has been done. [crying] i will carry this around for the rest of my life. >> to attempt to get justice for michelle, her lawyer filed a lawsuit against angela diaz, diaz, and the city of anaheim. in 2021, the city, without admitting liability, agreed to pay michelle $1,790,000. ian diaz and angela diaz reached separate settlements with michelle. >> anaheim police and our detective didn't pretty situation. angela diaz did. what we had to do, as the circumstances came about, as the evidence presented herself, after i continue to exonerate michelle. >> in october 2017, angela pleaded guilty to felony charges, including kidnapping, false imprisonment, perjury, forgery. she was sentenced to five years. >> this diaz does speak not only punishment, but needs help. she appears to be devoid of any sense of empathy or compassion to others. any kind of realization as to the impact to what actions have on another person's life. >> one other thing angela lost besides her freedom was her husband, ian. he had their reginald. angela's defense attorney believed ian deserved a closer look. >> the failure to investigate that adequately, the role of ian diaz in, it is a serious concern. >> we reach out to ian hoping to speak to him, but got no response. turns out that federal prosecutors also had questions. after investigating his role in the scheme, they charged ian diaz with conspiracy to commit cyber stalking, cyber stalking and perjury. and march 2023, a former u.s. marshal was convicted on all counts and sentenced to ten years and one month. he has filed an appeal. >> when we last sat down with michelle, her personal struggle was far from over. i struggle to rekindle the spirit of an innocent young woman whose life was changed forever by something diabolical. >> i don't think there's anything more evil and 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 fate in humanity. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i am craig melvin. thank you for watching. ank you for watching ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ this sunday, criminal conspiracy. former president donald trump is criminallyum charged for tryingo overturn the 2020 election and hold on to power. >> the attack on our nation's capitol on january 6th, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of american democracy. described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies. >> this is now the third criminal indictment against donald trump this year. every time they file an indictment we go way up in the polls. one more indictment and this election is closed out. nobody has