Netflix's newest true-crime documentary tells a story so bizarre it's hard to believe: A couple who claimed they were being terrorized by a stalker ultimately turned out to have orchestrated the entire scheme themselves, using threatening emails and fake online ads to frame the man's ex-fiancée.

A Toxic Love Story, currently the No. 1 film on Netflix, dives into the case involving Michelle Hadley, a California woman who spent 88 days in jail in 2016 for a crime she didn’t commit. The documentary details how Hadley’s ex-fiancé, then-Deputy U.S. Marshal Ian Diaz, and his new wife, Angela Connell, accused her of sending violent, threatening emails under the alias "Lilithistruth" and posting a Craigslist ad soliciting a stranger to carry out a rape fantasy at the couple's Anaheim condo.

What Did Ian Diaz And Angela Connell Do?

Hadley and Diaz met on a dating site in August 2013 and quickly got engaged. They purchased a condo near Disneyland in Anaheim in May 2015; Hadley made the down payment while Diaz covered the mortgage, according to the documentary.

As the relationship progressed, Hadley said Diaz pressured her to have sex with another man while he watched, controlled how she dressed, asked her to wear fake nails and installed a camera facing their kitchen. She’s also described him as unpredictable; for example, taking her out for a fancy dinner one night only to turn aggressive behind the wheel the next, according to USA Today.

The couple split up in August 2015. By January 2016, Diaz had moved on with Angela Connell, and the two got married within a month, with Connell taking his surname. That May, Connell told him she was pregnant with twins, per the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

In June 2016, Connell went to the Anaheim Police Department claiming she'd received cyberstalking messages and threatening emails, including graphic images of decapitated babies and aborted fetuses, from a user called "Lilithistruth.” The couple told police the account belonged to Hadley.

They also accused Hadley of posting Craigslist ads under Connell's photo soliciting men to act out rape fantasies at the condo, providing photographs of Connell and her address. Connell later reported that a masked man had broken in and attacked her, and even appeared to have physical evidence corroborating her claims, according to the Orange County District Attorney's release.

Did Michelle Write The Lilithistruth Emails?

Hadley didn't write the threatening "Lilithistruth" messages, but there's a reason investigators initially thought so. According to Netflix's Tudum, as Diaz grew increasingly volatile during their relationship, Hadley eventually left the condo they shared.

She was later found wandering in the Arizona desert during what she now believes was a dissociative episode related to complex PTSD. In the aftermath, she sent Diaz two angry emails that drew on religious language from her childhood, warning that he would be held accountable for his actions. Those messages, sent under her own name months before the "Lilithistruth" emails appeared, gave Diaz and Connell a template they could later imitate.

How Did The Case Against Hadley Fall Apart?

Investigators eventually determined the couple had routed the threatening emails to themselves using multiple accounts and VPNs to make it look like Hadley was the sender, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Angela’s ex-boyfriend Jason Rayburn told documentary filmmakers she had previously faked a cancer diagnosis and lied about her job, and he confronted her about it. Diaz soon discovered his wife's pregnancy wasn't real after finding a doctored sonogram and an altered pregnancy test.

Hadley was released and formally exonerated on Jan. 9, 2017. That same month, Connell was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, and charged with 10 felony counts. She pleaded guilty to fraud, false imprisonment and falsely reporting a crime, and was sentenced roughly nine months later to five years in state prison.

In a 2017 news conference, then-Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said it was "unfathomable why" Connell "would concoct such a diabolical scheme to hurt an innocent person.” He claimed that she didn’t feel “remorse, compassion, or empathy for the victim.”

As for Diaz, it took federal investigators a bit longer to establish his role. He allegedly impersonated "Lilithistruth" in part to pressure Hadley into giving up the condo. He was arrested in May 2021, and a federal jury convicted him in 2023 of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, cyberstalking, perjury and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to just over 10 years in federal prison, according to a Department of Justice release.

Where Is Ian Diaz Now?

Diaz is serving his sentence at FMC Fort Worth, with a scheduled release date of Jan. 31, 2031, per the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Diaz declined to be interviewed for the documentary. Director Alexandra Lacey told Netflix's Tudum that filmmakers tried to include his perspective by writing to him directly, but he declined to participate.

Not much is known about his life behind bars. In January 2025, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his convictions.

Where Is Angela Connell Now?

After Diaz annulled their marriage in April 2017, Connell went back her maiden name. She began serving her prison sentence in January 2018 and was released to parole supervision in mid-2020 after receiving credit for time served. She completed parole in July 2021, per USA Today.

Connell has since moved out of California and now lives in Phoenix, Arizona. According to multiple reports, she now goes by "Angi" and works as the director of an abortion access hotline at Exhale Pro-Voice.

According to the company’s website, "After spending time in prison, Angi pursued a Master's degree in Psychology and Justice Studies, deepening her commitment to transformative justice. She reconnected with Exhale in 2021, joining as a textline counselor, and now serves as the Director of Peer Counseling."

The website also states that, outside of work, Angi enjoys “trail running in the Arizona desert, chasing after her three wild pups, exploring craft beer spots, or spending time with her family.”

Like her ex-husband, Connell also declined to participate in the documentary. Producer Emma Supple told Netflix's Tudum that the filmmakers reached out to everyone central to the story, but that Connell chose not to take part.

“We contacted everybody who is important at the heart of the story to see whether they wanted to take part, and ultimately Angela declined,” Supple explained. “We don’t know a huge amount about what she’s doing now.”

Where Is Michelle Hadley Now?

After her release, Hadley filed a lawsuit against the city of Anaheim, as well as Diaz and Connell. The city reached an undisclosed settlement with her in 2021, according to court records. She later earned her master’s degree, moved to New York City to work in marketing and has since relocated again.

Today, Hadley is a vocal advocate for survivors of domestic violence.

“I want her to know she’s not alone, that every single woman who has been through something like this has come out the other side a warrior, and that she has basically a whole army on her side … that we can be a beacon for them, light in the storm,” she told Netflix’s Tudum.

Her advocacy centers on financial abuse, which she says often prevents survivors from leaving abusive relationships. Hadley lost the savings she had put toward the down payment on the Anaheim condo she shared with Diaz and never recovered the money.

“The most recent statistic I saw is [with] 98% of women who experience abuse, there’s also financial abuse involved,” she said. Her message isn’t just for survivors, but for lawmakers, too: “Let’s stop putting this on the shoulders of survivors to navigate and deal with, and let’s start as a society taking more responsibility for the fallout in these cases.”

Hadley is also raising a daughter, who was born the same day Ian was convicted for his crimes.

“It’s hard to avoid, when you have a little girl, all discussion of princesses because they’re everywhere,” she said. “What I have tried to do is co-opt that language, but talk about bravery, intelligence, courage, standing up for other people, kindness — qualities that to me are much more important, really framing the princess as more of a knight and a warrior in her own right.”

A Toxic Love Story is streaming on Netflix.