towards forgiveness. ♪ > i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." >> she was receiving a long rambling e-mails threatening her life saying that her husband is cheating on her. she's telling her to watch her back. she better get out of the picture. >> menacing e-mails sent to a newlywed. >> the new wife went to authorities and said she was being harassed. >> that's when all the fireworks started happening. >> obviously, this has to stop. >> what arrived next appears far worse. >> strange men appeared at her

door trying to attack her. >> someone was posting ads online saying they wanted to fulfill a rape fantasy. >> everything pointed to her ex. >> they said we have to take you into custody for potentially the rest of my life. >> hiding behind the threats was a cyber screen. >> evil, something the devil might do. >> who was the real devil? >> the da would use the word diabolical. >> i think he's close to the mark. >> hello, and welcome to "dateline." michelle hadley seemed to have it all. a loving family, solid education, with the opportunities and support to help her fulfill the promises of youth and now she had a fiancee she was crazy about. but her life what's about to be turned upsidedown. here's dennis murphy with

diabolical. >> locked in a cage, the shrieks of women howling into the night. >> this isn't real. this is like something you see in a movie. this doesn't happen in real life. >> how does a self-described goody two shoes disney princess get swept away in something so convoluted so twisted. >> this is one of the most well thought out well executed plans and it's scary. >> diabolical? >> absolutely. >> a tangled web? you bet. an altogether bizarre plot. a complicated scheme? >> very complicated. very creative. >> this has been a shocking foremost love rivalry itself that i've ever seen. >> there would be allegations of harassing, cyber stalking, assault and attempted rape. someone was going to get hurt. someone was going to jail and at the end of the night, well, no one saw that coming. you decide whether it was a love rivalry.

but in the beginning, it was clearly a boy meet girl love story. >> it was a very intense period of my life in the sent of just a very kind of whirlwind type of romance. >> august 2013, 20-something michelle hadley met a u.s. marshall named ian diaz over a cup of coffee. things moved fast. >> he told you he loved you, you were beautiful? >> yeah. >> he hit you with a thunderbolt? >> right, early on. the second date he was telling me he loved me. >> what did you think? >> i think when are you a young girl who has kind of been raised on the fairy tale princess dream it's very exciting and flattering. >> could this be her prince charming she was meeting over a cappuccino, the man she dreamed of since a little girl? >> she was very imaginative, intelligent. she loved to play and create. >> michelle's mom and husband

raised her in this modest home in ontario, california. she was a cross country runner, a good student. >> i was an over achiever. >> a kid that ruined the curve for everybody else? >> actually, sometimes. >> michelle was offered a scholarship to attend digenson, a liberal art college in easton, pa. >> you must have been proud of how your child what's working out? >> very proud. >> she tried various careers before landing a marketing job at disney. now she had met this man, ian diaz, the u.s. marshall, her very own prince charming. in december, 2014, for her 28th birthday, he whisked her off to new york and swing vistas at rockefeller center and proposed. >> and you said. >> i said yes. >> it was time to find a starter castle to complete the fairy tale. just minute 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 hotel? >> i paid the hotel payment, yes. >> they waited for the condo to be finished. in june they moved in. michelle said, that when the relationship changed. fell apart, two month later she packed up her jetta with whatever stuff she could fit in and left. showed up at her parents' doorstep. >> surprised? tell me about that night. >> i had got an text from her saying i can come home? i said you don't even need to ask. >> why were you not suited for him in your opinion? >> i didn't think the relationship was healthy for me. >> not nurturing? >> not nurturing. >> were there tempers? >> let's say it's a strong personality. it's 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 e-mail the language laced with relidgeiosity and references to the bible and satan, please explain to your real estate attorney that god's law is above all man behind the law of man. >> lillith. you may try to hide behind the law of map, but it is a weak shield that will bend to the sword of god. he accused her of infidelity and wrote because of her emotional instable, 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. >> ian and michelle signed it in november of 2015. the deal allowed ian to stay in the condo. but he had six months to get his own mortgage, failing that, he'd have to still the condo and split profits with michelle. michelle stood to lose most of her downpayment about $10,000. she said it was worth it. >> i moved on with my life completely. 100% completely. i actually started dating again. >> there is a two types of a problem with a condo? it's not the major part of your life? >> once the waiting settlement arrived, it was a waiting game go she went back to school at chapman university. iian too moved on quickly, married a woman angela. but the nagging condo issue still wasn't resolved and the six-month deadline was approaching. >> that's kind of where all the

fireworks started happening. >> soon, more e-mails, really frightening ones and at a new target. coming up -- >> angela was claiming that she was receiving long rampant e-mails saying that her husband ian doesn't love her, she better get out of the picture soon before he hurts her. of comparing rates with progressive's home quote explorer. international hand model jon-jon gets personal. your wayward pinky is grotesque. then a high stakes patty-cake battle royale ends in triumph.

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by june 1st, 2016, tension over the anaheim condo michelle hadley and ian diaz had shared was once again starting to repeat. the deadline was fast approaching. ian needed to take over the mortgage or sell the condo. and that's when some odd event began to unfold. michelle's father michael was at w eldest daughter was at home in ontario. >> i get a call from my daughter, someone is beating on the door. i said look outside, is there police cars? i said open the door. because it scared her, i guess. so a woman throws down a restraining order. >> here, you have been served kind of thing? >> yeah, you have been served with the police, two officers 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 wife of three months who had recently announced she was pregnant. >> angela came into the picture not long after ian and michelle had actually prone up. >> the reporter carried this story for the "daily beast." she spent hours digging through the curious e-mails she september ian. >> one minute she is politely thanking him. the next minute she is saying she satan and the anti-christ. >> even after they signed the agreement on the condo, the e-mails kept coming. ian got this one on may 22nd. 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 e-mails, too. >> long, rambling e-mails, saying that, you know, her husband, ian, doesn't 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. >> these new e-mails to angela sound like michelle's e-mails to ian, complete with biblical imagery, they came from multiple addresses signed jamie ray. >> telling angela that she would always be eve and that michelle wasseeian's lilith, his truth and that angela would never be his one true love. >> then another e-mail to angela appeared, the subject line die. the message, i hope you are scared of death tomorrow. be prepared. don't sleep. be watchful of the daughters of god. the e-mail continued.

we will steal your child and we will watch as it dies. angela said when she looked to see who sent this e-mail, it was from michelle hadley. >> you can understand from angela's point of view why she'd be so rattled? >> right. >> a barrage of e-mails arrived may 21st, 2016. be warned, angela, you've lost. i am going to end you. you will suffer. i will pray for you. the next morning, june 1st, angela filed for that restraining order, the one police served at the hadley's home, it read, in part, miss hadley has been e-mailing me for over one week repeatedly threatening my life, my marriage, my safety, slandering my husband. >> the rhetorical language you used in your e-mail to your ex. >> yeah. >> it was a biblical veracity to it? is this the same person? >> well, no comment on that, you know -- >> but it was not at all. >> no.

>> michelle admits she sid send fire and brimstone e-mails to ian, though she was reluctant to express them on camera. she told us it was a symptom of post-traumatic disorder disorder she blamed on her volatile relationship with her ex. she says she never sent her an e-mail or didn't know her. >> i've never known her, communicated with her. >> you couldn't pick her out of a lineup? >> i'm assuming she lived at the condo with him, that the extent about her. i don't know where her job, where she works. i know nothing about her background. >> or so she said. police thought otherwise. >> there was very compelling evidence. >> the public information officer for the anaheim police department. there was some very religious ferocious imagery clearly written by michelle to her exe that seems to be the same kind of e-mails 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 e-mails. >> a judge ordered michelle to cease all contact with angela and ian. but the e-mails continued. june 6th, you will pay for this i hope to god you are ready for the pain i will show you and 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 device, i hand them over, give them all the passcodes. he opens up my cell phone. >> the officer looked through her e-mail account, checked the activity there and arrested michelle for violating the restraining order. >> i heard doors slam. i went out front. i said, what's going on out here? the guy said we just arrested michel. >> arrested your michel? >> yes. >> she was placed in a holding

cell. her parents posted a bond to get her out. after a very long night, they picked her up from the anaheim police department. >> there she was sitting out front on the steps. >> one of the strangest days in your life. >> not one of the strangest. >> but strange days were only beginning. >> coming up, from daggers by ema ill to danger at the front door. >> somebody was posting ads online through craigslist and they wanted a proposed rape fantasy. >> when "dateline" continues. allstate won't raise your rates just because of an accident, even if it's your fault. cut! sonny. was that good? line! the desert never lies. isn't that what i said? no you were talking about allstate and insurance. i just... when i... let's try again. everybody back to one. accident forgiveness from allstate. click or call for a quote today.

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june, 2016, michelle hadley was out on bailiffing with her parents. anaheim police suspected michelle had been sending threatening e-mails to ian and his pregnant wife. it didn't make sense. >> a young woman, a good student, trying to get an nba. >> there are two side to every person. all we are seeing is all the everyday, it looks clear everything is originating from michelle hadley. >> but the case against michelle went way beyond threatening e-mails. police had everyday she was up to something much more sinister. something stomach churning. 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 they wanted to fulfill this rape fantasy. >> rape fant seas a genre? i don't think i ever heard of this. >> i never heard of it. apparently, yes, there is a market for it. >> it's 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 full if ill this tonight, please let me know. i am 30, tall, gorgeous and ready. i have a yorky i walk every night. come find me. the e-mail gave an address, a condo in anaheim where angela and ian live. on june 13th, angela told police a man showed up at their door, expecting to have violent sex with angela. they told police they sent him away. other men followed, all invited by e-mail responses to rape fantasy ads.

>> it escalates again to the point that angela diaz calls and reports another person had showed up and actually tried to rape her. >> reporter: police officers responded to angela's 911 call. >> what did they encounter? >> they encountered a distraught angelaly as who says another person has shown up. >> she's got abrasions? >> on her neck. her shirt is torn. >> this is way beyond internet misdemeanor mischief. this is a criminal act in your city? >> most definitely a criminal act. >> who was inviting men to rape angela? police believe there was no question it was michelle hadley. that's what led them to arrest michelle outside her parents' home. angela reported during the night michelle spent in jail, she received no threatening e-mails. then michelle made bail. she was out. >> and almost immediately, e-mails start again. >> so is there a feel here,

look, we warned you about this activity? >> correct. >> and it's continueing? >> correct. >> this is a very complicated scheme? indicate? >> daily beast reporter kate tried to unravel. angela diaz appeared 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 uproot her whole life, take down her online profile and hide. >> july 11th, two weeks after michelle bailed out of jail, a new rape fantasy adjei period on craigslist and a rep responsibility. once again the e-mail directed the man who placed the ad to the home of angela diaz. >> what would michelle's motivation in doing this campaign? >> it's interesting. there is the fact that there is some sort of a love triangle going on, two women, one guy. and 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. so it was time to sell as agreed to. but that wasn't going to happen, according to michelle's father. the ex-boyfriend was digging in his heels. >> he's not going to sell the condo. he does not want to move out period. he made that clear. >> on july 12th, 2016, even as she remained under investigation for cyber stalking or worse, michelle filed a breach of contract against ian over the contract. the next day, angela called police, another man was outside her condo. anaheim detectives found a 17-year-old in the courtyard. he told police he was responding to a craigslist ad. orange county district attorney. >> we got to get her off the street. it's hazardous to angela at this point. >> michelle looked like a loose cannon out there, capable of harm? >> absolutely. absolutely. >> police got a warrant and once again arrested michelle hadley. >> it's very hard to see your

daughter placed in handcuffs. i kept saying to him, no, no, i can't believe it. >> 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 dip as' door. michelle's second arrest got the attention of reporters both in orange county and across the country. >> the headlines, these two cookie and convoluted to be true. >> bail this time was $1 million. michelle faced life in prison. >> is this rock bottom for you, michelle? >> absolutely. it's the scariest moment in my life. >> "dateline" returns after the break. the future of pain relief is here. new advil dual action.

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here's what's happening. ignoring coronavirus gudline, president trump held an indoor rally in nevada. the government north called the

event reckless putting countless lives in danger. the nfl season kicked off this sunday. the minnesota vikings locked arms as george floyd's family looked on and others kneeled together. now back to ""dateline." welcome back to "dateline," i'm craig melvin. michelle hadley was in jail accused of multiple felonies including stalking and attempted forcible rape. had she sent those threatening e-mails too her former fiancee's wife or was this all a terrible mistake? her parents thought so and were determined to help. but where to even start? here again is dennis murphy. >> the charges and the headlines were devastating. in an article in her hometown

paper, the shorthand was that michelle hadley was the psycho ex-girlfriend from hell. the mover behind a lurid and devious plot. her parents michael and suzanne couldn't, wouldn't believe it. >> there is nothing in character with the michelle that you've raised here. >> not at all. >> it's actually 180 degrees so out of sync with her behavior. >> they went to see michelle on her first day in jail after being charged. >> is this going to be a conversation through phones with a glass? >> yes. there are cells without cables, she is in a cage. i don't know why she always has to be in a caged one, but she does. >> michelle's bail was set at a million dollars. to get her out, mike and suzanne had to come one 10% of that, that's $100,000 cash. they told their daughter they had enough to do that or to hire a good lawyer, but not both. >> the bottom line is we have to fight this and there is no bail and that's it. >> how tough is that, suzanne you? had the money, you could have

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 him, i can handle it. don't worry about me, go get a good attorney. >> and incarcerated? >> yep. for potentially the rest of my life. >> the girl who loved disneyland, fairy tale princesses and morning starbucks said she'd stay behind bars tough it out. >> i stood out like a sore thumb. >> what were the cells like? >> tiny, two bunk beds and table and two chairs. the toilet is attached to your sink, so everyone can see in, so you never get any privacy. >> what is the day in there? >> they wake you up at 4:30 a.m. then they bring you your breakfast. >> which is what. >> usually some sort of gruel looking potato mash. i don't know how to describe it.

>> i'm guessing no foamy starbucks. >> no starbucks. >> when we talk about food, what is lunch? >> bologna sandwich and really nasty bologna. i almost didn't eat the first three or four days. >> michelle, this sounds like a jailhouse? >> yeah, good luck sleeping in jail. the doors slamming, very loud. and the women at night sometimes scream like banchies. so you hear it echoing throughout jail. >> the population of street hardened prisoners took a close look at the petite young woman in a good home living in their cell block. checked her out especially after that story in the local paige paper got passed around. >> after that article, i had woman coming up to my cell door harassing me about it. i got a death letter. one girl goes after me, what happens then? >> one of the women took you under your wing said you got to toughen up, girl? >> yeah. >> you need to develop a little

swagger. >> apparently i walk like a church mouse. that's not cool. she said you will get hurt in here, you you look weak when you walk. >> you need to become scarface. >> ye. >> of course to the outer world, she was scarface. >> these were incredibly serious charges 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 dial, is that correct? >> we do not. >> mike and suzanne wanted the right lawyer to deal with the cyber crime. they also wanted to work on michelle's defense right away. their daughter was in trouble. so they started their own investigation. >> was it clear to you, mike, if you are going to claw your way out of this thing, you got to

understand the story told by the computers? >> correct. >> the forensics? >> absolutely i know ip addresses and that stuff. >> it's a numeric code that identifies a network or individual device. mike had copies of the e-mails from the evidence filed in that restraining order. he started going through them with software. >> you used to become your own detective. is that something you have to go to cal tech nsa material? >> oh, gosh, no, the 15-year-old kid material. >> 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 i'd put them on a spread sheet and then we highlighted where certain ip addresses were the same. >> the idea being that this ip address is going back to a physical location? >> yes.

>> if they can trace an e-mail sent from one location and prove michelle was somewhere else at the same time, it could be an alibi. but to the da, it looked like a pad set of facts for michelle hadley. >> looking at the e-mails and the pictures and the ads, it looked like michelle hadley was just doing this terrible thing stalking and victimizing of angela. >> the wheels of justice were grinding slowly and the lives of two young women were hanging in the balance. >> "dateline" returns after the break. creating a coast to coast network to deliver your car as soon as tomorrow. recruiting an army of customer advocates to make your experience incredible. and putting you in control of the whole thing with powerful technology. that's why we've become the nation's fastest growing retailer. because our customers love it. see for yourself, at carvana.com. i hope my insurance pays for it.

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each day in jail was a struggle for michelle hadley, not just the daily grind of 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 mom, daddy and rebecca, my commissary order finally arrived today so i have paper and decent pencils among other goodies. >> writing has always relaxed med and since i'm pretty sure this ordeal is the most stressle 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 i'm free is much for my mood and sanity as for yours.

one positive thing, i haven't 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. >> i hear a lot of you reassuring them in that. >> that was exactly what was happening. i didn't want them to worry too much. i didn't want them to be afraid. they were already fighting so much on the outside and doing so much work you know and i wanted them to be proud of what a brave girl they had raised. >> 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 while jail cell wall 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 felt your humanity slipping away? >> she looked absolutely not even close to criminal. >> that's your gut talking? >> my gut is pretty good. >> michelle's parents hired an attorney to protect their daughter. he felt an instant connect to the hadleys. >> i looked to michelle's family, 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. >> and was facing life in prison. >> for no reason. no reason. >> so this is kind of the case you go to law school for? >> this is the reason you become a lawyer. >> michelle's mom and dad showed

him the computer research they had done on the e-mails at the heart of the case. michael hadley was convinced they'd found something crucial. why are michelle's digital fingerprints on this thing? >> they're not. there is no digital fingerprints whatsoever. >> it looks like it's coming from michelle. >> it looks like somebody is trying to make it look like it's coming from michelle. >> the hadley spread sheet were sent when she was at a classroom in chapman university. >> she's at school in chapman, here's e-mails coming. and she's in class. >> she was in class doing her final course presentation. there's no way she's going to be sending this e-mail. >> the hadleys thought they had proof michelle was innocent. but the defense attorney disagreed he knew it would take skillful legal leverage to convince prosecutors. >> a district attorney is never going to buy my evidence. a district attorney has to convince themselves that that

they have evidence which might accidentally coincide with what i have. >> in fact, police and prosecutors were still doing everything they could to ling those e-mails to michelle. >> we have a very skilled detective who is working on the case and he was in constant communications with the district attorney's office in trying to piece it together to help prove a case and solidify it for court. >> the problem was -- >> it wasn't coming together. these electronic messages were coming from a different place that we couldn't verify it was coming from michelle hadley's device. >> it was a proceed to the prosecution's case, but there was more everyday than just ib addresses, there was the bad blood between michelle and ian, the restraining orders. those harrowing attempted rapes of ian's new wife angela and those fire and brim stoem e-mails so distinctive and seemingly in michelle's voice. >> that language of religious retribution made it appear to be michelle. you stand before god on this thing. >> that's right.

>> that caused the police and our investigators as well to look at it and say this is michelle right here. >> one thing was clear, though, the computer forensics blown a hole in the case. the ta 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. >> you missed coffee, the good coffee? >> yeah, the good cup of coffee. which, oh man, i had been dreaming about that for so long. >> it was an incredible moment for the hadleys. a legal victory. but not the end of the road. >> she's still? jeopardy. she's still charged with the same crime. >> she had an ankle bracelet on. >> i already felt i was so

scarred from jail and wearing that device, you kind of still feel like you are on animal and i just remember thinking, how did i get here? i didn't do anything? coming up, if michelle wasn't sending the e-mails, who was? and why? the da has a word for you. >> diabolical, how'd that word come to you. >> diabolical is something evil. >> when "dateline" continues. sue. to get a tattoo of you and your 'do. stay flake free for 72. what you do is up to you. did you know you can shorten your cold [♪] with cold-eeze® lozenges. cold-eeze® can shorten your cold by 42%. it releases zinc ions that some scientists believe inhibit cold viruses from replicating. try cold-eeze® the number one best-selling zinc lozenge. when you drink or eat something that's acidic everyone is at risk for enamel loss.

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welcome back. michelle hadley had been released from jail. but if she hadn't sent those ominous e-mails filled with references to satan, threat of kidnapping, rape and death, who did? could the answer be in the e-mails, themselves? now with the conclusion of our story, here's dennis murphy. >> 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. >> they wrapped it with this sports band annual because i was so embarrassed to be

wearingiment, you know. >> but everything was about to change. after a thorough search of michelle's digital devices, investigators concluded the damming e-mails did not come from them. >> we actually had a lab from our own computer forensics lab and people well trained. that's how this came to fruition that we were able to determine that michelle hadley wasn't 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 kind of coming out of this fog. >> now police faced a new investigation, it could be anybody with a cell phone or internet. >> we can't show where it's coming out without the service of a search warrant and getting the information from a office provider. it took months. >> they needed critical data to confirm precise times and locations of the cyber attacks against angela. they executed more than 50 search warrants and court orders during their investigation. >> there is very few cases where

we had to write that many search warrants to get to the bottom line and the truth. >> when they finally started getting the information they needed, the results were stunning. the ugly trails of 1s and 0s showed some of the hateful e-mails 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 don't think they wanted to leave. >> so if the ex-girlfriend, crazy psycho ex-girlfriend in the public eye is incarcerated in a way, that will resolve some of the financial issues? >> right. they'll have complete control over the residence. >> now both were suspects, ian the u.s. marshall and angela the pregnant newlywed. >> in a way it makes more sense if you look at conventional motivation, diaz rather than the woman he married. >> right. exactly.

>> the deeper they looked they zeroed in on the woman ian married, one that stood out was angela's report that someone tried to rape her in the garage of the condo. >> you have to go through an alley to get to the garage. >> you wonder how this alleged assailant found her. >> that gets to be a question and also there were some surveillance cameras in the area. >> presumably would have shown someone trying to enter. you didn't have that? we didn't have that. >> what about the scene, itself, whether or not how he fought the guy off, compare that to the rather light injuries that she was showing. it all looked a little sketchy. >> investigators uncovered nor sketchy behavior. pang la seemed to have a troubling history. >> we started seeing some of the fraudulent things she has been

involved? >> bad checks. >> faking a cancer episode. >> faking a cancer episode, things like that. >> the da says angela lied about something else, too. she was not pregnant with ian's child. but it wasn't the trail of lies that really mattered, it was the trail of e-mails that ultimately cracked the case. it turned out the e-mails sent from the condo didn't come from a computer at all but says the da from a cell phone, angela's cell phone. in an already beyond strange case, this turned things up to 11. >> their original victim ended up being their number one suspect? how is that for whiplash? >> 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 all for coming. >> to the da held a press conference and delivered the stunning news. >> i'm here to announce the filing of a felony complaint against angela marie diaz by the orange county district attorney's office. >> there were no charges against iiaen 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 50 she had quite simply framed michelle hadley. >> michelle is accused of being angela who turned out being angela pretending to be michelle being angela. >> the charges were that convoluted. >> angela accused of sending herself e-mails, inviting men to her home to rape her inflicting injuries all to put her husband's exgirlfriend behind bars. once more, for a few months, authorities say, she's succeeded. >> when someone who is innocent gets arrested and charged with a crime. it's not a bad day, it's a nightmare. it need to be made clear in the media and cyberspace. miss hadley is a victim of a diabolical scheme. >> how did that word come to you and diabolical and a scheme. >> diabolical is evil, something the devil might do. >> your theory was wrong, but

you untangled it here? >> that is right. >> you are sorry the first theory was wrong? >> absolutely. it's a terrible. but the apologies don't undo what's been the done. i'll kaer this around for the rest of my life. >> to attempt to get justice for michelle, her lawyer filed a lawsuit against angela diaz, ian diaz and the city of anaheim. a spokesperson for the city of anaheim issued a statement which reads, in part, when believe our detectives properly followed the evidence. we are letting the legal process play out. >> the anaheim police department, our detective didn't korea it the situation. angela diaz did.

we knew what we had to do as the circumstances came about and the evidence presented itself up to and including to investigate and exonerating michelle. >> the court had considered the impact on michelle hadley's life by being incarcerated, by being wrongfully accused through no fault of law enforcement, in fact, it was through the tremendous efforts of law enforcement that the truth was finally uncovered. it was a tragedy did and a waste of limited resources to have law enforcement running around in circles presenting miss hadley because of the repeated accusations being made against miss hadley. >> angela faced felony charges, including kidnapping, false imprisonment, perjury and forgery. she pleaded not guilty to all of them. but in october, 2017, she changed her plea to guilty and

sat before a judge to learn her fate. >> the court will sentence you to the state prison for a period of five years. >> allison margola believes ian deserves a closer look. >> the fame year to investigate adequately the role of ian diaz in it is a serious concern. >> 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 isn't any everyday that indicates that he s. everything points to her. >> and one other thing angela lost beside her freedom is her husband. ian had their marge anulled. when we sat down with her, michelle's personal struggle was far from over. a struggle to rekindle the spirit of an innocent young woman whose life was changed forever by something, well, something diabolical. >> i don't think there is anything more evil than finding a girl two 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. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. it's been 15 years of frustration, of tears, and fighting for what we wanted. how long can you keep reliving your sister's murder? >> reporter: it all began when this bestselling author married this elegant executive. >> they brought us together. they made us a family. >> but in the we hours of a winter night --