Another day, another true-crime documentary on Netflix.
On Thursday, the streamer released A Toxic Love Story, which hones in on former Deputy U.S. Marshal Ian Diaz and his partner, Angela Connell. After getting married, moving in together, and expecting twins within their first few months of being together, Angela begins receiving threats from someone called “Lilithistruth.”
The couple believe they found the culprit in Michelle Hadley, Ian’s ex-fiancée with whom he shared his condo with. But the truth is much more complex than you might initially believe.
DECIDER’s explainer of the true story behind A Toxic Love Story offers a deeper overview of the shocking documentary, which is now available to stream on Netflix. But where are Ian Diaz, Angela Connell, and Michelle Hadley now? Keep reading to learn more.
A Toxic Love Story on Netflix: What Happened to Michelle Hadley?
Michelle Hadley was framed by Ian and Angela, who claimed that she was responsible for the threats that Angela was receiving from “Lilithistruth,” and for recruiting someone over Craig’s List to fulfill a “rape fantasy” for Angela. Michelle and Ian had broken up four months before Ian met Angela, and were not in agreement over the condo that they had purchased together.
Michelle ultimately spent 88 days in jail before being released on Oct. 7, 2016, per TODAY, and the charges were dropped against her. Though she did not get her down-payment back from the condo that she bought with Ian (which he sold in 2016), she did sue the Anaheim Police Department for significant damages. According to Courthouse News, a settlement was reached in April 2021.
A Toxic Love Story on Netflix: What Happened to Angela Connell?
More surrounding Angela’s past was eventually revealed in A Toxic Love Story; specifically, her history of lying. Her ex-boyfriend Jason Rayburn and former friend Mary Bukovskis were interviewed in the documentary, where they revealed that Angela had not only lied about her occupation (she told them that was an attorney), but also that she had cervical cancer. Ian learned that Angela had been lying about her pregnancy, realizing that the sonogram picture that she had sent was fake and that she had made a fake positive pregnancy test with blue marker.
Angela was arrested in 2017, and ultimately pled guilty to all charges against her. Ian annulled their marriage in April of that year. After going to prison in 2018, USA Today reports that in July 2020, she was released to parole supervision after receiving 342 days of pre-sentence credit. While her parole ended in 2021, she moved away from California, and declined to take part in A Toxic Love Story.
A Toxic Love Story on Netflix: What Happened to Ian Diaz?
After Department of Justice Special Agent Jason Higley took another look into Ian’s case, he determined that things were not adding up; for example, how Ian was acting on the bodycam footage. He detected that Ian was “coaching” Angela when the police arrived at their home, and also was suspicious of how quickly Ian was able to find the exact “rape fantasy” Craig’s List ad that allegedly targeted Angela. Higley, who suspected that Ian likely used past angry emails from Michelle following their breakup to “mimic” in the emails he crafted as “Lilithistruth,” also found fragments of an email sent by “Lilithistruth” on Ian’s DOJ-issued laptop. Michelle also shared more about her and Ian’s relationship history, and his harmful treatment of her, including wishing to see her cheat on him with another man.
Ian was arrested in 2021. According to a June 30, 2023 press release from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the General Inspector, Ian was convicted of “one count of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, one count of cyberstalking, one count of perjury, and one count of obstructing a federal proceeding.” He was ultimately issued a 121-month-long (10 years and one month) prison sentence, which he is currently serving in Texas. He was dismissed from the U.S. Marshal Service in 2023.
A Toxic Love Story is streaming now on Netflix.
