10 details Netflix’s A Toxic Love Story left out that make Michelle Hadley’s case more harrowing

Netflix’s A Toxic Love Story shows the unbelievable story of how Michelle Hadley was wrongly accused of stalking her ex-fiancé Ian Diaz and his new wife, Angela Diaz.

The documentary follows the shocking twists that eventually led to Michelle being cleared, but there are actually loads of disturbing details that were left out. Some reveal more about Michelle and Ian’s relationship before everything happened, whilst others show just how complicated the investigation became.

So, here are 10 harrowing details A Toxic Love Story left out.

via Netflix

1. Michelle said Ian became controlling long before the stalking case

The documentary briefly touches on Michelle and Ian’s relationship, but it doesn’t really explore many of the allegations she later made about what life with him was like. According to BuzzFeed News, Michelle claimed Ian became controlling fairly early on. She alleged he criticised her appearance, monitored where she went and even phoned her whenever she took a different route between home, university and work.

Michelle also claimed Ian persuaded her to leave her marketing job for a role at Disneyland Resort, where he had previously worked. She said the move meant taking a $20,000 pay cut, and she believed Ian wanted his former colleagues there to keep tabs on her.

2. Michelle alleged Ian coerced her into sleeping with another man and secretly filmed it

According to court filings, Michelle alleged Ian repeatedly pressured her into having sex with another man he found through Craigslist whilst he watched. She claimed she resisted for some time before eventually giving in when she was ill and taking cold medication.

The filings allege Ian arranged for the stranger to come to their home, gave Michelle three shots of whisky and set up cameras in the bedroom. Michelle later said she compared the incident to rape, which allegedly angered Ian.

Speaking to BuzzFeed News afterwards, Michelle said she later asked Ian to destroy the recording, but claimed he replied, “No one put a gun to your head.”

3. Ian had reportedly tried to get a restraining order before the harassment campaign

Another detail the documentary doesn’t really explain is that legal action between Michelle and Ian had already started before the alleged stalking campaign. As per Michelle’s later court filings, Ian had previously tried to obtain a restraining order against Michelle months before the harassment emails became central to the criminal investigation.

Michelle later alleged this formed part of a wider pattern of behaviour that eventually led to her arrest.

4. Prosecutors believed the condo dispute gave Ian a financial motive

The documentary explains that Michelle and Ian owned a condo together, but it doesn’t fully explain why prosecutors later believed it was such an important part of the case. Michelle had contributed more than $14,000 towards the down payment and continued paying half of the mortgage after the couple split. Both sides later agreed Ian would become solely responsible for the mortgage.

Federal prosecutors later argued Ian had a financial motive to frame Michelle because doing so could pressure her into giving up her ownership interest in the property.

5. Michelle had only ever met Angela once

The documentary slowly reveals what happened, but it doesn’t really show how little Michelle actually knew Angela. She had never spoken to Angela until she appeared in court over a restraining order. Michelle said she didn’t even know the specific allegations against her until that hearing.

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She later recalled Angela walking over and handing her a pile of printouts of the emails she had allegedly sent, whilst friends and family supporting Ian and Angela were, according to Michelle, “gawking and giggling” in the courtroom.

6. Police allegedly had evidence pointing to Ian before Michelle’s first arrest

Police obtained records from Craigslist before Michelle’s first arrest, which allegedly linked one of the adverts to Ian’s personal email address. Michelle’s filings also claim investigators later received additional evidence connecting another email account used in the harassment campaign to Ian’s IP address.

Despite this, Michelle was still arrested days later.

7. Michelle actually tried to warn people before she was arrested

Michelle said that she started receiving alerts from Google and Microsoft about email accounts she didn’t remember creating. She also received an email from Craigslist asking her to verify a “gang rape fantasy” advert, which she immediately reported because she believed someone was pretending to be her.

Michelle also repeatedly contacted Anaheim police because she believed Ian and Angela were creating fake emails in her name. She said she reported Ian’s alleged behaviour to the Justice Department, Chapman University and supervisors at Disneyland too, but claimed nobody followed up.

8. Michelle was arrested twice and spent 88 days behind bars

Loads of viewers probably don’t realise Michelle wasn’t arrested just once. She was first arrested on 24 June 2016 after Angela reported an alleged attack outside her home. Michelle posted $100,000 bail and was released the following day.

After more alleged harassment was reported, she was arrested again on 14 July on numerous felony charges carrying a possible life sentence. Her bail was increased to $1 million, which her family couldn’t afford if they also wanted to hire a lawyer. She said she was confined to her cell for 23 hours a day and at times was denied access to toilet paper and sanitary products.

Michelle ultimately spent 88 days in jail before she was fully exonerated.

9. Angela allegedly lied about two different pregnancies

The documentary focuses on Angela Diaz falsely claiming she was pregnant with twins, but it leaves out other pregnancy allegations that later surfaced. After Ian turned against Angela, he told investigators she had lied about two separate pregnancies. He claimed Angela first said she had suffered a miscarriage in spring 2016 and blamed the loss on the stress caused by Michelle Hadley’s alleged harassment.

But Ian alleged the miscarriage never happened. Instead, he claimed he had encouraged Angela to have an abortion because she wasn’t sure who the baby’s father was. He also alleged Angela later fabricated another pregnancy altogether, telling investigators she bought ultrasound images online and even altered pregnancy tests to convince him she was expecting.

10. Michelle later took legal action after being cleared

via Netflix

The documentary ends with Michelle finally being cleared, but it doesn’t spend much time on what happened afterwards. After spending 88 days behind bars, Michelle filed a lawsuit against the city of Anaheim, several police officers involved in the investigation and both Ian and Angela.

A later federal investigation concluded prosecutors believed Ian had orchestrated the cyberstalking scheme with Angela in an attempt to interfere with Michelle’s ownership interest in their shared condo. Ian was arrested in 2021, convicted in federal court in 2023 of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, cyberstalking, perjury and obstruction, and sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison.

A Toxic Love Story is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.