True crime tales: Why did Angela Diaz frame her husband’s ex?

In the world of true crime, there are thousands of stories that have people insisting that they were framed, set-up, or wrongly accused. Many of those stories are actually true. People are wrongly sent to prison or slapped with an accusation that is patently false. They end up having to do so much work to have their good reputation restored. If they can ever get it back.

There’s one story in the true crime community about a false accusation & arrest that is so wild that we have to share it. One that involves faked cancer, the worst ex, and the innocent woman believed to be a monster. This is the case of Michelle Hadley & Angela Diaz. Buckle up, buttercup, this case is a ride.

The accusations

In 2016, Michelle Hadley was trying to move on after a hard break-up with her ex, Ian Diaz. She and Ian Diaz, who was involved in law enforcement, were engaged, but the engagement fell apart due to conflicting views and his controlling nature. What followed was a court case over their shared home, which made things even more acrimonious. Hadley, however, was trying to move on with her life. 

Then she was arrested after coming home from a date. The Anaheim Police took her phone, tablet, and laptop. Hadley was taken to a detention center. Hadley was accused of a litany of things against her ex’s pregnant wife, Angela Diaz. Police said that she apparently stalked the woman, sent her pictures of aborted fetuses, and posed as her on Craigslist asking for a “rape fantasy”.

No one believed Michelle Hadley when she said that it was a set-up. She never sent those emails or anything like it. Of course, like many true crime cases, police believed that she was lying. Instead, Hadley was arraigned and sent to jail, where she spent 90 days inside until the truth came out. Her parents had a million dollar bail money, but she told them that she needed a good lawyer instead.

What really happened?

Angela Diaz is a liar. If that’s one thing you can remember from this story, then remember that. She’s a liar and a conwoman, who loves to portray herself as a victim. Before meeting Ian Diaz, she faked cancer. She says that she was a lawyer. That was a lie. Diaz claimed to be pregnant with twins. It was faked with a fake Etsy sonogram. Why would anyone buy that sonogram? We don’t know, but Angela Diaz did.

Angela Diaz used a proxy server to send herself those emails posing as Michelle Hadley. She had dreams of her true crime story being turned into a Lifetime movie. Then, however, Ian Diaz learned that the pregnancy was faked and turned his wife over to the police. Angela Diaz pleaded guilty to 10 felonies and 22 misdemeanors where she was sentenced to five years in a state prison. 

Was Ian Diaz involved?

In 2019, Michelle Hadley filed a lawsuit against Ian Diaz, believing that he was the one who orchestrated the set-up on her. Or, at least, he was more involved than reported on or believed. She added that she believed that his fellow officers did not look as thoroughly as they could into Diaz. Speaking with Buzzfeed News, Hadley said, “This is a case where a bunch of cops were looking out for each other.”

Police made major missteps. They didn’t check IP addresses. They didn’t look at security camera footage which showed her elsewhere at times she was allegedly stalking Angela Diaz. No one in law enforcement seemed to have done their jobs. Either way, Michelle Hadley will never get her innocence back. Her name is forever associated with the case and she’s forced to relive it whenever she meets someone new.