Man lured to woman’s home after sharing disturbing Craigslist advert shares what scared him away
A man who became embroiled in the 'Anaheim Craigslist case' has revealed why he pulled out of the proposed sexual encounter at the last minute.
Using the pseudonym Rick, he appears in the new Netflix documentary titled A Toxic Love Story, which delves into the campaign of manipulation waged against Michelle Hadley.
He received a response from someone he believed was a willing participant to his online ad looking for a 'submissive' woman for a casual and consensual tryst - while completely unaware it was a set-up.
The single dad, who wished to remain anonymous as he doesn't want 'to be known for his sexual fantasies', is one of the several people who appear in the jaw-dropping doc that was released on Thursday (23 July).
Advert
Producers somehow crammed all of the chilling details of the case, which centres around Ian Diaz, into 88 minutes - as A Toxic Love Story explores the disturbing plot that the former US deputy marshal came up with to convince police that his ex-partner Michelle was an obsessive stalker.
Michelle, 39, spent nearly three months behind bars for crimes she did not commit after Ian and his new wife Angela Connell alleged that she was going to extreme lengths to seek revenge after their breakup.
The pair made multiple reports to police claiming that Michelle was sending them 'threatening' emails and stalking them - and Ian once told cops that his ex 'needs to be in f**king cuffs and in a padded room'.
Numerous people were caught in the crossfire of Ian and Angela's deception, including a man who had posted an online advert on Craigslist looking for a woman to engage in 'rape fantasy' role play.
Rick received a response from someone he believed was a like-minded individual who wished to engage in the sexual scenario. However, something much more sinister was going on.
Ian, who was working as a deputy marshal and tasked with transporting prisoners and protecting federal judges at the time, and his then-wife Angela were actually attempting to frame Michelle.
In a bid to amp up the alleged threat level they were supposedly facing, the couple began responding to ads on Craigslist and inviting men to their condo in Anaheim, California, to fulfil a violent sexual fantasy.
One of these men was Rick, who shared a post on the website explaining he had 'done this before with a couple of ex-girlfriends', adding that he found it 'very intense and exciting'.
"We would agree on the limits before meeting and we could meet at a safe location like a hotel," it read. "And again, this is just sex play, I am into the sex part only, not into pain or violence."
In what is viewed as one of the most disturbing elements of Ian and Angela's twisted plan, they pretended as though Michelle was in fact the one engaging with these Craigslist users and encouraging men to come to the condo.
"[Michelle] is stating that she's going to have this guy come over and rape her and beat [Angela]," Ian once told cops, as seen in body cam footage featured in A Toxic Love Story.
This is how the woman who police later described as an 'innocent victim of a diabolical scheme' ended up being wrongly imprisoned and charged with stalking, criminal threats and attempted forcible rape in July 2016.
But while Michelle was locked up, the tangled web of lies that the couple weaved slowly began to unravel - and Rick's testimony helped prove who the real perpetrators were.
Department of Justice Special Agent Jason Higley told A Toxic Love Story viewers: "This is Ian, pretending to be Michelle, pretending to be Angela, catfishing someone to the condo."
Rick explained he received a response to his ad from an account named 'Lilithistruth', who subsequently sent him her address in Anaheim, images of herself and instructions of how she wanted the role-play to unfold.
He noted that the woman 'seemed very eager, almost desperate to get this done', prompting him to get her on the phone to 'verify' that this was a legitimate response - and Angela answered the call.
"I thought it was a bit odd, so I figured I'd get her on the phone to voice verify," Rick said. "Just to make sure that this is real. I heard it was a woman, so I said, 'Okay, I'm going to go down there and get this done'."
Rick said he felt 'excited' after parking up at the address he had been provided, but was 'stopped cold' by something he noticed when he arrived at the condo.
"Once I got to the building, I noticed the name ‘Ian Diaz’," he said, referencing the name that was listed on the intercom of the home. "And it stopped me cold.
"I don’t want to be walking into a situation where the boyfriend or the husband doesn’t know, then I get beat up or murdered. So, I left."
Special agent Higley said officials were keen to track down Rick as he was 'lured to the condo under false pretences' and possibly had 'information we didn't have about what happened that night'.
After 'a little bit of sleuthing', he managed to find the Craiglist user - and he later found further evidence that Ian had invited him to the condo, not Michelle.
A digital forensics team discovered that Ian had used his 'personal email account to jump right into the conversation thread that Rick was having with Lilith, without missing a beat'.
Michelle was eventually exonerated, while Angela pleaded guilty to forgery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and falsely reporting a crime in 2017 and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Ian, on the other hand, was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison in June 2023 after being convicted of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, cyberstalking, perjury and obstructing a federal proceeding.
LADbible has contacted Craigslist for comment.
Toxic Love Story: A timeline of what happened
2013: Ian Diaz meets Michelle Hadley
Ian Diaz, a deputy US marshal, meets graduate student Michelle Hadley online and the pair quickly begin dating.
2015: The couple purchase an apartment together
In June 2015, they buy a condominium together in an Anaheim suburb in California. This wasn't cheap due to the location - Ian and Michelle obtained a mortgage worth just under $500,000 (£371,442), with Michelle paying out almost $15,000 (£11,000) as a down payment.
August 2015: Ian and Michelle's relationship ends
Just two months after buying their apartment, the couple call it quits. Their apartment very quickly becomes a source of financial frustration for the former couple, with text messages in September of that year showing them discussing the financial burden.
2016: Ian marries Angela Connell
Despite tying the knot in 2016, the early stages of their relationship are overshadowed by the financial problems Ian continued to share with Michelle over the apartment.
2016: Ian and Angela plot to frame Michelle for being a cyberstalker
In a shocking plan, the married couple open up multiple online accounts under Michelle’s name, using fake emails to create and respond to 'rape fantasy' ads on Craigslist.
They later lie to authorities by saying that Michelle had purposely invited men to their home, pretending to be Angela, so that they would sexually assault her.
A number of men respond to the ads and arrived at Ian and Angela's property, which Angela then used to fabricate her claims against Michelle.
2016: Michelle is arrested and imprisoned
After the Diaz family file several restraining orders against her, Michelle is eventually arrested by Anaheim authorities. Despite protesting her innocence, she spends 88 days in prison after being given a $1 million bail.
2016: Ian and Angela's lies begin to unravel
While Michelle was wrongly serving time behind bars, digital forensic investigators begin tracing the online accounts and posts, and what they found pointed not to Michelle, but to Angela.
The devices used to create and manage the accounts were also linked to Angela, with IP address records telling the same story.
2017: Michelle is released from prison and Angela is arrested
On the same day Michelle got her freedom back, Angela is arrested and later in the year, she pleads guilty to charges including forgery, false imprisonment and kidnapping.
She is sentenced to five years in prison.
2021-2023: Ian is arrested and charged
His involvement was investigated in more depth in 2021, and two years later, in 2023, Ian is found guilty of cyberstalking, perjury and obstruction of justice.
He is sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison, alongside three years of supervised release.
2023: Michelle speaks out following the sentencing
Michelle, who amazingly gave birth to her first child on the very day Ian was sentenced, says in a statement to NBC News: "I am so grateful to the [Justice Department Office of Inspector General] for the work they put into this case and to the jury for a conviction that has brought so much peace to my family and restored some of the faith we lost in the justice system as a result of Diaz’s crimes against me."
A Toxic Love Story is available to stream on Netflix now.
Topics: Netflix, True Crime, Documentaries, US News
Olivia Burke