Netflix has been on a roll lately, releasing outrageous true crime documentaries that are stranger than fiction. There was Ideal neighbor a grim tale of manipulative murder shown in police body camera footage; Maternal instinct, in which a conman faked a pregnancy before going to fatal lengths to make her lies look true; And Accident, in which a reckless teenager threatened a vehicle, resulting in the death of two friends. Now comes Toxic love story.
Just by the name you might think that you know what awaits you. But documentarian Alexandra Lacey insightfully takes viewers through the waves of understanding that investigators had to endure before discovering the truly shocking truth. However, there will be plenty along the way before the final reveal. Unlike the other true crime docs mentioned above, no one dies in this one. And yet, this is by far the strangest of all.
Diving into increasing spoilers, we discuss three major revelations and clues Lacey dropped along the way to warn eagle-eyed viewers that all is not what it seems.
Toxic love story begins with a story about a supposedly crazy ex-girlfriend.
Michelle Hadley shares her perspective in A Toxic Love Story.
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This sexist trope was a horror element that most recently reappeared in the Focus Features indie hit. Obsession. What if there was a woman so obsessed with you that she would rather burn your entire life than lose you? For the first chapter Toxic love story This seems to be the narrative unfolding.
In 2016, newlyweds Ian Diaz and Angela Connell Diaz seemed to be living a postcard-worthy life. Living in Anaheim, California, minutes from Disneyland, they could visit the park whenever they wanted, which was important to Ian as a verified Disney adult. In addition, Angela was expecting twins. According to Ian’s 20-year-old girlfriend Leslie, it was everything he wanted. Then the emails came.
From an account called “Lilithistruth,” Angela began receiving messages that threatened her life, her home, and the lives of her unborn twins. Yang, a deputy U.S. marshal, contacted the local police department, which intervened only when the threats escalated into an attempted sexual assault. You see, the mysterious Lilith responded to a Craigslist ad that said Angela was getting ready for a “rape fantasy” at Diaz’s apartment. When the stranger showed up, the couple called 911 and police arrested Ian’s ex-girlfriend, Michelle Hadley.
In an interview with police featured in the documentary, Hadley appears to admit to writing the emails to Lilith. She was arrested and held for 88 days on bail of one million dollars. This will continue until the police find another suspect. There are some red flags along the way, but we’ll get to them in the end.
Toxic love story tells about a swindler who went to extreme measures for the sake of love.
Angela Connell smiles with husband Ian Diaz.
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Twenty eight minutes later Toxic love story the focus shifts from the narrative of Michelle being a vindictive ex to stepping back and asking, “Who is Lilith?”
Lacey takes viewers back to 2013 Huntington Beach, where “Angie” before Ian is desperate to impress her new beau and his circle of friends. However, part of her quest to be liked includes faking a cancer diagnosis using photos of chemotherapy stolen from Google and a knitted cap to cover her long hair.
Former friend Mary Bukovskis is caustic and energetic about the scam, even sharing a cell phone video of the bizarre intervention in which friends confront Angie, saying, “You don’t have cancer!” until she literally runs away.
This saucy scene occurs even before the halfway mark. Toxic love story. So, in 2016, with the “bizarre love triangle of Orange County” all over the news, it’s somehow less shocking to learn that Angela faked her pregnancy.
As in Maternal instinctthis scammer used a sonogram she took from the internet as proof that she was pregnant. From there, Leslie recounts how Ian was shocked by the revelation and even more dismayed when he realized that Angela was Lilith, sending the emails and unwitting rapist to herself in order to frame Michelle.
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“It felt like I was sleeping with the enemy the whole time,” Yang says in an audio interview with authorities.
At the 46th minute Toxic love story posts a title card detailing how Angela pleaded guilty to fraud, false imprisonment and false reporting of a crime. But although the case seems closed, this is only half the battle!
Toxic love story is about a cruel guy with a twisted plan.
Ian Diaz and his wife Angela are captured on camera in the film Toxic Love Story.
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Although the case was closed to Anaheim police, Yang’s work with the U.S. Marshals meant the Justice Department was going to take a look at the findings for itself. Enter DOJ Special Agent Jason Higley, who looked at the body camera footage of Ian and Angela and suspected that there were several fakes at play.
Michelle, the only one in this alleged love triangle who participated in the documentary, reveals the full side of her story in this final chapter. She was young and naive when Yang caught her attention. They dated for two years and bought an apartment together in Anaheim. Well, she paid the down payment and he “helped with the mortgage payments.” But once they moved in together, Michelle says Ian became incredibly controlling.
He dictated how she dressed. He installed CCTV cameras in their home, apparently to track her every move. And even when they were apart, he seemed to know where she was. But the “biggest red flag,” Higley said, was that Ian had manipulated Michelle into having sex with another man so he could watch. Although the doc touches on cuckolding and rape fantasies, participants make an effort to avoid feeling shame. Here the question is not one of desire, but of consent.
In an interview with the Department of Justice and Lacey’s team, Michelle says that “the apartment was like a cage,” so she escaped. As she recovered from complex PTSD due to Ian’s cruel control, she admits that she wrote the first two letters to Lilith. “I don’t really understand where it came from or why I wrote it,” she tells Lacey. “I listened to a lot of sermons when I was growing up.”
Higley discovered that later Lilith letters and Craigslist emails were linked to Ian and his laptop. Ian seemed to be using Michelle’s initials, which were reminiscent of Adam’s first wife being kicked out for being unruly, as a punishment tool to ruin his ex and keep the apartment forever.
What are the red flags and tips Toxic love story came by to telegraph his great discoveries?
Ian Diaz smiles.
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The first clue is subtle and early. When the doc moves on to Yang’s telling of the story, it is through previously recorded interviews with authorities. He is not a talking head telling his side of what happened from his current perspective.
Angela, meanwhile, is only shown in body camera footage and then a cell phone video of her cancer intervention. In a love triangle story where no one dies, why doesn’t either of them share their side?
Then comes the red flag from Leslie, who definitely doesn’t think so, as she still believes Ian is innocent, even after all his convincing. She says: “Within months of meeting, Ian and Angela are living together, married and expecting twins.”
Ian moved very quickly, not only with Angela, but also after his two-year relationship with Michelle. According to Toxic love story Michelle left him in August 2015. He met Angela on January 2, 2016. And by June 13, 2016, they were living together, married, “pregnant,” and trying to accuse Michelle of attempting to rape Angela.
The next clue, as Higley will point out in the final chapter, is that when the cops come after the alleged rape attempt, Ian shows them an ad on Craiglist that Lilith must have responded to. How did he immediately know which one it was? “The odds of that happening are just impossible,” Higley said.
The final clue in this first chapter that all is not as it seems is Michelle’s interview. Doc plays a role in her first police interview. The officer says: “Did you write this?” And she says, “Yes, it was me.” Then, in a contemporary interview with the documentary crew, Michel reflects on where the images of Lilith came from.
Usually, when real crime investigators have footage of a confession, they show most of that footage. But Toxic love story I only used moments. This omission may seem strange to some. And of course, once Michelle shares her whole story, we’ll understand why the doctor immediately moved on.
In the end, Toxic love story manages to tell not one true crime story, but three in one. The original narrative details how Michelle was maligned as “the craziest woman in Orange County.” The second reveals the villainy of con artist Angela Connell, who went from lying about cancer to lying about being pregnant and helping her husband set up a woman she’d never even met. The third is about a corrupt US Marshal who believed himself to be a criminal mastermind but was exposed due to his own arrogance.
It’s not as painful as Don’t fuck with cats, or as heartbreaking as Kidnapped in plain sight. But when it comes to the most WTFs in runtime, you’ll be hard-pressed to beat Toxic love story.
Toxic love story streaming now on Netflix.