Netflix’s latest true crime documentary, “A Toxic Love Story,” has introduced a new audience to one of California’s most shocking cyberstalking cases. Now, many viewers are asking the same question: Where is Angela Diaz today?
Diaz, who now goes by Angi Connell, has built a new life in Arizona after serving prison time for her role in an elaborate scheme that prosecutors said was designed to frame another woman.
While Connell says she was wrongfully convicted, her guilty plea remains part of the official court record, and there has been no court ruling overturning her conviction.
Angela Diaz Has Built a New Career Since Leaving Prison
Connell now serves as the Director of Peer Counseling for Exhale Pro-Voice, a nonprofit organization that provides text-based emotional support, according to the org’s official website.
The organization describes peer counseling as support rooted in shared lived experiences rather than licensed clinical treatment.
Connell first became involved with the nonprofit as a volunteer before taking on a leadership position. She is also pursuing a doctorate in psychology with the goal of becoming a licensed psychologist.
Her biography on the organization’s website describes her as a “bisexual Peruvian-American adoptee living on the ancestral lands of the Onk Akimel O’odham and Xalchidom Piipaash peoples.”
The profile also explains that she found Exhale Pro-Voice in 2016 while “searching for a reproductive justice organization grounded in intersectionality, following her own abortion experience.”
It adds, “After spending time in prison, Angi pursued a Master’s degree in Psychology and Justice Studies, deepening her commitment to transformative justice.”
Angela Diaz Still Maintains She Was Wrongfully Convicted
Although Connell pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges, she has continued to argue that she did not commit the crimes.
During an interview with Voyage Phoenix, she reflected on her time in prison and the impact it had on her life.
“In 2016, I faced 23 to life charges for a crime I did not commit, and subsequently spent five years in a California prison,” she said.
She described the experience as “harrowing and tragic” and said it changed the direction of her life.
Connell also said she completed her education while incarcerated and wants people to see more than her criminal record.
Speaking about her daily routine, she said, “With three rescue dogs, my mornings are a crash course in patience, chaos, and unconditional love.”
She continued, “My goal is to start the day tech-free — take a few deep breaths, set an intention, smile, soak up some sunshine, and hydrate like I mean it.”
Despite those statements, there has been no legal decision reversing her conviction, and her guilty plea remains on record.
Netflix Documentary Revisits the Elaborate Cyberstalking Case
The documentary revisits the case that first made national headlines in 2016.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Connell orchestrated an elaborate campaign targeting Michelle Hadley, who had previously dated Connell’s then-husband, Ian Diaz.
Prosecutors said Connell created fake online accounts, impersonated Hadley and sent threatening messages to herself in an effort to convince authorities that Hadley was stalking the couple.
Investigators also alleged Connell created fake Craigslist “Casual Encounters” posts describing violent sexual fantasies and inviting men to the home she shared with Diaz while posing as Hadley.
The case escalated further when Connell called 911 and reported that she had been attacked by a masked man. Prosecutors later alleged the attack had been fabricated as part of the scheme.
Connell pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges, including false imprisonment by fraud, falsely reporting a crime and stalking-related offenses. She was sentenced to five years in prison and was released in July 2020 after serving approximately three years.
Connell declined to participate in Netflix’s documentary.
Instead, the series features interviews with people who knew her, including a former boyfriend who alleged she falsely claimed to be pregnant with twins and to have Stage 4 cancer. The documentary also includes footage showing Connell wearing a wig during a confrontation with his family before later confirming to police during a phone call that she was not ill.
Ian Diaz Remains in Federal Prison
The documentary also follows the legal consequences for Connell’s former husband.
Ian Diaz, a former U.S. Marshal, was convicted in federal court in 2023 on charges including cyberstalking, conspiracy, perjury and obstruction-related offenses connected to the plot against Hadley.
He was sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison and remains incarcerated.
With “A Toxic Love Story” now streaming on Netflix
