Stran Case News Today

Fulfill this rape fantasy. >> reporter: everything pointed to her husbands ex. >> they said "were gonna have to take you into custody." >> reporter: youre incarcerated. >> potentially for the rest of my life. >> reporter: but hiding behind the threats was a cyber-secret. >> evil. its something the devil might do. >> reporter: so who was the real devil? >> the da in this case would use the word, diabolical. >> i think hes close to the mark. hello. welcome to "dateline." michelle hadley seemed to ...

Prosecutors were still doing everything they could to link those emails to michelle. >> we have a verskille detective that was working on the case and he was in constant communications with the district attorneys office and trying to piece it together, to help prove a case and solidify it for court. >> reporter: problem was -- >> it just -- it wasnt coming together. these electronic messages were coming from -- from a different place. and we couldnt verify that it was coming from michelle hadley...

>> reporter: june, 2016. michelle hadley was out on bail living with her parents. anaheim police suspected michelle had sent threatening emails to her ex-boyfriend, ian, and his pregnant wife, angela. even though on its face it didnt make much sense. >> reporter: a young woman who lived an exemplary life, good student, shes trying to get an mba, and -- >> well, theres two sides to every person, and all were seeing is the evidence that looks very clear that everything is -- is originating from mi...

>> faking a cancer episode. >> yes, faking cancer. >> and she was not pregnant with ians child. it was the trail of e-mails that ultimately cracked the case. it turned out the e-mails sent from the condo didnt come from a computer at all. but the d.a. says from a cell phone, angelas cell phone. in an already beyond stran case, turd things up to 11. >> their original victim ended up being their number one suspect. >> how is that for whiplash? >> i dont think anyone could believe it. >> it was tim...

Discuss them on camera. she later told us, "it was a symptom of post traumatic stress disorder," which she blamed on her volatile relationship with her ex. but, she told us, she never sent any emails to angela. in fact, michelle says she didnt even know her. >> ive never heard of her, ive never communicated with her. >> reporter: couldnt say where she lived or pick her out of a lineup. >> exactly. i mean, im assuming she lives in the condo with him. but aside from that, thats the extent of what ...

>> you need to develop a little swagger in you -- >> yeah, well, apparently i walk like a church mouse and thats not cool. and she said, "youre gonna get hurt in here because you look weak when you walk." >> you need to become scarface, huh? >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> reporter: of course, to the outside world, she already was scarface. kate bel of "the daily beast" reported on the case. >> these were incredibly serious charges that michelle was facing, felony charges that included attempted forcibl...