If you’ve ever thought your love life was nuts, you’ve got nothing on this threesome. In Southern California, a woman was exonerated for charges of responding to “rape fantasy” ads on Craigslist in order to arrange for them to attack her ex-boyfriend’s new wife. Plot twist: It was the other way around. The wife was framing her husband’s ex-girlfriend, according to the Associated Press.
The woman who was framed, 30-year-old Susan Michelle Hadley, was “the innocent victim of a diabolical scheme,” Orange County district attorney Tony Rackauckas said in an announcement.
Angela Marie Diaz, 31, has been charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and perjury. She is married to Ian Diaz, Hadley’s ex-boyfriend. There’s no evidence that Ian knew about or was involved in the plot at all.
Diaz had first called the Anaheim police in June, saying various men were arriving at her home to engage in a “rape fantasy.” She also called 911 and reported a man attempted to rape her in her garage. Signs of distress such as a reddened neck and ripped shirt seemed to confirm her report, but police now think her report was false.
Hadley was arrested because Diaz told officials that Hadley was threatening to have her raped and to kill her and her unborn child. The charges against her included 10 felonies and possibly life in prison, according to The Los Angeles Times. Prosecutors now allege that Diaz faked the pregnancy.
The case against Hadley collapsed as the authorities discovered the threats and solicitations all came from Diaz, and not Hadley. It turned out Diaz was using special software to make it look like threatening emails were coming from Hadley—but when police uncovered the real IP address from which the emails were sent, they realized they were coming from Diaz’s house or her father’s house, according to the L.A. Times. This lead to Hadley’s release in October and finally the exoneration of her charges Monday.
“Obviously, this has been a huge nightmare for me, probably the most traumatic experience of my life,” Hadley told reporters, according to the AP. “I’m glad it’s finally over, and I can move on.”