VISTA, Calif. (Court TV) — A woman became emotional in court during her sentencing after she pleaded guilty to her role in the death of a man who died during a BDSM sexual encounter.
Michaela Rylaarsdam appears at her preliminary hearing on Sept. 3, 2025. (Court TV)
Michaela Rylaarsdam previously pleaded guilty as part of an agreement with prosecutors; on Monday, she appeared before Judge Brad Weinreb to learn her fate. While Rylaarsdam had initially faced a murder charge, she was allowed to plead guilty to a single count of involuntary manslaughter for the death of Michael Dale, 55, Courthouse News Service reported.
At a preliminary hearing last September, prosecutors presented evidence showing that Dale had agreed to pay Rylaarsdam to take part in several fetish activities in April 2023. Messages exchanged between the two included requests from the victim for the defendant to “buy boots and glue them on his feet with gorilla glue,” “pour gorilla glue into his eyes,” and to glue his mouth shut with a sex toy inside.
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The victim was found tied up with no shirt on. The area from the victim’s waist to his feet was covered with plastic wrap and his hands were above his head. Videos found on the defendant’s phone showed Dale with duct tape around his mouth and head and a plastic bag over his head.
While prosecutors conceded that Dale had sent messages to Rylaarsdam, who advertised her services on the website OnlyFans, they also said that during the encounter, he repeatedly asked for things to stop, to no avail. One of Dale’s roommates testified at Rylaarsdam’s preliminary hearing, saying he heard the victim say, “Can we stop? I’ll pay you more money to stop,” before he decided to call 911.
Rylaarsdam was sentenced in line with the terms of the plea agreement, which called for four years in custody, to be served at the county jail rather than prison, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Rylaarsdam’s attorney said at the hearing that his client “felt bad about this from the beginning. Even before the charges, she was seeking therapy as a result of this.”
In an emotional statement to the court, Rylaarsdam began to cry, according to Courthouse News Service. “I was going back and forth as to whether I should say something, and if I would say the wrong thing,” she said. “But it would be a poor example to my children if I did not. When something bad happens, we need to take ownership.”
Prosecutors previously said that Rylaarsdam was married at the time of the incident. Investigators said she shared photos and videos from the encounter with her husband in real time, who encouraged her to continue. Rylaarsdam’s husband and uncle were reportedly present in the gallery during her sentencing.
