OnlyFans escort pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in bondage suffocation death of Michael Dale

on May 06, 2026

Michaela Rylaarsdam, 32, accepted a plea of involuntary manslaughter today. The defendant initially faced a second-degree murder charge in the case, but is now slated to be sentenced next month to four years in state prison in connection with the 2023 death of 55-year-old Michael Dale. 

Prosecutors allege videos recorded of the incident showed Dale with his wrists bound, a plastic bag over his head and duct tape over his mouth. Rylaarsdam ultimately called 911 for help but only after filming herself in a sex act and sharing it with her husband as Dale lay dying. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death to be asphyxiation and the manner of death to be homicide after determining that the bag had been wrapped around Dale's head for at least eight minutes. Dale died at a hospital the following day. Prosecutors allege the victim's death stemmed from oxygen deprivation primarily due to the items placed on his head.

Details of the case

The incident: On April 17, 2023, Dale paid Rylaarsdam $11,000 for a fetish act involving her "mummifying" him in plastic wrap and duct tape. During the encounter, prosecutors allege that Rylaarsdam wrapped Dale's head in plastic wrap and placed a plastic bag over his head, causing him to suffocate.

Video evidence

A video recovered from Rylaarsdam's phone allegedly shows Dale struggling to breathe for several minutes while Rylaarsdam continued to film.

Response

Rylaarsdam called 911 after realizing Dale was unresponsive and was attempting CPR when police arrived. Dale was later pronounced brain-dead and removed from life support.

Arrest and charge

Rylaarsdam was arrested in February 2025 and charged with second-degree murder. She initially pled not guilty and was held without bail. 

Defense argument

Rylaarsdam's attorney claims the activities were consensual and that she did not expect Dale to die. However, prosecutors have pointed to the video evidence and text messages exchanged with her husband during the incident, alleging they show a disregard for Dale's well-being. The victim pled for his life and even offered to pay to be released but was ignored. The video of her masturbating on camera while Dale was unresponsive shows that Rylaarsdam did not act on his distress within reason if it had just been sexual play.

Another issue the defense has raised was the other medical conditions of the victim as some sort of contributing factor, however, the chronic conditions of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and hepatitis are all treatable and would not have been a factor in his immediate death from asphyxiation.

Case Information

Defendant: Michaela Brashaye Rylaarsdam

Court No.: CN463804 

Arraignment Date: 9/25/2025 

Time: 8:30 AM

Court Information: San Diego County Superior Court - North County Regional Center

325 South Melrose Drive, Vista, CA 92081

Charge: Second degree murder

Arraignment is the formal process in a criminal trial where the defendant is brought before the court to hear the charges against them and to enter a plea, such as guilty or not guilty. This is typically one of the first steps in the legal proceedings following an arrest.

Cases of Note

People v. Gudiel, 107 Cal. App. 5th 848, 328 Cal. Rptr. 3d 578 (2024)

Petitioner, who was serving prison term of 15 years to life for his conviction for second-degree murder, sought resentencing. The Superior Court, Los Angeles County Judge Stephen A. Marcus, denied the petition and appealed. The Court of Appeals held that substantial evidence supported petitioner's conviction for implied malice second-degree murder, and, thus, petitioner was ineligible for resentencing.

Sentencing and Punishment

Killing while committing other offense or in course of criminal conduct satisfies the reckless indifference standard for felony murder special circumstances is qualitatively different than the conscious disregard standard for implied malice second degree murder. The reckless indifference standard actually requires a subjective awareness of a higher degree of risk than the conscious disregard for human life standard.

The Law

The following are the laws that should or could eventually be introduced or pled to in the case of the death of Michael dale.

California Penal Code § 193

Involuntary Manslaughter

(a) Voluntary manslaughter is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 3, 6, or 11 years.

(b) Involuntary manslaughter is punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 for two, three, or four years.

(c) Vehicular manslaughter is punishable as follows:

(1) A violation of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 192 is punishable either by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year or by imprisonment in the state prison for two, four, or six years.

(2) A violation of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 192 is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year.

(3) A violation of paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of Section 192 is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 4, 6, or 10 years.