Who is Dirty John?
“Dirty John”—real name: John Meehan—was a criminal, con artist and master manipulator known for preying upon women in various states who he considered easy targets. A former nurse anesthesiologist, Meehan was also accused of stealing drugs from hospitals in four states: Ohio, Michigan,...
Is'Dirty John'based on a true story?
Debra Newell, the woman whose real-life story is depicted in 'Dirty John,' is seen here during an interview with "Nightline." Newell then hid for months but Meehan stalked her and even located and set fire to her car.
How old was Terra Newell when she killed Dirty John?
Terra Newell was 25 years old when she stabbed her mother’s sociopath husband, “Dirty John” Meehan, to death in a terrifying struggle on the roof of her apartment in California.
Who was ‘Dirty John’ Meehan?
Who was ‘Dirty John’ Meehan? Meehan was a drug addict, grifter and one-time law student who later became a nurse anesthesiologist. (Fun fact: He was once accused of bringing a gun into an operating room in Dayton.) Meehan was known for his penchant for colorful revisions of his own life story.
What did Newell do to Meehan?
At that point, Newell said she was able to push Meehan off of her.
Why did Terra Newell say Meehan tried to isolate her mother from her children?
Terra Newell said Meehan tried to isolate her mother from her children in an effort to control every aspect of her life and her wealth.
What did Terra Newell discover about Meehan?
Terra Newell then discovered that Meehan was stalking her too, calling the dog kennel where she worked at the time to make an appointment and used a fake French accent.
How long did Newell and Meehan know each other?
They only knew each other for two months when Newell agreed to marry Meehan on a trip to Las Vegas. Although it was her fifth marriage, she said he seemed like the man of her dreams.
How old was Newell when he stabbed her?
As Newell, 25 years old at the time, and Meehan struggled, she said he began stabbing her with a knife.
When did Meehan meet Debra Newell?
Meehan met Debra Newell just two days after he was released from jail in October 2014.
How long did Meehan die?
Meehan was rushed to the hospital, where he died four days later.
What did Terra say to Debra after she wrapped her wound?
After a neighbor wrapped Terra’s wound in a beach towel, Terra called Debra and broke the news: “I’m really, really sorry. I think I killed your husband.” But John wasn’t yet dead. Paramedics administered CPR and his pulse returned.
How old was Tonia when she married John?
At the time, she was 25 and he was 31, though he told her that he was 26. None of John's family attended the wedding; he explained that his parents were addicts and he didn’t want them to ruin the wedding. The couple had two daughters, and Tonia helped put John through nursing school.
Why did Jacquelyn call Terra?
Jacquelyn called Terra to warn her that John was in town; the previous evening she'd seen him waiting outside her (Jacquelyn’s) apartment building in Irvine. That evening, Terra returned home from work and parked her car in the lot outside her Newport Beach apartment building.
How did John Meehan die?
John Meehan died in the hospital at 57, four days after his fight with Terra. After he was declared brain dead, his sister Karen made the decision to take him off life support. His body was cremated and no memorial service was held.
Why was the house in Debra's name alone?
The house was in Debra’s name alone because John didn’t want his name on the lease. The tension between John and Debra’s daughters came to a head the day before Thanksgiving, when Terra discovered the couple were living together and confronted her mom. Goffard describes this incident:
Why was Debra swept off her feet?
Their relationship developed quickly, and Debra was “swept off her feet because he knew what to say. Everything was so calculated.” She was willing to overlook some strange quirks—John wore his medical scrubs everywhere, even to formal events, and claimed to have no money because all of his income went to his children—but her daughters were instantly suspicious.
What did Tonia discover about John?
Tonia discovers the truth about John. After ten years of marriage, John told Tonia he wanted a divorce. Tonia tracked down John’s mother, Dolores, though he had always forbidden Tonia from contacting her.
How old was Terra Newell when she killed her mother's husband?
Terra Newell was 25 when she killed her mother’s husband, now known to the world as Dirty John. Now she’s a social media star.
How many followers does Terra Newell have?
Terra Newell has a strong fan base of more than 20,000 followers. Picture: InstagramSource:Supplied. Terra Newell was 25 years old when she stabbed her mother’s sociopath husband, “Dirty John” Meehan, to death in a terrifying struggle on the roof of her apartment in California.
How does Terra Newell gain control?
Many abusive partners gain control using emotional abuse, or financial abuse. Controlling the household finances can leave an abused partner without the money to escape her situation, or to seek what she's entitled to in the family court. Terra Newell has a strong fan base of more than 20,000 followers.
What was the kidnap kit used in Terra?
After moving in with Debra, Meehan’s behaviour became more erratic, and the Newell family uncovered his lies. According to the Los Angeles Times, on August 20, 2016, Meehan, equipped with a “kidnap kit” including duct tape, cable ties, injectable testosterone, kitchen knives — and a passport — attacked Terra in the parking lot ...
When did Terra Newell post?
A post shared by Terra Newell(@terranewell) on Nov 18, 2018 at 1:44pm PST. Her strong fanbase commend her on her strength after her horrific ordeal, often sharing their own stories of survival in the process. “You are an inspiration,” one woman wrote.
Who plays John Meehan in Dirty John?
This year, their story was again told through a Netflix series of the same name, starring Eric Bana as John Meehan, and Connie Britton as Debra Newell.
Who was John Meehan?
Meehan, an abusive drug addict and compulsive liar, convinced Debra he was a registered anaesthesiologist at a prestigious hospital, but he was in fact fired, homeless and would steal opioids from his patients. John Meehan met Debra Newell weeks after he was released from prison.
What is the documentary Dirty John based on?
And dangerous. The documentary is based on the articles and breakout podcast, called Dirty John, by Los Angeles Times reporter Chris Goffard. It airs weeks after the release on Bravo of a series of the same name inspired by the podcast. ( Bravo’s Dirty John, starring Connie Britton and Eric Bana, starts on Nov. 25.)
How old was John Meehan?
John Meehan seemed like the perfect man. The 55-year-old was known as an anesthesiologist who spent a year in Iraq with Doctors Without Borders. Handsome and seemingly successful, he owned multiple homes.
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When does Dirty John air on Bravo?
It airs weeks after the release on Bravo of a series of the same name inspired by the podcast. ( Bravo’s Dirty John, starring Connie Britton and Eric Bana, starts on Nov. 25.) “There are life and death stakes in this story,” says Goffard in a release from Bravo. “Many women were terrified. John Meehan was a serial predator.
When was John Meehan stabbed?
John Meehan was stabbed in 2016, ending his life of crime — a story that was covered in the Dirty John podcast and will be adapted into a Bravo TV show
Was John Meehan an anesthesiologist?
With the help of her daughter’s sleuthing, Debra learned that Meehan’s entire life was a web of lies. He was not an anesthesiologist and he never worked for Doctors Without Borders. Instead, he was a con man who devoted more than two decades to manipulating more than a dozen unsuspecting women looking for love. “John was evil,” said Debra.
What happened to Terra after John Meehan?
After John Meehan. Terra grappled with intense feelings of guilt and shame after killing John during their scuffle, she was also diagnosed with PTSD from which she still suffers. Thankfully, she was surrounded by loving and supportive people to help her get through this trying time.
What is the story of John Meehan?
1. Meet Dirty John. The story of John Meehan and what he did to Debra Newell and her family was so compelling that it was made into a podcast and a TV show both called, Dirty John. To sum up the saga for you quickly, John continually lied, isolated and stole from women his entire life in addition to lying about his own medical credentials.
What is dirty John about?
It was the story of an innocent, self-made wealthy woman being seduced and conned by a man named John Meehan who had made it his life's work to steal, deceive and harm the people around him.
How long was John on life support?
John was kept on life support for four days before the plug was pulled and he eventually died. Though the police did question Terra, it became very clear very quickly that she had only lashed out at John in the hopes of saving her own life, making it a clear case of self-defense.
Who killed Terra in the movie?
John Meehan was killed when he attacked Terra in the parking lot just outside the building where she lived, back in late August of 2016. According to the police reports, Terra was taking her dog Cash out for a walk when Meehan leaped in front of her and began yelling at her and stabbing her.
Who ended John Meehan's life?
You see, eventually, things escalated to such a degree that Debra's daughter Terra wound up fighting off John Meehan who stabbed her several times. But it was Terra who ended John's life in an act of self-defense. Her mother wouldn't change a thing: “She did everything right to fight that man!
Who is Terra Newell?
Terra Newell, whose mum Debra's coercive relationship inspired the Netflix show Dirty John, tells us how she's learning to move on with her life and help others to realise the signs of red flags in relationships. pic.twitter.com/m2VuPibC4M. — This Morning (@thismorning) August 20, 2019.
Who was ‘Dirty John’ Meehan?
Meehan was a drug addict, grifter and one-time law student who later became a nurse anesthesiologist. (Fun fact: He was once accused of bringing a gun into an operating room in Dayton.)
What did ‘Dirty John’ do to attain his infamy?
Meehan dropped out of law school during his second year and subsequently disappeared. It turns out he was failing out, though he didn’t reveal that to anyone. In 1990, he married his first wife, Tonia Sells, a 25-year-old Dayton, Ohio nurse anesthetist. (He told her he was 26, though he was actually 31.) This is when Meehan’s pattern of preying on women by marrying them officially began.
Who did John Meehan kill?
He did, however, seem to view killing as an appropriate option for handling his failed relationship with Debra Newell. In fact, Meehan threatened Newell’s nephew as well as her four children, eventually turning violent against one of them.
Who killed ‘Dirty John’?
When Debra Newell finally began to see John’s true colors, with the help of her kids’ digging into his past, she opted to annul their marriage. It was then that Meehan went after her daughter, Terra.
What was the pattern of Meehan?
His pattern was to sweep his romantic partners/victims off their feet using an elaborate web of flattery and deceit, weaseling his way into women’s financial good graces and then growing increasingly abusive when they eventually threatened to leave him. A suspected sociopath, the now-deceased Meehan left a long trail of restraining orders and court filings in his wake.
What did John Meehan learn from his father?
One of the top things Meehan learned? “Bogus lawsuits and insurance scams, ” according to one of his sisters, Donna Meehan Stewart. Another sister, Karen Douvillier, told The Los Angeles Times, “If anybody did anything to John, my dad would tell us, ‘You go there with a stick and take care of it… It’s the Brooklyn mentality of ‘you fight, you get even.’”
Why is Dirty John called Dirty John?
Meehan reportedly earned his nickname “Dirty John” (also “Filthy John” or just “Filthy”) for his notoriously slimy ways with women— and the crude terms he would allegedly use to talk about these women. The moniker may also be linked to his penchant for “dirty” misdeeds; he was a master manipulator, even going so far as to leap in front of an oncoming car and put broken glass in a fast-food order in order to win settlement money.
Who played John Meehan in Dirty John?
Times ’ Christopher Goffard. Then, it was repurposed for the Bravo series, Dirty John. While the TV show was based on real events – with Connie Britton playing Debra Newell and Eric Bana as John Meehan, a.k.a. “Dirty John,” not everything went exactly as it appeared on screen.
Who played Terra in The Walking Dead?
The series came to an end on Sunday, January 13, with Debra’s daughter Terra (played by Julia Garner) stabbing John after he attempted to kidnap her. Luckily, as a fan of The Walking Dead, she knew how to stab him in order to kill him. After he landed in the hospital, Debra was given the choice to disconnect the machines keeping him alive.
How did John Meehan die?
Dennis Luken, an investigator for the Warren County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio who began looking into Meehan in 2002, correctly predicted how the story would end. “I knew this case was going to go on until either somebody killed him or he killed somebody,” Luken told the L.A. Times.
How old was Debra Newell when she met John Meehan?
When 59-year-old Debra Newell first met John Meehan in October 2014, she thought she found "the One.". Or, if not "the One," then at least a nice guy to make up for the string of online dates and four failed marriages that came before him. The owner of a successful interior design business and the mother of four children, ...
How old was Terra when she was living in Vegas?
At the time, 23-year-old Terra was living outside Las Vegas with her then-boyfriend, and 24-year-old Jacquelyn was living with her mother in California. “I told my mom she’d better get this creep out of the house or I don’t plan on living with her,” Jacquelyn said on the Dirty John podcast.
Why did Meehan leave California?
Eventually, Meehan was busted for selling cocaine and forced to leave California as part of a plea deal.
When did Debra and Meehan learn Meehan was dangerous?
By March 2015, four months after their wedding, Debra would come to learn what her daughters already knew: Meehan was dangerous. By then, though, the chain of events depicted in Dirty John had already gotten started.
Where did Newell and Meehan move to?
Five weeks in, they moved into a beautiful, $6,500 a month house on Balboa Island. Two months in, they eloped in Las Vegas. No guests attended the wedding, and no prenuptial was signed to protect Newell's sizable assets.
How many episodes of Dirty John are there on Netflix?
Watch all eight episodes of Dirty John on Netflix for all the other wild twists you couldn't predict.
How did John Meehan die?
Man dies after being stabbed by woman he assaulted with knife, police say. John Meehan spent 17 months in a Michigan prison after pleading guilty in 2002 to drug theft. (Michigan Department of Corrections) By Hannah Fry Staff Writer. Aug. 25, 2016 5:39 PM PT.
Was Meehan and the woman related?
Manzella said Meehan and the woman were not related by blood or romantically involved but had “an ongoing troubled relationship.”
Who is Hannah Fry?
Hannah Fry is a Metro reporter covering Orange County for the Los Angeles Times. She joined the newspaper in 2013 as a reporter for the Daily Pilot, a Times Community News publication.
