Transcripts For MSNBCW Dateline Extra 20191111

Actual doctor. Who was this guy . His nickname was dirty john. I found everything. He scared a lot of people, swindelled a lot of people. The story of his dirty deeds riveted the nation in a hit podcast. In this is dirty john. But dirty is about to turn dangero dangerous. He had duct tape. He was in a panic. She said i saw john outside in a car. Theres no way he gets away with this unless he kills her. The women dirty john. Hello. Welcome to dateline extra. After being unlucky in love, debra newell thought she found the one in john meehan. But her daughter suspected behind his rugged good looks lurked something sinister so the sisters dug into his past. What this found threatened to tear the family apart and put their lives in danger. Heres keith morrison. In the beginning was desire, natural, human desire for connection, for love. And so she aimed her arrow at that online ocean of intimate changers and found him. 911, do you need police, fire or paramedics . I need an ambulance and the police. It was summertime when the awful climax came. Thats when they heard it. This woman is screaming. Reporter the whole complex must have heard it, terrified, howling desperately. Is she okay . There was a man down there. They could see him. He had a knife, stobiabbing the screaming woman. Its awful. We have officers on the way. Theyre doing cpr on somebody. The bloody ending. But the story, the whole terrible tale, is much deeper than that one thing, dreadful though it was. A story christopher gofrd of the Los Angeles Times spent months unraveling, strand by disturbing strand. Its a story about trust and betrayal and its a story about family. About a woman, two protective daughters and what those daughters did when the man came into their mothers life before the death in the parking lot. Hi, im christopher the story became a podcast produced, the number one podcast for a time. Voted as one of the best of 2017, downloaded 28 million times in the first year of its release. The story and the man at the heart of it was called dirty john. He was a very, creative, super manipulative, charismatic, handsome, charming, intelligent. He was a nightmare to everything. But not to her. To deborah newell, dr. John meehan, anesthesiaist looked very promising. He was a dre, very intelligent, family man, loved his kids. Reporter not that attracting men had ever been difficult for deborah or any of the women in the family eri family, a cordin daughter. What is it about the women in your family . Well, they have really great hearts and that are pretty decent looking. Good women, happy, successful, attractive. Deborah owned a thriving interior design firm and a moving company and a silk flowers business, had dozens of employees, certainly no money kor worries, but she was in her 50s, maerjs behind her and she was looking. Each potential mate carefully vetted by her watching daughters. We were very judgmental about the men that she dated. A little too judgmental . Maybe money. Me and my cyst ter cousister over the tops sometimes. I had always done everything for my children so i felt like it was me time. And this guy on the web site was me time to a tee. Hes just back from a year in iraq where he volunteered for doctors without borders. He was charming, old fashion fashioned. He insisted on coming upstairs to get me. Thats what a gentleman does. He took her to a fancy place for dinner and paid the not inconsiderable bill. On their ekd datsecond date, hed in medical scrubs, come being right from surgery. He was very tall and fit and very into her. He swept me off my feet, said everything right, took me everywhere i wanted to go. Did you have that walking on air feeling a little bit, i fell in love. But true to form, deborahs daughters reacted just as they often did to a man in her life, especially taras sister. She didnt like him immediately. I thought, oh, shell eventually like him, hes a lot of fun. Hell win her over. Deborah rented a house, part of her new start, in a pictu picturesque part of newport and her life was loved by this sensitive doctor, accomplished man. What did he do for you . Everything, from run errands every day, governor me a back rub every night, we took a walk every night. I mean, he was everything you would want. Pinch yourself, you got to finally . Yeah. And then just before thanksgiving he started moving his stuff in, too. Dara didnt like it, not a bit. She confronted her mother. I told her it looks fish ey, she dont get it, she told me i needed to mind my own business. And he came up behind her. What did he say . He said youre trying to get the mom all to yourself and i screamed back at him, no, thats what you are trying to do. The next day was thanksgiving and deborah quite fed up told her suspicious daughters not to bother showing up for dinner. Neither one of you . Neither one of us. What was that like . Really hard. Hard for deborah, too. But she needed her own life. She and john asked a counselor for advice. And the counselor suggested that i have rules for the girls. Boundaries. The therapist said, look, you have a right to be happy and your relationship and johns position was the therapist is absolutely right. So deborah weighed her options, listen to her family or brace with what felt like the best thing to come along in years. She chose love, or what certainly felt like it. Whats the old expression till death do us part . The bond between mothers and daughters already fraying might just break thanks to a startling decision by deborah. They knew my family would be not very mean with me. What did it feel like . Very mixed emotions. The daughters foot back by doing some digging into john. She bought these trackers for cars and put one on my moms tesla, so she found out where john was going. When the women and dirty john continues. Women and dirty john continues. Needles. Essential for the sea urchin, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Because there are options. Like an unjection™. Xeljanz xr, a oncedaily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. Xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. Xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections like tb; dont start xeljanz if you have an infection. Taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra can increase risk of death. Serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. As have tears in the stomach or intestines, serious allergic reactions, and changes in lab results. Tell your doctor if youve been somewhere fungal infections are common, or if youve had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. Needles. Fine for some. But for you, one pill a day may provide symptom relief. Ask your doctor about xeljanz xr. An unjection™. Do you recall, not long ago we would walk on the sidewalk all around the wind blows we would only hold on to let go blow a kiss into the sun we need someone to lean on blow a kiss into the sun we needed somebody to lean on all we need is someone to lean on welcome back. Debra newell was head over heels in love with her new boyfriend, john meehan. Now the couple was living together. Debras daughters with suspicio suspicious. Little did they know debra was about to take an even bigger step, something she was about to keep secret. Here is keye moith morrison. Nevada, perhaps youll leave the city a little poorer. And if you want to bet your heart in las vegas, well, you can put that on the line, too, if youre in a betting mood and debra newell was. I felt very adored and very loved. I felt, well, if hes the love of my life, im ready. They had opinion dabeen dati months when she went away on business and john went along. We went to a courthouse and just got married before a judge. Like that. Just like that. Married. Nobody there but them. And their secret, they decided, said deborah, they wouldnt tell anyone. I knew my family would be not very happy with me. What did it feel like . Very mixed emotions. A little empty knowing that theyre not on board with this. Thats all on one side. On the other side theres this rush of happiness and good feeling, right . Yes. So debras daughters, protective as usual, had no idea she was a newlywed. Her therapist remembered that she keep her relationship separate from her family. But christmas was coming, like the one where tara would have her own time with the extended nieces and nephews of their family. So john would stay in a different room where tara would be able to enjoy the kid. She was going to be able to see the kids and he would stay away. He walked out with all the presents. He went straight up to them, he gave them gifts. Like being santa claus or something. Something look that. Did he do it on purpose . Of course, thought tara. That made me so upset. Tara was very emotional. I thought just suck it up, its christmas, have fun. Instead see felt that man had come and usurped something . Yes. He had not only stolen christmas, thought the daughters, but both of them worried that he was stealing their too trusting mother. She just let him drive her car. But why would he need to . Wasnt he a prosperous doctor, an anesthesiologist . Couldnt he afford a car . There was a reason, that while john was in iraq working with doctors without borders,. His house, his clothes, his bars, he was working with an Insurance Company of getting the claim. So i let him borrow my dar. John would get he is and thats when she and her sister decided to do some. Ing. She bought these tracks are for cars and she went and put one on my moms tesla. So she found out where john was going. Where was he going . He was going to multiple doctors offices. Not not so unusual, perhaps, for an anesthesiaist. But the sisters noticed something. He was there for not that long of time. What were those kwk visits all about . Seemed more like a mabb tieing to get access to said maybe hes an addict and db bra this is more like stop interfering in my life. Somewhat, yes, but id fallen in love. Her daughters are not about to be put off. One of her daughters is particularly suspicious. She doesnt know why he wears surgical scrubs everywhere. She thinks his finger nails are dirty. This does not look to her look the stands of. An appointment with death. Coming up, troubling revelations about john. I learned he was not a doctor, not an anesthesiologist. Discoveries are i will teller everything. When the women and dirt ooion continues. Did have. Welcome back. Deborahs daughters believed their moms new love, john meehan, was not who he said he was. So they turned themselves into amateur detectives and discovered he was spending toop visiting doctors offices. The daughters wondered if he might be a drug addict looking to score. But what they are about to find would confirm their worst fears. Here again is kooets morrison. Reporter tara newel and cash, her minute tour, if. No matter what. Tara went to Cosmetology School but chose to work with fourlegged clients instead as a dug groomer. What do you like about dug unless there its hard to have hot to hot people. And so did her sister. They knew he was in the they hired a prift regularor to look into his past. Deborah, meanwhile, was in love. The newlyweds had settled into a newly on the island. Deborah was could be and saw a strange return address of a letter addressed to your husband. You opened a letter addressed to him . I was so curious and he was irate, flower that letter was inmate in at the Orange County jail. He was talking with how lucky he was that he had found loved and that his live that he writes and sends care packages to people in prison. Reporter sounded plausible enough to deborah, but not to the sisters, especially not one their private investigator began reports had had. John had worked as a nurse but not recently and he certainly had not been in mek from he realized one of his recent addresses was from the county jail. He had been an inmate. Then in march 20 1r5, four months after john moved in with deb were, the are why are from. Reports that hes stalked other women and other women trr i dont think i railroad. Alarming stuff temperature. And deborah was his tent to believe the stuffnch they were going straight to john and he said ne snomt and i thought, well, okay, youve got a point. John says he was a case of ne for and i said but you lied to me. Y goes because i knew you would never date me if twrsh h contrite. He started crying and crying and crying. He said employees for give me like she was the only woman the world. And when they were aloning to, she fell truly loved. Im thinking okay, 90 of me doesnt believe him but theres that 10 that maybe hes right. And im going to throw away the person that i fell in love with without trying to work it through . And so she accepted his flags splaiss and she forgave him. There was always a reason . Yes. In march 2015, soon after they found that staff of papers, tara and her sister discovered the their. By but eed in the stash of papers was the name of someone who did, a detective wait off in ohio. One of the sisters picked up the phone, call him. What did you m. I will tell her everything. That is a strange and disturbing tail in the coming up, thousands of miles away, this woman also had questions about john. I started. Ing and i found everything. It was under my nose all the time. And when she spoke you, thats when things to the really scary. It it fwr sfwrrt sfwrr not such a b theres only one quicker picker upper. Bounty, the quicker picker upper. Thouwhich is Breast Cancer metastthat has spreadcer, to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. Ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr her2 metastatic Breast Cancer, as the first hormonal based therapy. Ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole, and shrank tumors in over half of patients. Patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. Ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs that can lead to death. 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Im Picking Companies that i believe in. I think sofi money is amazing. Thank you sofi. Sofi thank you, we love you. Zeerchltss whats happening. Public engagement hearings. And tuesday the Supreme Court will hear arguments to determine if President Trump had the authority to end the daca program. The Trump Administration announced it would cancel daca in 2017 but lower courts ruled against the move. Now back to date line. Now back to date line. Welcome back to dateline extra im craig mel have i been. They found not only diddy lie about being a doctor but he was an exbe con with several restraining order ares kbebs him. It didnt no matter to be her dea death, if again, heres keith morrison. Reporter who was this man, stole kren deborahs heart, this john meehan. Tanya bails had no idea early when kwlrk he was play full, he was there will, if tanya was a youngers in in dayton, ohio. John was in law school there until he met her and said he had a kind of an efif if because it he was a second year law student. He wasnt, he had been kicked out, though he didnt tell hadder that. So in her blissful ignorance, she married him in her familys inform and she helped hut him through flower thing stod adding you, snrk. Tanya wondered what else did she not know aboutmer soon to be e exnever why not will the her nn are in and she said oh, i married to your son john and she was quiet for a minute and she said oh, tanya, i knew youd call me someday. Wow. All the details of troub in the past. According to his on mother, john had been feeting and scheming and lying for year. Been answer had been is so if something look shock, tanya became a sleuth. Who was this man . I started. Ing and i found everything, under my nose all the time. Evidence of a criminal, double life. And Something Else a cedar box full of vebt in no. And things did come and go. So now i thought its a staff a ticket be in the candy store all day long. Thats right. It luke putting an, it was the law. He had to be stopped. He was going to hurt pishence. And and on the job, he turned on me, lipped wick a wick. Now the man she once thought she new nsh. I got a big smile on my face. And you know why . Because its going to get done. What is going to get done. Youre going to remember that when you see it, you remember it was me. You enjoy your time left on this earth, okay . Because thats what its going to come down to. He was arrested for making threats again tanya in june 2001, convicted was menacing and put on appropriation probation. She wasnt the man she thought he was . Thats right. There was another version of jon. The Police Detective investigated the source of those blood and found a gun. Illegal because johns on igsation again and sen to jail. When he went to monday gomry ron and hes going to try to con you out of drugs. He said he already hashe claimed he fell out of the top bunk and got payment here and there. Youre dealing with a smart, articulate, addict. Thanks to liukin, why and tanya felt gielty, wondering if shed myselfed warning signs, what else gooms men who had some drinks and had their arms around each other, talking about how they met him. One of the grooms men said, johns nikki haley is milkman. And little later on there was a story to that. He was basically tountingle will owe ladies with the latest he was a loan and died rather suddenly. John wasnt charged in those cases, but there were others, said liukin. And as the year went on, developed a certain kril nal specialty. He would go on dating web sites and found women that usually had good financial backing he always told pao he was a doctor. He sealed like an idea catch for a lot these women. Yes. John would thereto yb dangerous, deceitful that had i this invest gated ins for in. Was consumed with foretemperature because this dangerous man was now married to a very successful business woman, who happened to be taras mother nor fwlr fwhr. Coming up, one of deborahs daughters is about to make an ominous discovery. She was in a pan be. If. This. In. I was afraid he could till my mom and also amade he would sell or myers is ter and someonebeen. Sfwlufrmt. Im running on the rooftops, 50 foot tall Maria Ramirez . Hi. Maria ramirez mom maria Maria Ramirez. Mcdonalds is committing 150 Million Dollars in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs. Prof Maria Ramirez mom and dad Maria Ramirez to help more employees achieve their dreams. Mom and dad Maria Ramirez upbeat music no coverup spray here. Cheaper aerosols can cover up odors in a flowery fog. But febreze air effects eliminates odors. With a 100 natural propellent. It leaves behind a pleasant scent youll love. [ deep inhale] freshen up. Dont cover up. Febreze. Wheyou want relief. Fast. Only thermacare ultra pain relieving cream has 4 active ingredients to fight pain 4 different ways. Get powerful relief today, with thermacare. I thought i was managing my moderate to severe Crohns Disease. Then i realized something was missing. Me. My symptoms were keeping me from being there. So, i talked to my doctor and learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of Crohns Disease after trying other medications. And the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Be there for you, and them. Ask your gastroenterologist about humira. With humira, remission is possible. Welcome back. Tan tan tanya bales and debra newell had both fell in love with the same man. Here again is keith morrison. Debra had fallen in love with a con man. And when we spoke to the investigator who had been investigated john meehan for years he said this guy is pad neba, you need to get your mother a from him. Her daughters went into rescue mode. The police in laguna beach had arrested john meehan for stalking a woman and discovered he rented an office space in which they found zip dties, cyanide and loaded gubs. What did all this say to you . That he might be a killer and she has to get out of this. John has an explanation of course, even for the cyanide. He said he has multiple sclerosis and if has the cyanide in case he needed to kill himself. He still continued to treat me incredibly well but he tried to isolate me from everyone. Especially your family. Especially my family. Now afraid, she reckon sized with her daughters and Read Everything they had about him. What did you feel . Confusion. I thought how could this man fake it to this degree. Did he love me or was this all a gail. And i realized i was his newest victim. In april 2016, she fled from the home they shared in vegas back to Orange County and from a safe distance, she filed for an annulment and soon discovered that john could trn on a dime. He started by trying to ruin her reputation, spent weird, inappropriate emails to her colleagues, clients. It he send photographs of you to anybody . He sent nude photos. Thats a nightmare. But one of them he burnt my car. He took it, stole it and then sit is on fire. He said i know its not going to be for long. Tanya, you enjoy your time left on this earth, okay . Because thats what its going to come down to. I went into hiding. I bought a darg wig, changed my clothes, got a rental car, stayed in different hotels. I went everywhere that he wouldn wouldnt. Wow. Yeah. Now stories john had told her before she left played over and over in deborahs worried mind, disturbing stories, told similar ones to tanya years before, stories about the mafia. If they want to get back at i, say you took money or something, they dont kill you, they kill someone you love because then you lived your pain the whol this evening. And the man deborah once loved, she now feared. That had to be a very, very strange feeling. Why, very much. Cared for my life. I was afraid pr after all, they had ruined all his plans in in the summer of 2016, deborah began staying in secret with her other daughter, opening that she was safe there. Then, tfbs the and she was in a panic and said i saw john, i saw john. S owe . She didnt have to wait long to find out. Someones been stabbed . The evil thats been going on for almost two years explodes in broad daylight. We found a back pack with numerous items, we found duct tape. Hes planned this out. This was a revenge killing. And the shattery end that would extend even the cops. She say this guy raising his hand up and down, up and down. When the women and dirty john continues. Did have. We have officers on the way. You said she saw blood . I dont know. Tyler reached parking lot, saw a mabb and a woman she didnt know. As i was running, i could see everything that was going on. So i saw him actually stab her. That woman being stabbed was cara. She had justice found are. There was no pause, no time to think. Tara, sitting here talking about it was still struggling with what happened, still visibly keeping an emotional distance, as if it happened to somebody ls. Wide open. He wanted you back in the are in. It just felt like i was getting punched over and over again. But it wasnt that. There was a knife in the back kiting her, slicing into her in, and i tried to get away from him and i was screaming and he put his hand over my mouth and i bit as hard as i could. Cash, the dog, barked furiously, bit wrenn to johns ankle. I got thrown down on to the ground somehow and i was just med is it and it landed on my righthand side. And then fill of akeb brb frrg. I picked up the knives and we at this at the of of and then in the last time was in the eyeball. Did you aim for that in. I did. S that the groo. That said, her education per nsh you are have to kill they will in the let, like you have it tlp their noult thats. And where tarified, she called her mother. Im sorry. I knew this couldnt happen. Can she said, mom, i just killed your husband, im so sorry. Think in, it was crazy. They wouldnt let you in. They said it was a crime scene. He was dead. Right after the attack, rick henry found her at the hospital, her dog stilling her. There and she told me the whole story. Its a froms so what were you afraid of. Well, i didnt know if they would for youre knows that it is tim apaq ef they might charge her with something . Yes. Theres a careful the law must foul early core sideration. The diskof we found trash bags, disrupt and. There is an impack sfrr talk about a picture saying a thousand words. It screams out that this is an innocent woman who came very close to being murdered by a really bad guy and thought bravely and survived. It was a sense of relief that its finally off. Twrr oh yeah. It made me trumble and from the. By the time i took the patient out of the room, i was in in nk so. Her daughters, 16 and 21 at the time said they regretted not being able to show him he pell he deborah still struggles with guilt. I would have never, ever in my entire life put my kids in danger. That was the last thing on my niend is that he would be going after one of my kids. You fell lucky in a way . I feel very lucky. I believe tara saved many lives, saved my life, many she still has some real. I jis cant grchlt running down the ramp and just like going tole the from flfrm fwrchblt fwrm. And ton sfwhrchlt thanks to a young woman and a little dog who fought for her life. And won. Fought for her life. And won. Thats all for this edition of dateline extra. Im craig melvin. Thank you for watching. Did have. I wondered why i didnt want to do more. I should have done something different. Ill live with that forever. Forever and ever had will it flb High School Sweet hearts with a growing a growing family. Then it all went up in flames. Theres a fire and my wife is his wife was inside. I believed somehow it wasnt true. None of it made sense to me. But buried in the ashes secrets. I dont care what you think youre seeing, youre dealing with a murder. The gun. How