i felt like this was the one that i've been waiting for. >> maybe it was too good to be true. did he love me or was this all a game? >> a beautiful businesswoman falls for a dashing doctor. but her daughters have doubts. >> i had lots of suspicions. >> she thinks his fingernails are dirty. this does not look to her like the hands of an actual doctor. >> who was this guy? >> his nickname was "dirty john". >> this woman knew him all too well. >> i started snooping and i found everything. >> this reporter made some unnerving discoveries, too. >> he scared a lot of people. he swindled a lot of people. >> the story of his dirty deeds riveted the nation in a hit podcast. >> this is "dirty john". >> but dirty was about to turn dark. >> he's got duct tape, he's got all the tools ready to kidnap her. >> will this mom and her daughters learn the truth in time? >> she was in a panic. she said, i saw john outside in a car. >> a story ending in savagely that would stun even a police. >> there's no way he gets away with this. unless he killed her. >> hello, and welcome to "dateline". after a string of failed relationships, debra newell thought she had finally found her mr. right. john meehan seems smart, handsome and kind. but from the get-go, debra's daughters said something felt wrong about him. so, the girls started digging into his past. their harrowing search for answers would reveal a double life and expose a dangerous men. but with the truth will the truth be discovered too late? here's keith morrison with "the women & dirty john". >> in the beginning was desire. natural, human desire, for connection, for love. and so, she aimed her arrow at that online ocean of intimate strangers. and found? him. >> newport 9-1-1, do you need police or paramedics? >> hi, i need an ambulance right away. and the police. >> it was summertime when the awful climax came. a late afternoon. a marmalade sun beating down on the parking lot of the rental apartment complex in newport beach, california. that's when they heard it. >> and she says this woman is just screaming. >> all right. >> the whole complex must of herd. it terrified, howling, desperate. >> is she okay? >> there was a man down there. they could see him. he had a knife. he was stabbing a screaming woman. and nobody was helping her. >> it's really bad -- >> all right, i understand. we have officers on the way. >> too late. too late. >> oh, the ambulance is here. they're 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. the story christopher goffard of the "los angeles times" spent months unraveling. strand by disturbing strand. >> it's a story about trust and betrayal. and it's a story about family. >> about a woman, two protective daughters. and what those daughters did when the man came into their mother's life, before the death in the parking lot. >> hi i'm christopher goffard -- >> the story became a podcast produced with the podcast network wondery. the number one podcast in the country at one time. voted by "entertainment weekly", "usa today" and "the guardian" as one of the best of 2017. download a 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 of the militia people live, charismatic, handsome, charming, intelligent. >> he was a nightmare to everybody. >> but not to her. to debra newell of orange county, california, the man who presented himself on the dating web side doctor john meehan, anesthesiologist, looked very promising. >> he was the total package. doctor. very intelligent. family man, loved his kids. >> not that attracting men had ever been difficult for debra, or any of the women in the family. according to her daughter, terra. >> men kind of flocked to them. [laughs] >> really? what is it about women in your family? >> well, they have really great hearts. and they're pretty decent looking. >> good, women, happy, successful, attractive. >> i love those bar stools -- >> debra owned a thriving interior design firm and a moving company. and a silk flowers business. had dozens of employees. certainly, no money worries. but, she was in her 50s. marriages behind her. and she was looking. h potential mate carefully vetted by her watchful daughters. >> we were very judgmental of all the men that she dated. >> a little too judgmental? maybe. >> me and my sister could go over the top sometimes. just very protective over my mom. >> but now debra wanted a romance. just for her. on her terms. >> i had always done everything for my children. so, i felt like it was me time. >> and this guy on the website? it was me time, too. >> he's just back from a year and iraq, where he volunteered with doctors without borders. >> he was charming. kind of old-fashioned. when he asked her out, he didn't just meet her somewhere and wait in his car. >> he insisted on coming upstairs to get me. so, that's why a gentleman does. >> yes. he took her to a fancy place for dinner and oral courtly manners paid the not inconsiderable bill. on their second day, he arrived in medical scrubs. he'd come straight from an operation and he was handsome and tall. and very fit. and very into her. >> he swept me off my feet. said everything right. took me everywhere that i wanted to go. >> did he have that did you have that walking on air feeling? >> yes, i fell in love. >> she called me one day and told me that she met someone amazing and that she really liked this guy. she wanted me to meet him. >> but true to form perhaps, debra's daughters reacted just as they often did to a new man in her life. especially terra's sister. >> she didn't like him immediately. and i thought, oh, she'll eventually like him. he's a lot of fun. he will win her over. >> debra rented a house. part of her new start. in a picturesque part of newport called balboa island. and she ran her business with a new likeness. and at night was love by this accomplished doctor. this sensitive man. what did he do for you? >> everything. from run errands for me to back rub every night. just would listen to my day. we would take walks every night. he held my hand. i mean, he was everything that you would want. >> pinch yourself. you've got it, finally. >> yeah. >> then, just before thanksgiving, as terra helped her mother moved into the balboa house. >> he started moving his stuff in, to. >> terra didn't like it. not a bit. she confronted her mother. >> i told her it was fishy. i don't get it. she told me i needed to mind my own business. and he came up behind her -- >> what did he say? >> he was saying that you are just trying to get your mom all to yourself. and i started screaming back at him, no, john that's what you are trying to do. >> the next day was thanksgiving. and debra, quite fed up, told her suspicious daughters and not to bother showing up for dinner. neither one of you? >> neither one of us. >> what was that like? >> really hard. >> hard for debra, to. 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 at you, have a right to be happy. this is your relationship. and john's position was this therapist is absolutely right. >> so, debra weighed the options. listening to her family? or embrace what felt like the best thing to come along in years? she chose love. or what certainly felt like it. what's the old expression? till death do us part? >> the bond between mother and daughters already fraying, might just break thanks to a startling decision by debra. coming up -- >> i knew my family would be, not very happy with me. >> their daughters fight back by doing some digging into john. >> she bought these trackers for cars and she put one on my mom's tesla, so she found out where john was going. >> when "dateline" continues. ...thanks to dupixent. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. and can help improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks... and can even reduce or eliminate oral steroids. imagine that. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines, including steroids, without tar dogor. who knows what you can do when you du more with less asthma. ask your doctor about dupixent. the most prescribed biologic for asthma. my active psoriatic arthritis can make me feel like i'm losing my rhythm. with skyrizi to treat my skin and joints, i'm getting into my groove. ♪(uplifting music)♪ along with significantly clearer skin... skyrizi helps me move with less joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue. and is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. skyrizi attaches to and reduces a source of excess inflammation that can lead to skin and joint symptoms. with skyrizi 90% clearer skin and less joint pain are possible. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. thanks to skyrizi, there's nothing like clearer skin and better movement... and that means everything. ♪nothing is everything♪ now's the time to ask your doctor about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. 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(vo) visit mytepezza.com to find a ted eye specialist and to see bridget's before and after photos. thanks ♪ ♪ ♪ keith morrison (voiceover): las vegas, nevada, >> las vegas, nevada, the great glittering temples to gambling will happily take your money, of course, and perhaps you leave the city a little poorer. but if you want to bet your heart in las vegas, well, you could put that on the line as well. if you are in a betting mood. and debra newell was. >> i felt very adored and very loved and i thought oh, well, if he's the love of my life, i am ready. >> they've been dating two months when she went to vegas on business in december of 2014. john meehan went along and... >> 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 debra, they wouldn't 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 they are not on board with this. >> but that's all on that one side. the other side this is rush of happiness and good feeling? >> yes. >> so, debra's daughters, protective as usual, had no i the other mother was a newlywed. the therapist debra had seen recommended to keep her relationship separate from her family. but of course christmas was coming. and they were very important family traditions like the one where terra would have our own special time with nieces and nephews of her extended family. so they made a deal. john would stay in a different room while terra had the kids to herself. >> she was going to be able to enjoy the kids and he had to sort of stay away. >> didn't work out so well. what actually happened? >> well, he walked in with all the presents and of course the kids congregate all around him. he went straight up to them, he gave them gifts. >> like being santa claus, or something? >> something like that. >> yeah. >> did he do it on purpose? of course, thought terra. >> that made me so upset. >> terra was very emotional, i thought, just suck it up it's christmas. have fun. >> instead she felt that man had come and usurped something? >> yes. >> something? >> yes. >> not only stolen their christmas, not the daughters, but both of them worried he was stealing there too trusting mother. taking advantage of her. she just let him drive her car. why would he need to? wasn't he a prosperous doctor, and anesthesiologist, couldn't he afford a car? well, there is a reason, debra told them. while john was in iraq working with doctors without borders, he was robbed. >> his house, his clothes, his cars, he was working with insurance company getting the claim. so, i let him borrow my car. >> john would get all his money back soon enough, said debra. didn't wash with terra. sounded like a shaggy dog tale. >> at that time, i had lots of suspicions. >> that's when she and her sister decided to do some snooping. >> she bought these trackers for cars and she went and put one on my mom's tesla, so she found out where john was going. >> where was he going? >> he was going to multiple doctors offices. >> not so unusual, perhaps, for an anesthesiologist. but the sisters noticed something. >> he was there for not that long of time. >> not long enough to conduct any medical procedures, so what were those quick visits all about? seemed more like a man trying to get access to something like maybe drugs. it was just a hunch. but they went to debra with that, said maybe he is an addict. and debra refused to entertain their wild suspicions. >> this is more like stop interfering in my life? >> somewhat, yes. but i'd fallen in love. >> debra's daughters were not about to be put off. >> one of her daughters is particularly suspicious. she doesn't know why he wears surgical scrubs everywhere. it seems to be a costume he's wearing. she thinks his fingernails are dirty and doesn't look to her like the hands of an actual doctor. >> and so they started digging and an investigation that would be halfway across the country. to the depths of evil. to an appointment with death. >> coming up, troubling revelations about john. >> they learned he was not a doctor. >> discoveries that we're about to go from disturbing to terrifying. >> i said he's very, very dangerous. >> when "dateline" continues. you want to be able to provide your child with the tools or resources they need. with reliable internet at home, through the internet essentials program, the world opened up. fellas, fellas. that's how my son was able to find the hidden genius project. we wanted to give y'all the necessary skills to compete with the future. kevin's now part of this next generation of young people who feel they can thrive. ♪ ♪ >> terra newell and cash, her keith morrison (voiceover): terra newell miniature australian shepherd, were inseparable. >> he has unconditional love. and he wants to be there, no matter what. [laughs] >> terra went to cosmetology school but chose to work with four legged clients instead, as a dog groomer. what do you like about dogs? >> i really like that they are innocent. they don't have any evil in them unless they were taught to have evil in them. >> and terra was something of a student of evil. she was a fan of the tv show "the walking dead". zombies. and she had a feeling that evil was lurking in the life of john meehan. so did her sister. they knew he was hiding something said reporter christopher goffard, and they were determined to find out what it was. >> they hired a private investigator to look into his past. >> debra, meanwhile, was in love. the newlyweds had settled into a simple life on newport beach 's balboa island. debra, convinced she'd found the perfect man, even when sometimes things didn't quite make sense. like the time she picked up the mail and saw a strange return address on the letter to her husband. you opened a letter to him? >> yes, i did. [laughs] i was so curious and he was irate. that's fraud. you know, i can't believe you did that. >> but what had caught her attention was that letter was from an inmate at the orange county jail. did you read the letter? >> i did. >> what was in it? >> it was talking about how lucky he was that he had found love, and that his life had turned around. i'm thinking, life had turned around? so, i questioned him and he said that he writes and sends care packages to people in prison. >> sounded plausible enough to debra. but not to the sisters. especially not once their private investigator began reporting his findings on john meehan. >> they learned that he was not a doctor. he was not an anesthesiologist. >> john had worked as a nurse anesthetist, but not recently. and he had certainly not been in iraq with doctors without borders. instead, just before he met debra -- >> they learned that one of his recent addresses was the orange county jail. >> john was not a center of care packages. he had been an inmate. and then in march 2015, four months after john moved in with debra, the sisters snooped to jackpot, they found a stash of paperwork john had left there. legal documents. police reports. >> reports that he stalked other women and that other women had restraining orders on him. >> john's papers outlined a long criminal history. multiple arrests and incarcerations, drug convictions. alarming stuff. >> and debra was hesitant to believe this stuff. she believed john. >> even after her daughters told her what they had found debra went straight to john. and he said, they had the wrong guy. >> he said, there is going to be allegations that other john meehan's did. i thought well, okay, you've got a point. >> john said he was a victim of mistaken identity, in some cases. and in others, he was framed. >> and he said, i was set up. and i said, but you lied to me. he goes, because i knew you would never date me if you knew the truth. and i said, you're right, i wouldn't have. >> thing was, john was so sad. seemed so sincerely contrite. >> he started crying and crying and crying. and he said please forgive me. i love you so much. i can never live without you. >> and it was true that he made her feel like she was the only woman in the world. when they were along together, she felt truly loved. >> i'm thinking, okay, 90% of me doesn't believe him. but there is that 10% that maybe he is right. and i'm going to throw away the person that i fell in love with without trying to work it through. >> and so, she accepted his explanations. and she for gave him. there's always a reason? >> yes. >> in march, 2015, soon after they found that stash of papers, terra and her sister discovered their mother was married to the guy. that was it. they were fed up. refused after that to speak to her. this is a very big, bad problem in your life? >> yeah. >> just how big and how bad? they didn't know yet. but buried in that stash of john's papers was the name of someone who did. a detective, way off in ohio. one of the sisters picked up the phone. called him. why did you think when you got her call? >> i said, he's very, very dangerous. you need to talk to your mother. you need to have her call me. i will tell her everything. >> that is, the strange and disturbing tale that begins with her. >> coming up -- thousands of miles away, this woman also had questions about john. >> i started snooping and i found everything. >> and when she spoke up, that's when thin