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John Meehan, otherwise known as "Dirty John," was a con man and master manipulator who preyed on vulnerable women for years, posing as an anaesthesiologist. He was charged with drug theft from hospitals in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky and had multiple restraining orders filed against him.
Dirty John's behavior involved using a complex web of charm and deception to woo potential romantic partners and victims, trying to weasel his way into their good books and then becoming violent when they threatened to leave him.
In 2016, Meehan was killed during a physical fight with his estranged step-daughter, Terra. Reportedly stabbed 13 times by the then-25-year-old as she defended herself, he died at the hospital four days later. The now-deceased Meehan, a purported psychopath, left behind a long string of court documents and restraining orders in the aftermath of his actions.
Read ahead for additional background information on the notorious John Meehan.
John Meehan: Five quick facts to know about the now-deceased con man dubbed "Dirty John"
1) John Meehan was a heroine addict whose elder brother died of an overdose
According to Popsugar, Meehan had a heroin addiction that he kept secret and reportedly stole prescription drugs from hospitals to fuel his addiction. Moreover, Meehan had two sisters, Donna Meehan Stewart and Karen Douvillier, in addition to an elder brother named Daniel who, according to reports, died unexpectedly from a drug overdose.
Dennis Luken, a drug task force detective with the Warren County Sheriff's Office in Ohio, claimed that he discovered emails proving Meehan was supplying drugs to Daniel, who died in Santa Cruz County in September 2000.
2) John Meehan earned his nickname "Dirty John" for his notoriously slimy ways with women
According to reports, Meehan acquired the moniker "Dirty John" (also "Filthy John") due to his infamously sleazy behavior with women and the coarse language he allegedly used to refer to them. He was a master manipulator who even went so far as to jump in front of an oncoming vehicle and put broken glass in a fast-food order to collect settlement money.
Meehan was defined as "rotten from top to bottom" and "untrustworthy to his core" by a former classmate and roommate.
3) Meehan married his first wife nurse Tonia Sells in 1990
In November 1990, John Meehan married his first wife, nurse Tonia Sells, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dayton, Ohio. She was 25 and he was 31 at the time, although he pretended to be 26. John claimed that none of his family were present since his parents were drug addicts, and he didn't want them to spoil the wedding. The couple went on to have two daughters.
John, however, informed Tonia that he wanted a divorce after 10 years of marriage. Following this, Tonia tracked down his mother, Dolores, who then revealed that John faked his age and real identity, and that he was facing a drug charge in California. Tonia also discovered his stash of surgical anesthetic drugs, which she was aware he had no justification for keeping outside the hospital.
4) An ex-girlfriend of John Meehan assisted law enforcement in obtaining a search warrant of his house
Following Meehan's divorce from his first wife, Tonia Bales, and before he found Newell, he met a woman named Meg Maggart on a dating site. The two took a trip to Mexico after three months of dating, and according to Maggart, on one occasion,
"[Meehan] came back with a vial of drugs, wrapped a belt around his ankle, and he inserted the drugs with a hypodermic needle between his toes."
Maggart confessed that she fled Mexico while he was still there because she thought she was in danger. After arriving home, Meehan's gym bag accidentally fell and several "tiny vials," along with Bales' business card, spilled out of the bag. Following that, Maggart contacted Bales to corroborate her concerns regarding Meehan's drug use. Bales urged her to contact Detective Luken.
After some digging, Maggart found the attic was "chock-full of empty vials." Despite fearing for her life, she consented to go before the court and have her name appear on a search warrant. According to Maggart, John went all ballistic when he discovered her name on the search warrant and even threatened her.
5) John Meehan eventually pleaded guilty to felony drug theft but was released after 17 months
In June 2002, after pleading guilty to felony drug theft, Meehan fled the state and checked into a hotel in Michigan, where police discovered him unconscious and surrounded by drug vials. While an ambulance was transporting him to the hospital, he unbuckled his restraints, seized the drug kit, jumped into the road to evade arrest, and even kicked an officer in the face.
Authorities ultimately arrested John Meehan after he fell to the ground unconscious and soaked in grease. In Michigan, John received a six-year jail term for resisting arrest and drug possession, and was released in 2004 after only serving 17 months.
Watch Dateline: Secrets Uncovered's upcoming episode, which airs on Tuesday, January 24 at 7 pm ET to learn more about John Meehan.
