Original subtitles

- Previously on "Dirty John"...

- What are you doing here, Mom?

- I wanted to see my family.

- You weren't invited.

I just can't imagine life without my family.

- I can imagine what Ronnie's been saying.

- We have a problem.

Suddenly there are a lot of one-star reviews

that mention you. And they're upsetting messages.

Is it someone you know?

- Does John feel better now that the cameras are set up?

- He does.

- I want to clear my name.

- There aren't just two. - They are not me.

all: Cheers.

- May you live happily ever after.

- I talked to a pediatric neurosurgeon.

- You're a CRNA in Dayton? - Yeah.

- What does your husband do?

- She said you'd been together almost ten months.

What is this, John? What are you doing?

You seriously think John would steal drugs from a patient?

- I am telling you what I saw.

- What your drugs? I got rid of them

to protect my children.

- Let me in!

Drugs explode me. They make me lie.

They make me cheat. They make me steal.

And I want to be free of it.

- It's a cramp.

- Let go, you bitch!

I want to do all the things that I said I would do.

That's what I want.

- I want that too.

He's my husband, you know?

And he's saying he wants to change.

And I just-- I want to believe, you know,

the part of him that says that he wants that.

- Hey. - Hey.

- Should we do a coffee run?

You don't need another coffee run.

- I know I don't need one.

- Um, he's here.

John Meehan, and he's alone.

The wife's not with him.

- Why are we whispering?

- Why--because--

'cause he's a stalker predator.

I gave you everything I found on him.

Did you not read it?

- We'll just--we'll do the initial interview, okay?

- No, no-- - And then I will call him

and tell him I'm not taking his case.

- Okay, good, so I don't need to be in there to take notes

'cause you're not taking his case.

- Except for how I do need you in there to do--

- It's a little red icon. It looks like a microphone.

Just tap it, hit record. It's fine.

- Hey.

John Dzialo. - John Meehan.

- Good name.

Was your wife coming today, too, or did I get that wrong?

- No, she's coming. She's just running late.

She had to go to the car dealership on the way,

but she'll be here.

You remember when cars weren't computers?

When you could just get under the hood

with a wrench and some gum?

- Exactly.

- Hi. - Hey.

Hi, I'm-- I'm so sorry I'm late.

- Do not worry, we knew you were coming

from the car dealership, and besides,

you were right on time.

Well, good.

- John Dzialo. - Debra Meehan.

- The Meehans. Come with me, please.

- I mean, this one, she had a trust from her family.

Multi-millions of dollars.

So why would I think if I loaned her money

should would steal it?

- That's what happened?

- Yeah, she got me to loan her 150 grand against her trust,

and then said I never did.

When I took her to court she told the judge

that I was stalking her.

- Okay. What about this one?

- I don't even know her.

The dates they had me in Indiana

I hadn't worked there for, like, a year.

Okay.

- I'm just lucky that Deb's so understanding, you know?

I promised her I'd get to the bottom of all this

and clear my name.

That she shouldn't have to put up with this.

- Absolutely. No one wants that.

- It's been kind of a-- kind of a mess.

Um, we got together very quickly.

- How quickly?

About two months.

And my family, they're not happy about it.

I'm--I'm actually hoping

that some of what you do for John is going to help

smooth things over with them.

- Yeah. - They don't trust him.

They think that he wants my money.

- Family's can be tougher on each than anyone,

and they know all the real vulnerable spots too.

You two get a prenup, or no?

- No.

- It might've help a little.

You're probably right.

- But still there's something that we can do

that maybe would ease their minds.

Not a prenup, obviously, but a postnup.

I-I've heard of that, but I've also heard that

it maybe doesn't stand up in court.

- Sometimes they don't,

but if they're reasonable, and honest,

and done in good faith, they do.

And they cover the same things.

Division of property and assets,

responsibility for marital debts,

and in your specific case...

Um...

your business--- rights to it after death.

There would, um, need to be

complete financial disclosure from both parties

and we'd have to bring another lawyer in,

to represent one of you just in this instance.

Courts won't enforce a postnup

if, you both don't have your own counsel.

So what do we think?

- I think it--it could be a good idea.

What do you think, John?

- John, I can tell you're not loving this conversation,

but it's clear from just this one meeting

how much this woman loves you,

so whatever I can do to smooth things over with her family

I'd be doing that for you, too,

not to be the bad guy, but to help.

- Okay, well, it just--

to me is seems like a lot of waste of time and money

when there's literally no chance

of changing anything with her family, so...

- Well, let me at least get

down the road a little bit with it while I dig in here,

and then we'll see where we are and how we feel.

Sound good?

- Yes.

Thank you so much. - Okay.

Thank you both.

- Thank you.

- I'll be in touch. - Okay.

- I'm thinking Sunday.

I'm thinking brats on the grill

right around the game time starts, say 1:30--

- Dave. Davey. You work cases, right?

You analyze character, predict behavior, right?

Why is this not gonna happen?

- I don't know. - Your wife hates my wife.

- Come on. That's not true.

- And the feeling is enthusiastically mutual.

- Yeah, I know.

What the hell's the deal with that anyway?

- It all began one winter evening

lo these many months ago,

with an argument over whether

a certain skirt was purchased on sale.

- Hey, I got a lady out front

needs to talk to somebody in Narcotics.

- Coming.

Over here? - Yeah.

- All right. - The one on the bench.

- Thank you, sir. - You got it.

Hey, Dennis Luken.

- Tonia Meehan.

Sells, sorry. Tonia Sells.

You, want to follow me?

Do you know what hospital any of these are from specifically?

- No, but you can find out from the lot numbers which--

You probably already know that. - Right.

- So these could be from the hospital where you work?

- They could be, yeah.

- And you said you two are separated or divorced?

- Divorced. Recently divorced.

- Amicable? Not amicable?

Okay, here's the thing that I'm not saying I think,

but someone could think is what's happening here.

It's an ugly divorce,

you have access to all this too,

just like your ex-husband does.

And you're mad,

and you want to get back at him.

Maybe.

It's something someone could think.

- Yeah, no, I know. I thought about that.

That someone could think that.

All I can say is that's not what this is.

If you do look into John, you'll see what this is.

Who he is.

No hospital administration has, or--

but if you do, you'll see.

And if you don't, well,

he'll just keep doing what he's doing.

But at least I'll know I tried to stop him.

- Okay, you don't get to just throw out

the dramatic exit line and bail.

I need more information.

- You call him yet? John Meehan.

Tell him you're not taking his case?

- That was an angry guy.

You saw him. John. Did you see her?

- The wife? Yeah, like a second.

She's gorgeous. Great hair.

- She also seemed like a very sweet, genuine person.

If she says or does the wrong thing for him,

I just don't know.

I think she needs some protection.

- Okay.

- Things aren't great with her family because of him.

So this office is gonna try and protect her.

We work for her, not just him.

So we're gonna try and protect her from him however we can.

- Should I go on a coffee run? Want some coffee?

- It's after 5:00, I won't sleep tonight.

But yes, yes I do.

- Okay.

I'll be back.

- Hello?

- I need my birth certificate to get my passport renewed.

Can you leave it downstairs at the desk, please?

- Well, hello to you, too, Veronica.

I don't have your birth certificate.

- What? Then where is it.

- It's--it's at the bank in the safe deposit box.

That's crazy.

Fine, then I'll go the bank and get it.

- Well, you can't just go to the bank and get it.

You know, it has to be me,

or John.

And I'm very busy,

so I won't be able to go the bank till Monday.

- Are you kidding?

Okay, leave it downstairs on Monday then.

- Okay.

Well, nice to talk to you too.

She's unbelievable.

- Not to me.

- John Meehan.

Thanks for coming by.

How are you, sir?

- I'm wondering why you haven't done what we paid you for

is how I am.

- Okay, well, first things first, why I called.

I was wondering if you were close

to getting those financial disclosure forms back to me.

- For what?

- For the postnup that we discussed.

- No, we didn't "discuss it."

You talked at us about it and we weren't interested.

That's my recollection.

- Okay, well, it seemed to me

that you were at least interested in seeing

what one could look like in practical terms--

- Where are we at with the lawsuits?

Any of them, tell me right now.

- Okay.

Well, I've gone over the materials,

and I just don't see the makings of a case for fraud

against pretty much any of these women.

- 'Cause you don't know what you're doing.

Yeah, if you did,

you would have filed by now, but you haven't.

- John, I just told you-- - So you didn't file.

You're wasting time. You're wasting my time,

and we're done. Finished.

- If that's the way you feel, I understand,

but I think that I should also talk with Mrs. Meehan.

- Listen to me,

You work for me, you crook.

You work for me, and you're fired.

- Okay.

- And I want that 25 grand retainer back in full

or I'm gonna file a complaint with the Bar.

- Okay.

- We're done.

- A lot of people knew

something was up with John Meehan.

Pharmacists, medical staff, administrators,

here, Kentucky, Indiana,

and I heard some stories.

A lot of discoveries

of anesthesia kits with the locks broken,

missing vials, missing ampoules.

And a lot of discrepancies between

pharmacy proof-of-use records

and anesthesia administrative records.

- I mean, yeah, there had to be.

There were.

At one hospital, they told me when they asked for

urine samples based off the discrepancies,

John was the only person who didn't turn one in.

Because he said he didn't need to go right then.

- So?

- So they told him to stick around the office

till he did need to, but he left and no one noticed.

Till someone called and said they had seen him

emptying urine from a patient's catheter.

- And then what happened?

- And then they called security,

but he left the building.

So he was fired, but only from that hospital.

Now, a surgical nurse told me she was on the O.R. team

for a back surgery that John had

and they could all tell he was an addict

because of how much higher dose he needed

to be put under than he should.

- And did she report that? - Yeah.

And someone else, another CRNA,

said he was near John in the O.R.

and he saw a gun in his briefcase.

He reported that too.

So, yep.

A lot people knew something was up with John Meehan.

The bad news is, a lot of other people

apparently kind of decided it wasn't their problem.

- I just--I--

I don't even--

- Me neither. No lie.

I been doing this job for a while,

and I've dealt with bureaucracy,

and fear of liability,

and maybe even a hospital or two now and then,

and I just don't even, either.

I'm sorry. And I will keep going,

but given how it's been going,

I'd be lying if I said I felt optimistic.

- Please, let me do that.

- No, I'm good. I'm almost done.

- With what?

- A letter to Debra Meehan

making sure she's on board with John firing us.

I've been getting voicemail when I call.

For all I know, he's deleting the messages.

I'm gonna take this to her office,

hand-deliver it.

- No, this is a bad, bad, very bad idea.

- That I'm doing anyway.

- That you're doing anyway. - Yeah.

- We just went grocery shopping yesterday.

- I know, and then I started thinking about pork roast.

With the gratin potatoes?

- Yes, with the gratin potatoes.

I'm so excited.

- And I got Gruyere cheese for the potatoes this time.

- You're killing me. You are killing me.

Hey, that lawyer, Mr. Dzialo,

brought that by Madeira today for me.

- What is it? - I don't know.

- "Dear Mrs. Meehan, I've been unable to make

"direct contact with you by phone,

"so I'm gonna try and resolve things the old-fashioned way.

"Your husband, John, has fired me

"and says he's planning to file

"a complaint with the Bar Association.

"I'm just curious as to whether you're aware of all this

"and whether you concur with it.

If you do not, my office number is--" blah, blah, blah

blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

- Is that true? Did you fire him?

Did he do something wrong?

I thought he seemed kind of smart.

- No, he didn't do anything.

I mean, he's had your money for how long?

There's a lot of great lawyers out there.

I don't have to pay some scammer to send you love notes.

Love notes.

Okay, well, if that's what you think.

Wanna peel some potatoes?

Yeah?

Who? Melissa?

She has my card, what?

Just send her up-- this is her, thank you.

- Hi. - Hi.

- Hey, I work at Fieldstone Regional Med

in the pharmacy.

- Yes, I came to talk to your boss.

- Yeah, yeah, you gave him your card.

He left it in the office and I--I took it.

- I'm seeing him.

Dating him.

Sorry, I should have told you when you came.

- You're dating your boss?

- I'm dating John Meehan.

Please.

- I mean, we're not exclusive.

John doesn't do that. He says he does,

but he lies.

Lies about what?

- About everything. About that.

About being a doctor, a drug addict,

a drug dealer.

- So you've seen him sell drugs?

But you've seen him do them?

- I guess not really, no.

I know where he keeps them, though.

There are way too many stashed up there

for him to be doing them all.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Yeah.

Ta-dah.

- Wow.

Boy.

John Meehan.

Dennis Luken. Warren County Sheriff's.

- You can't be here.

- This is Investigator David Nissley.

- You don't have permission to be here.

- We actually do. We have permission

and our authority granted to us by this right here,

which is actually authorized, signed, and sworn by a judge.

And we're just doing what it says, big boy.

- Is this Melissa?

- You know what? - Let me talk with Melissa--

- I'm not gonna be answering your questions right now,

but you can ask your attorney any damn questions you want.

- Right, come with me. Let's go.

Let's go.

- Hey.

My mom was supposed to leave something for me,

but I'll believe it when I see it.

- Here you go. - Wow.

Thank you. - Welcome.

- Okay, really, Ana, really?

You don't know why I'm so pissed?

- Gun in his house?

This is Ohio. It's a misdemeanor.

And I couldn't prove the drugs were stolen.

- Yes, yes, you could.

- I'm not putting 5, 10 witnesses on the stand

to testify the drugs were here on this day,

not here on that day. Come on, Dennis.

I could prove possession.

Meehan agreed to plead to possession.

He plead guilty to the to the top charge.

We're done.

I think Meehan should go to prison, too, okay?

But Judge Finley thinks everyone who pleads guilty

to possession deserves redemption.

That means rehab. I'm sorry.

- Wait, what time was Meehan supposed to report

for sentencing?

Where's your client, Ms. Blake?

- I don't know. He's late.

He's not answering his phone.

I don't know.

- Okay, Ana, I need an arrest warrant now.

Come make Finley give me one.

- Hello?

- Dear Mrs. Meehan,

I just want to make sure you know I got fired

for being a dickless, old sack.

She didn't even open it.

That's how much she cares about you.

She just gave it right to me.

- I felt that it was important

that she be made aware of the fact that you fired me.

- Where's my money?

- What are you talking-- I sent you a check.

- The full amount, the whole 25k.

That's what you owe me. All of it.

- I billed my hours and returned the remainder.

- You're gonna cut me a check for the rest of that money,

and I'm gonna come over there and I'm gonna get it.

- You don't have to do that.

I'll have it messengered to you, okay.

- Sure, fine.

Maybe I'll just come over there some time anyway,

or maybe I'm outside right now.

- Hey. - Hey.

- I wrote you something.

A letter.

- You did?

What'd you do that for?

- I just felt like it. Just because.

Well, thank you.

- "Dear Deb,

"We've had some rough times recently

"and thank God we made it through.

"I can see the pain you're still in over your family.

"I wish I could heal it with my love,

"but time is the only thing that can do that

"and sometimes it can't be done.

"All I can promise is I love you,

"and I need you more than anything.

"What's in the past is gone,

"and the future is just us.

"And without you, I don't know if I would even exist.

"I've never known anyone as good as you.

"I wish I could be more like that.

"I promise I will try to be.

"That I'll make you proud to hold my hand forever.

"I hope I die in your arms,

"'cause this world is a very dark place.

"If I had to be in it without you,

I'm afraid of what I might do."

- Luken. - Yeah.

- Mitrovich.

You got here fast. Almost beat the paramedics.

- I'm extremely motivated and he's a special guy.

I still kind of can't believe you actually called.

Thank you for that.

- My old partner put out an alert like yours

to all the departments back in the day,

to call him if the guy who shot his son got rearrested.

So I read all the alerts.

Here he is. The man, the myth.

- Hey, John. Sorry I missed the party.

I wanted to kill myself--

to kill myself.

Which is weird considering, because if anybody knows

how to put somebody to sleep forever,

wouldn't it be you?

Right.

One, two...

Wow.

Can you guys bag these? - Absolutely.

- I'm gonna follow you all downtown, just so you know.

Make sure this guys gets squared away.

Once he does,

let us all commemorate it with the adding of liquor to ice.

- You got it. - Sir, can you hear me?

- You can explain to us what makes him so damn special.

- Yeah. Done and done.

- Ronnie, it's Mom.

I have a different phone number.

If you're free, I need you to come

and meet me at CC Kitchen in an hour, okay?

Can you do that?

And if you're not free, be free.

I need to talk to you.

- According to him, he was trying to kill himself.

According to the paramedics,

the syringes he brought hold enough

to get him high as balls,

but not enough to take him out.

I don't know, boss.

Maybe he was trying to get us to feel sorry for him.

- Know who I feel sorry for? Your family, who thought

they'd be spending a nice Sunday afternoon with you.

- Hey. Hey!

- No. No. No.

No. No. No. Damn it.

- Whoa! Hey! - Whoa, man!

Hey! Hey! Get down!

All right, you got him?

- Grab him! Grab him! - Hey!

Stay down!

- That was assault.

If you don't charge him, I will.

- I'll kill your ass!

- You know you're not a rehab guy, John, right?

Rehab wouldn't work for you. We both know who you are.

- I'll kill you and your family!

- You're going away.

Ronnie.

- Hey. - Hi.

- What is going on?

- I'm so sorry. I just--

I have to be so careful, because I'm...

I just don't want John to know anything

until--until I'm ready.

- Ready for what? What?

- "Dear Deb,

"we've had some rough times recently,

"and thank God we made it through.

"I can see the pain you're still in over your family.

"I wish I could heal it with my love.

Honey? I'm sorry.

My stupid blister popped.

Lost all my running calluses now.

Feet feel like pieces of ham.

Luckily we have some seltzer.

I'm gonna go work on getting these stains out.

"But time is the only thing that can do that,

"and sometimes it can't be done.

All I can promise is I love you."

- Shoot.

- "And I need you more than anything.

"What's in the past is gone,

"and the future is just us.

And without you, I don't know if I would even exist."

Hey, that lawyer, Mr. Dzialo,

brought that by Madeira today for me.

- What is it? - I don't know.

- "I've never known anyone as good as you.

"I wish I could be more like that.

"I promise I will try to be.

That I'll make you proud to hold my hand forever."

- Silly question for you about technology.

If I sign into the cloud from an account,

um, can I access that from two devices at the same time?

Is that--

- Yeah, I mean, you should be able to.

- What goes into the cloud? Is it everything?

And what's everything?

Yeah, so your emails,

text history, your photos, your address book,

where your phone is.

- "Debra, I hope I die in your arms,

"'cause this world is a very dark place.

"If I had to be in it without you,

I'm afraid of what I might do."

- Hi, is this John Dzialo?

Yes, hi, this is Debra Meehan.

Yes, I did. I did get it.

Thank you so much, and I just--

I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to talk to you

because I do-- I do need a lawyer.

But I-I don't think it can be you.

And I need someone who can do family law,

but also... criminal.

Paul, hi.

- Hi, Mrs. Meehan.

- How are you? - I'm good. And yourself?

- Good. You know, I wanted to ask you a favor.

Do you mind if I just parked my car there

for less than an hour?

I couldn't find a meter anywhere.

- No problem. And just so you know,

we have that gold lazuli prefab shade you like back in stock.

Well, wonderful.

Then I'll be coming back through anyway.

- All right, we'll see you then.

- Thanks, Paul. Bye. - Bye-bye.

- Hi. Are you Mr. O'Neil? - Hey.

Yes, Debra. -Hi.

- Mike O'Neil. - Nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet in person.

- Yes, you too.

- So how you holding up?

You know, I'm...

I'm scared.

And humiliated.

- You know how many times on average a woman goes back

to a situation likes yours before she gets out for good,

if she ever does?

- No. - A lot more times than once.

- Really? - Yeah, this is hard.

So don't blame yourself.

When a bank gets robbed, you don't blame the bank.

I know all about this guy.

He thinks he's a real shark, and he is

because all he thinks about is feeding himself.

He thinks he's entitled to eat whatever he wants,

but he isn't.

And also he's not a shark.

He's a big fat sea bass,

and I'm gonna get him into our boat

and club him till he stops moving.

You like analogies a lot?

You know who else likes them?

Juries.

It won't be the easiest thing in the world,

and we have to get our ducks in a row,

but I'm ready to go all the way to town on this guy.

What about you?

- Me too.

- Kay, good.

- We need tequila. Like, right now.

- You mean it? You're gonna leave him?

- Yes.

- For good this time? - Yes.

- Mom-- - Veronica--

- For good?

- Yes.

I have to.

- He spit on my birth certificate.

Were you there when he did that?

- What? No. He what?

How do you even know that?

- Because he sent me this.

My God. Veronica.

- I know, but I sent him this back.

It's good, right?

Ronnie.

- And then...

he sent me these.

- "Stay away from her

"or I'll throw you in the ocean.

"Jump off a tall building. That would make me smile.

"Head first will work.

Your mom and I will be laughing."

I-I had no idea that...

I just--I didn't--

I didn't think he'd go after you.

I didn't--I'm so sorry.

- I-I decided to move out of Hadley's house.

So I've been looking at apartments.

I hadn't committed to anything yet though.

There were a few that I liked.

This one I really liked,

but it was a little close to the airport.

But it was month-to-month leases.

And it had a lot of locked security gates.

Felt safe, you know?

- Go talk to them tomorrow.

See if they have a two bedroom.

If they do, let's take it.

- Okay. - Okay.

- But how is he out already?

I thought it was a 21-month sentence.

- It was, but the Department of Corrections

has been to known to shave a little off the end

for their own reasons, which mostly they don't share.

Overcrowding maybe.

- But so he's just allowed to do that?

Move out of state?

- If he does it by the book like he seems to be, yeah.

A local parole officer will pick up his case there.

Apparently he has a sister who lives in California.

Gave the P.O. her name and address.

Denise Meehan-Shepard. You know her?

- I know she exists.

I never met her.

- Well, John is her problem now.

Anyway, just be aware.

Don't rule anything out.

And again, I really do think you're okay.

I don't really think you need to worry about him.

We both know he's smart, right?

And the smart thing to do would be to just stay away

from you and your kids

Find something to do, with his life.

- He'll have to, right?

He needs to support himself somehow at least.

- He could have been a damn spy, that guy, right?

Or a lawyer, but he made his choice, so...

- So did I. - No, no.

You stop it. You tried to make it right.

Way more than most.

Even including those of us who supposedly do it for a living.

- Not you, though.

Thank you.

- Newport Beach Police Department.

Yeah, hey, Investigator Dennis Luken.

Warren County Sheriff's Department in Ohio.

Can I speak to the detective sergeant on duty?

Yeah, there's a guy moving to your town

that I think you should know about.

- Hi.

- Why'd you withdraw so much cash today?

- What do you mean?

- The 30 grand you took out. What's it for?

- Um...

Does it have to be for anything?

- What's it for?

- It's my money, John.

- Everything that's yours is mine.

- Well, no.

Anything that was mine before you

is still mine.

- That's what you think?

For once in your holier than thou life listen to me.

You think I'm gonna let this happen?

No more being nice, Deb. Is that what you want?

'Cause the last thing I want to do is break you.

- I'm leaving and I want a divorce.

- Hit me.

Go on.

Imagine how good that's gonna feel.

Hit me and I'll make sure you never get up again.

Move.

Move.