Real-life Terra Newell from Netflix’s Dirty John reveals she’s ‘happy’ she stabbed her conman stepdad 13 times in self-defence – and even ‘celebrates’ his death
- Terra Newell, 27, stabbed John 13 times in 2016 after he attempted to kidnap her
- Police declared that she was acting in self defence when she knifed stepfather
- Conman managed to fool Terra’s mum Debra and alienated her from her family
- Newell suffers from PTSD but wants to raise awareness of relationship abuse
The real Terra Newell, 27, who stabbed her stepfather John Meehan has revealed she is happy he is dead and even ‘celebrates’ on the anniversary of his death.
Conman John and his abuse towards his wife, Terra’s mother Debra, has been documented in the critically acclaimed Netflix series Dirty John.
Appearing on This Morning via a video link from Los Angeles, Terra explained that she treats the day of John’s death three years ago as a reason to celebrate the fact she’s still alive after he attempted to kill her.
On August 20, 2016, John made plans to abduct Terra and even had a ‘kidnap’ kit that included a vial of injectable drugs, duct tape and kitchen ties.
Terra Newell appeared on This Morning where she revealed that she is happy her stepfather John Meehan is dead
Newell explained to Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes that she celebrates being alive on the anniversary of John’s death
A scuffle between the two ensued and ended in Terra, then 25, stabbing John 13 times.
The police later declared that Terra was acting in self defence and therefore wouldn’t face charges for his death.
When Eamonn Holmes asked what she does on the anniversary, Terra explained: ‘He was attacking me because I was the person he was able to get to and he wanted to hurt my mum.
‘It’s something that happened but it’s something that I celebrate because I’m alive and here today.’
Conman John managed to fool Terra’s mum Debra, pictured, into thinking he was a charming anaesthetist
Refusing to allow him impact her life even after his death, Terra continued: ‘Well honestly, I was living with him stalking my family so I smile because I’m not living in that fear.
‘Many women are not living in that fear either so I’m honestly happy that he’s gone and I’m here. It was a hard journey but I’m still here today.’
Despite being happy that John is no longer alive, Terra admitted that the incident has had a lasting effect on her.
‘I still experience PTSD, but I’m working on that everyday and with a therapist once a week through EMDR therapy,’ she explained.
The story of John’s deception and abuse has since been made into a Netflix drama series where Eric Bana plays the role of John and Connie Britton plays Debra
Debra Mehan’s daughter, who was played by Julia Garner in the series (pictured), was 25 when she stabbed her mother’s conniving fifth husband 13 times in an act of self-defence in 2016
‘I’m also now being an advocate for women teaching them about red flags in relationships and abuse.
‘It’s the best blessing to have this experience, even though it’s difficult. At the end of the day, it made things better and now women can see there are bad men out there.’
During the interview, Terra also recalled the moment she met John and explained that she knew he was trouble within weeks of meeting him.
‘I didn’t really engage with him much,’ she said of their first meeting.
Terra admitted that she suffers from PTSD but wants to help raise awareness of relationship abuse
‘I would try to ask him questions and he would give me closed-ended answers. He wasn’t really warm towards me. He was trying to isolate my sister and I, so he wasn’t as friendly.’
She added: ‘Two weeks after we met him, we fully knew that he was a bad guy.
‘My family hired a private investigator and we researched into him and found out information that terrified us.’
Despite their findings, Debra continued to go back to John because he was so convincing.
Social media sensation: Netflix show Dirty John has helped the real Terra Newell gain a strong online following, using her platform to share her experience with PTSD
Inspirational: Terra blogs about her life, her passions and her love of the outdoors, while also speaking candidly about her PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder)
‘He convinced her that whatever we were saying, we were just jealous, that we were spoilt children and that everything that he was saying was the truth, he could have lawyers prove it,’ Terra recalled.
‘This guy was so convincing. He was using coercive control.’
The popularity of the Netflix adaptation of the saga has helped the Terra gain a strong online following, using her platform to share her experience with PTSD.
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