Dirty John – More About the Deceptions and Downfall of John Meehan

4. Why Did Debra Go Back to John?

Many expressed their frustration with Debra’s decision to get back together with Meehan after discovering the long trail of his violent criminal history.  She explained that she decided to forgive as Meehan had a detailed & somewhat plausible explanation for everything.

He knew what to admit to and what he could deny. He confessed his lies about his profession as a doctor but explained it was only to impress her who would’ve never given him a chance otherwise. Meehan claimed the cyanide pills that the police had found were for his never-mentioned-before multiple sclerosis. All the restraining orders were related to someone else with the same name.

After 4 failed marriages, Debra was desperate to make her fifth one work and keep her vows ‘for better or for worse.’