Terra Newell killed her mom’s husband in self-defense, stabbing him 13 times while her dog Cash bit his ankles trying to protect her. Now she's sharing her tips on how she survived.
By: Heather Newgen
Three years ago John Meehan, known as "Dirty John," was killed by his stepdaughter Terra Newell after he attacked her at knifepoint. His long history of scamming and abusing women was documented in the Los Angeles Times and later in a Bravo series and podcast of the same name.
In an exclusive interview for The Voluntourist, Terra Newell talks about her terrifying experience and gives tips on how to fight back in a knife attack that might help save your life.
Terra Newell with her dogs PHOTO COURTESY NIKKI RYAN PHOTOGRAPHY
"Do you remember me," Meehan said as he grabbed her from behind and tried to force Terra Newell into the trunk of his car.
"John didn’t want to look me in the eyes. He didn’t want to engage in conservation with me. I wasn’t beneficial to him so he needed to get rid of me,” she revealed.
And that's exactly what he tried to do. Meehan waited for Terra Newell at her apartment building in Newport Beach, Calif. After she parked her car and opened the door to let her dog Cash out, she was blindsided and had to fight for her life.
“I don't realize that he was stabbing me at first because the knife is in a Del Taco bag,” she explained. “So I think he's punching me and he keeps on trying to grab me, put his hand over my mouth. I bite as hard as I can. And I just keep trying to get away from him," she told The Voluntourist.
RELATED: “Dirty John” Real Life Survivor Terra Newell Reveals 6 Red Flags to Look Out for in Relationships
“The knife lands into an ice pick position,” she said. “I picked it up and I just start wailing back on him. And then he falls on top of me. “My dog's attacking his ankles at this point too,” she said.
“I'm pushing him off on me but I'm holding his head because I don't want him to bite me,” Newell recalled. “And so I push him off of me with holding his head ... I thought I don't want him to wake up and just try to hurt me again because I think he'll try to kill me again."
Newell stabbed her assailant 13 times and used skills she learned from her favorite show "The Walking Dead" to fight back. “The last one was in the eye because that's the softest point of entry so I wanted to kill his brain for like a zombie, essentially,” she stated.
Although residents from her building watched the attack happen, they didn't intervene because according to Newell, "they thought I was going to be dead either way and so they didn't do anything. Other people didn't want to approach someone with a knife."
But, some did call 911. Once paramedics finally arrived, Newell was screaming for them to get away because she didn't know if he was dead and she didn't want him to try to kill them as well.
Four days later Meehan was pronounced dead and the nightmare her family had been living was finally over.
Terra Newell is still dealing with PTSD, but is trying to help others see the red flags and warning signs of someone like John Meehan. She's also sharing her tips on what to do if you are attacked.
1. Run.
The first thing I did in my attack was John tried to grab me and I tried to flee from him right away because you have the most success rate of trying to run away from them.
2. Fight.
When you're unable to run you're going to do everything you can in your power to fight back. Right when you get grabbed immediately screaming. I was unable to disconnect and he tried to cover my mouth, bite as hard as you can. Never let them fully cover your mouth because you won't be able to scream for help. I bit him and I don't think he tried to cover my mouth after that because I bit him really hard. He started punching me and my automatic response was to hold my arm and purse up to my chest.
That's one thing that really saved me because instead of getting stabbed in my chest, I got stabbed in my arm.[During the fight] I ended up on the floor, which was a really good scenario for me. When you're on the ground it's important to use all of your legs because they have the most power in your body.
3. Kick.
You're going to kick and pedal kick as hard as you can. I actually had someone message me and told me they did this the other day and got out of an attack, so using your legs is really important and key. If they have a knife, control it in the fight. If they're coming down on you, you want to kick their forearm. You have more of a chance of making them let go of the knife because there's a lot of nerves in the forearm. It's the best spot to kick because you don't want to kick the knife or the upper arm.
4. Bite.
When I bit John that's when he dropped the knife. You want to pick up the knife as quickly as you can and start throwing back at them. Everything happens in a matter of seconds in a fight. Don't even think about not grabbing the knife. Grab it right away. A lot of attackers don't think you're going to fight back. So you have the element of surprise and in their mind they're confused for a second, which you can use to your advantage.Stab them in the head. You can kill their brain even if you don't kill them. You will make them brain damaged and they won't be able to think to get up and fight back.
5. Throw the weapon.
Toss the knife as far away from the body and then get away and start screaming for help. Watching "The Walking Dead", "Dexter" and true crime shows. I remembered to hold the knife tightly because of an episode of Dexter. I didn't want to cut myself the way a character on the show did by not holding the knife tight enough. Also you don't want to cut yourself because you don't want to get your attacker's blood in your wound.
"I think he was going to kill me no matter what. I think he was going to try to stick me in his trunk and get a ransom payment then bury me in the backyard of the Vegas house. He sent some emails to a lawyer saying that he was going to bury my mom there or her kids, Terra Newell revealed. "He was going to for sure kill us. He was either unable to get to my sister the night before or because I think my mom's favorite sometimes. I'm the baby of the family. I'm also like my mom in some ways so I feel like it was going to be the best sting to her. At first we were all in shock."
It’s been over three years since the attack and Terra Newell is now in therapy once a week to manage her PTSD, gives back as often as she can to others experiencing domestic abuse and enjoys spending time with her family who she says “are closer than ever.”
To learn more about Terra check out her podcast Time Out With Terra.