Ep 102: Re-Investigating Dirty John with Tonia Bales, Part 2

Laura continues her conversation with Tonia Bales, John Meehan’s first wife of 10 years. In part 2, Tonia details the night her world was shattered forever, when she accessed John’s hard drive and read all his emails he had sent to other women - and men. John had feelings for another man, and whilst Tonia was desperately trying to fix her marriage, John was proactively pursuing him and others. We also discuss how John manipulated many people who were taken in by his charm and how they enabled John’s behaviour. Tonia’s case highlights how important it is to challenge the notion that an abuser’s parental right is more important than a child’s right to safety.  Tonia walks us back to her 23-year-old self and we unravel how Tonia was the perfect target for John, the red flags and what to look for to avoid a psychopath like Dirty John. You won’t want to miss this. Trigger warning: Listener discretion is advised. This episode may be upsetting and/or triggering and it will be angry making.  Listen to Tonia and Laura’s in-depth re-investigation ‘The First Wife: John Meehan’s Reign of Terror’ available only on Audible. https://www.audible.com/pd/The-First-Wife-John-Meehans-Reign-of-Terror-Podcast/B099BYMH4G #ToniaBales #TheFirstWife #Survivor #CrimeAnalyst #Expert #Analysis #Behaviour #TrueCrime #Podcast #DirtyJohn #MaleViolence #Femicide #CoerciveControl #DomesticAbuse #SerialPerpetrator #FamilyCourt Clips  https://extratv.com/videos/mmkj0lpuy4/ Thank you to my sponsor A.J.Rivers: If you are looking for a new book, listen to or read The Girl in Cabin 13 by A.J. Rivers, on Amazon, Audible or iTunes right now. Sign the Petition to Criminalize Coercive Control in America and Complete the Victim’s Voice Survey: https://www.laurarichards.co.uk/dv-law-reform/ Crime Analyst Merch  https://crime-analyst.myshopify.com/ Leave a Review If you want to support my work and Crime Analyst and if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review here: https://www.crime-analyst.com/reviews/new/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices