$2.75 DESIGNATED AREAS HIGHER
© 2017 WST
latimes.com
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2017
LAS VE GAS SHOOTI NG: THE DEAD
Sandy Casey
Angela Gomez
Hannah Ahlers
Heather Alvarado
Dorene Anderson
Carrie Barnette
Jack Beaton
Steve Berger
Candace Bowers
Denise Burditus
Andrea Castilla
Denise Cohen
Austin Davis
Thomas Day Jr.
Christiana Duarte
Stacee Etcheber
Brian Fraser
Keri Galvan
Charleston Hartfield
Chris Hazencomb
Jennifer Topaz Irvine
Teresa Nicol Kimura
Jessica Klymchuk
Carly Kreibaum
Rhonda LeRocque
Victor Link
Dana Gardner
Jordan McIldoon
Kelsey Breanne Meadows
Calla Medig
Sonny Melton
Patricia Mestas
Austin Meyer
Adrian Murfitt
Rachael Parker
Jennifer Parks
Carrie Parsons
Lisa Patterson
John Phippen
Melissa Ramirez
Jordyn Rivera
Quinton Robbins
Cameron Robinson
Rocio Guillen Rocha
Tara Roe
Lisa Romero
Christopher Roybal
Brett Schwanbeck
Bailey Schweitzer
Laura Shipp
Erick Silva
Susan Smith
Brennan Stewart
Derrick “Bo” Taylor
Neysa Tonks
Michelle Vo
Kurt Von Tillow
Bill Wolfe Jr.
LIVES CUT SHORT From a broad swath of society, they came together for music — and were killed for no good reason by a sniper who didn’t discriminate
By Joe Mozingo
A
pipefitter from Riverside, a limo driver from Reno, a teacher from Lancaster, a hockey mom from Alaska, a nurse from Tennessee. Fifty-eight people who came to dance and groove, bound only by a common love of country music, were killed by an unseen gun in the night, nearly a quarter-mile away. The death toll from Sunday’s massacre in Las Vegas cut through a cross-section of America. The fallen had come from 14 states and two Canadian provinces. More than half, 33, were from California. They were young adults, middle-aged parents and seniors — most of all, they were music lovers, drawn to the desert for three days of their favorite country artists. Whatever the shooter’s motive, his sniper attack didn’t strike any particular ideology or ethnicity or religion or sexual orientation. His was an act of abhorrent cruelty leveled simply at humanity, at us all.
Two of the victims had survived serving in combat Three were engaged to be married Three died trying to save others Thirty-six were women The youngest was 20 years old
At husbands who would die protecting their wives. At strangers who would cradle the dead. At people who would fall alone. They had no way of knowing someone was targeting them from the 32nd floor of a luxury hotel. The bullets bit the pavement, sounding like firecrackers. They didn’t signal anything bewildering as the music played in the glitter of a Vegas night. Only when the blood started to run and people fell helplessly did the terror announce itself. Around the country and beyond, 10 minutes of gunfire shattered families and towns. “Here’s to 23 wonderful years and looking forward to 23 more,” Laurie Beaton had just posted on Facebook, as she and her husband, Jack, celebrated their anniversary. They had come from Bakersfield. Less than an hour later, Jack was suddenly shielding her from heavy gunfire, pulling her down and lying on top of her. “Laurie, I love you.” he said. [See Victims, A6] “I love you too,” she said.
Remembered as ‘goof ball’: Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock didn’t have a “serious bone in his body,” former employee says. NATION, A8
Atom bomb foes awarded peace prize The Nobel committee’s decision supports an effort to promote worldwide nuclear disarmament. WORLD, A3
Birth control rules rolled back The Trump administration frees employers from paying for contraceptives. NATION, A5
NL Division Series Complete coverage of Game 1 between the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks. SPORTS Weather Hot and sunny. L.A. Basin: 93/64. B6
DIRTY JOHN CHAPTER FIVE: ESCAPE
John insisted he’d been a victim, in case after case. To prove it, he planned to unleash lawsuits against his accusers. The attorney he approached had other ideas. BY CHRISTOPHER GOFFARD
T
his couple is all wrong, the lawyer thought. There sat the husband, John Meehan, glowering wrathfully as he plotted legal mayhem on his enemies. There sat the wife, Debra Newell, soft-voiced and love-struck and helplessly in his grip. As he gazed across a conference-room table at his newest clients in April 2015, attorney John Dzialo sensed that Debra was in danger. The lawyer had not wanted to take this case, though Debra had paid an upfront $25,000 fee. His paralegal had been chilled, looking into Meehan’s background. Extortion. Stalking. Harassment. And now Meehan wanted the lawyer to prove that he had been the victim, in case after case. His plan was a salvo of lawsuits. Against an ex-girlfriend whose accusations had put him in prison. Against cops. Against another woman he swore had cheated him. Debra wanted help too. She wanted to fix her fractured relationship with her kids, who believed her husband only wanted her money. Could anything be done? A post-nup, Dzialo explained. If they got divorced, it would cut John off from Debra’s money. Meehan did not erupt, but he crossed his arms. He sank into his seat. His lips tightened. His eyes were hazel, but they filled with a fury so intense that Dzialo would recall them as “black as coal.” Dzialo sensed a [See Dirty John, A9]
DIRTY JOHN THE PODCAST
AN ATTORNEY described John Meehan, shown
here, as the “scariest man I’ve met in my 70 years.”
Episodes 1 - 5 of the six-part podcast are available now at LATimes.com
Trump stares down barrel of guns He has a mixed record on firearms. After the Las Vegas shooting, activists on both sides have expectations. By Noah Bierman WASHINGTON — The pro-gun community had reason to be suspicious of Donald Trump. He wrote in favor of an assault weapons ban and a “slightly longer” waiting period before gun purchases in a 2000 book, and accused Republicans of walking “the NRA line.” And even as he rebranded himself a “2nd Amendment maven” in 2013, he sounded conflicted, suggesting he favored expanded background checks. No one on either side of the gun debate seems to know exactly when or why Trump shifted. But they agree that the mogul from Manhattan has become one of the most forceful pro-gun presidents in decades. Now, after the worst mass shooting in American history, Trump faces a gutcheck moment on guns. He could not have imagined that within his first year as president he would come under pressure, even from within his typically pro-gun party, to support legislation restricting gun use, however limited — in this case, a ban on so-called bump-fire stocks like the Las Vegas shooter used, which turn semiautomatic weapons into virtual machine guns. White House officials, both privately and publicly, insist he is not likely to endorse fundamental change, that is, broader gun controls. Meanwhile, the gun lobby is watching. “When a crisis happens [See Guns, A12]
Scandal exposes Hollywood double standard By Meg James, David Ng and Meredith Blake When the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape leaked one year ago, capturing then-candidate, now-President Trump bragging in coarse terms in 2005 about being allowed to grab women because he was a celebrity, Hollywood had a meltdown. Cher called Trump a “scumbag carny barker” on Twitter. Comedian Patton Oswalt labeled him a “sexist creep.” Actress Emmy Rossum wrote: “misogynistic entitled pig.” This week, amid revelations that Oscar-winning movie and television producer Harvey Weinstein had a long history of sexually harassing women, Hollywood’s response was largely muted. Film studios on Friday all declined to comment. “Yup. Hollywood shines light on Catholic Church, sex trafficking — let’s shine it on ourselves a second and what we’ve condoned,” actress-writer-producer Lena Dunham wrote on Twitter, one of the few celebrities who took a public stand. Hollywood has a poor track record when it comes to women. Actresses re[See Weinstein, A14]