Sarah Lang, expert on all things Bachelor-related, brought you two instalments of the Laura Owens versus (former Bachelor) Clayton Echard case. Please read Part 1 and Part 2 first! Clayton’s story, along with that of Greg Gillespie (who Laura briefly dated) and Mike Marraccini (her ex-boyfriend) featured on the utterly addictive podcast Love Trapped. In Part 3, one that we didn’t expect to deliver at this point, we explain what went down in the courtroom and what may have happened right before that in chambers
Below are four questions a judge asked Laura Owens at a settlement conference in court on August 28, the day the State of Arizona’s plea-deal offer expired.
- “How do you plead to count one: fraudulent schemes and artifices, a class two non-dangerous felony committed on or about May 17th, 2023 through and including June 10th of 2024? Guilty or not guilty?”
“Guilty.”
- “How do you plead to count six: perjury, a class four non-dangerous felony committed on about June 10th of 2024?. Guilty or not guilty?”
“Guilty.”
- “How do you plead to count nine: fraudulent schemes and artifices, a class two non-dangerous felony committed on or about July 1st of 2021 through and including August 17th of 2022. Guilty or not guilty?”
“Guilty.”
- “How do you plead to count 10: taking the identity of another, a class four non-dangerous felony committed on or about August 6th of 2021. Guilty or not guilty?”
“Guilty.”
This is what Clayton, his lawyer Gregg Woodnick, Stephani Young from the podcast Love Trapped, and Bachelor guru Steve Carbone (Reality Steve) heard happen at the hearing they attended. If Laura didn’t take the plea deal that day, her case would go to trial. The scheduled 2.30pm time for the hearing came and went. The prosecutor Ed Leiter also came and went, talking to Clayton and Woodnick.
Finally Laura hurried in and sat next to her attorney Christian Lueders (what on earth does he think of all this?).
The judge said to Laura: “I just need to ask you some questions to make sure you understand the decision you’re making and that you fully understand the contents of your plea agreement.”
His questions included:
- “Has anybody forced you or threatened you in any way to make you plead guilty?”
“No.”
- “Has anybody promised you anything regarding your sentence that’s not written in your plea agreement to get you to plead guilty?”
“No.”
- “Once your plea is entered and accepted, you cannot withdraw from that plea unless you can establish a manifest injustice. That’s a high and difficult standard to establish. Do you understand that?”
“Yes, your honour.”
The judge also told her the rights she was waiving by entering the plea: including the right to the presumption of innocence, the right to remain silent, the right to have a jury determine guilt or innocence, and the right to file a direct appeal.
Then he asked Laura if she pleaded guilty or not guilty to each count (as mentioned at the start of this story). After Laura pleaded guilty, the judge asked Lueders for a ‘factual basis’. Through him, she had to admit the facts of what happened. Here’s what Lueders said about count one. “Laura Michelle Owens, pursuant to a scheme or artificing, did obtain a benefit from Clayton Ray Echard by means of fraud on pretenses, representation, promises, or material omissions.” Lueders used the same words regarding Greg Gillespie, who after two dates rejected her, and she launched a pregnancy scam.
The judge then said: “Court finds defense plea is knowingly, intelligent, and voluntary made. There’s a factual basis for each count in the plea. The plea is accepted and entered in the record.”
Presumably Leiter wanted to make sure all three victims were recognised in the plea agreement. Good on him. The state dismissed the other 10 felony charges.
That Was Quick!
The hearing only took 16 minutes but, man, a lot happened in those 16 minutes. And plenty went on before the hearing, in chambers. Reality Steve saw Leiter come over to talk to Clayton and Woodnick, and he listened in. Steve thinks he overheard that Laura was probably going to take the plea deal, and was waffling, crying and trying not to throw up. (I mean, I would be too if I were her.) Leiter came back and told Clayton and Woodnick that Laura was going to sign.
Laura pulled herself together at the hearing, speaking clearly and respectfully, especially with her ‘yes your honour’ answers. That’s the smart thing to do, because this judge will be sentencing her. In the YouTube video of the hearing shared by Law & Crime, it’s hard to see Laura’s face, but she slumped a little when the judge started talking about scheduling the sentencing around time with his daughter, who has a knee injury from soccer. I imagine being relegated to a calendar slot would deflate a convicted felon as the adrenaline wears off. The sentencing will be on October 23.
The plea deal had no sentencing agreement for count one – fraudulent schemes and artifices regarding Clayton – so Laura could get a maximum 12.5 years in prison (though it’s highly unlikely to be that long) or, for that count, may just be placed on supervised probation (which allows you to remain in the community). She gets supervised probation for the other three felonies, which may include up to a year’s jail time. Woodnick expects some jail time, and told Stephani that how Laura presents her culpability and remorse at sentencing will be crucial.
Is she sorry? Or just backed into a corner?
A Devastating Theft
Laura pleaded guilty to Count 10: taking the identity of another. Whose was it? Laura stole Texas woman Stormy Mitchell’s ultrasound from the internet, and told Greg Gillespie it was hers. It was Stormy’s only image of one of her twins before it succumbed to Vanishing Twin Syndrome; she had published the image on her blog to help process her grief. The prosecutor had said at an earlier hearing that Stormy felt very strongly about the theft. I can only imagine.
As for the perjury felony charge that wasn’t dismissed, Laura had pretended that a video of her sister Sarah’s pregnant belly was Laura’s belly. No one has a clue what Sarah thinks about her sister’s saga.
Why Take the Plea?
Well, hardly anyone expected her to. The evidence against Laura was very strong based on the 118-page Investigation Report which was made public. But until now it had been deny, deny, deny. Deny repeatedly. Deny vehemently. Deny in public statements.
It was thought she had the psychological profile of someone who would never admit guilt. Clayton expected this to go to trial. Stephani, Reality Steve and Dave Neal, who all covered the case extensively, expected this to go to trial. In fact Dave wasn’t even at the hearing (he jumped on a livestream as soon as he heard).
The people who told Stephani they foresaw the plea agreement were Woodnick, and judge Rachel Juarez from TV’s “Hot Bench” (who commented many times on the case). I imagine those two have seen many a case where people really start contemplating what their days will be like in prison and how long they’ll be there.
If Laura had gone to trial, was found guilty on all 14 felonies, sentenced to the maximum term for each, and the sentences ran consecutively, that would add up to 64 years in prison. It would only be a small fraction of that, but still, not fun to think about. Laura must have also thought about the ordeal of the trial, with 60 listed witnesses and what the prosecutor called “terabytes” of evidence – most of which would surely be mortifying.
At sentencing, the victims can speak to Laura and the judge about the impact of her crimes on them. Clayton will ask for prison time. Greg will almost certainly do the same. (Greg wouldn’t speak on the Love Trapped podcast because Laura wasn’t behind bars. Stephani would put out a bonus episode if he wants to speak now!) Meanwhile it’s not known if Stormy will attend sentencing.
Clayton posted an Instagram reel the day after the plea. He’d felt the day in court was “anti-climactic”. But the next day he realised why that was: he had already healed. In a deeply mature take, he said he wants Laura to face prison time, but also said he was proud of her for taking accountability for the first time. “It’s not lost upon me how huge that was. I think that’s a major, potentially life-altering step in Laura’s life.”
Want to know more about Clayton’s, Woodnick’s and Stephani’s raw reactions after the hearing, as well as those of others affected by Laura? Well, Love Trapped has a new 30-minute episode out now. Its name?
Guilty.
MAIN IMAGE CREDIT: Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office/Handout
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