A Maricopa County Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced Laura Owens, 36, to 30 days in county jail and seven years of probation after she admitted to fabricating a pregnancy she claimed was fathered by former “Bachelor” star Clayton Echard.
Judge Jeffrey Rueter handed down the sentence following a hearing livestreamed by FOX 10 Phoenix. Owens now faces up to 12 years in prison if she violates the terms of her probation.
Owens pleaded guilty in August to four felony charges connected to false pregnancy claims she made involving Echard and a separate man. The charges were two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of perjury, and one count of taking the identity of another person. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped 10 additional charges, including forgery and tampering with evidence. Because there was no sentencing agreement attached to the plea, it fell to Judge Rueter to decide her punishment.
Addressing the court, Owens said she was afraid of what might follow her statement but wanted to speak anyway.
“I know there are people who have suffered because of decisions that I made, and I want to take accountability for that. I pleaded guilty to four felonies, and I am profoundly, profoundly sorry for the pain, distress and expense that I’ve caused them.”
Echard, 33, also addressed the court and pushed back on the sincerity of her apology.
“She’s not sorry — she’s sorry she got caught.”
He told the judge he believed jail time was necessary, saying Owens “will not stop until she’s removed from her environment,” and challenged her to back up her words with action rather than statements of remorse.
“If she’s truly sorry, if she truly has remorse, and if she truly has empathy for what she’s done to me and the victims, then I challenge her today to show us. She can say she’s sorry, but show us you actually are.”
How the case began
The sentencing traces back to a paternity lawsuit Owens filed in 2023, in which she claimed to have had sexual contact with Echard and said she was pregnant with twins due in February 2024. She asked the court to order Echard to take a paternity test and sought a parenting plan should he be confirmed as the father.
Echard denied the claims from the outset, calling the lawsuit “groundless and lacking in merit” and stating the two had never had sexual intercourse. He later posted a screenshot on his Instagram Story showing a $725 charge for a paternity test, writing, “The truth will set you free.” He also said he had learned of other people who faced accusations from Owens nearly identical to his own.
Owens, who was not publicly identified at the time, told Page Six that Echard was referencing restraining orders filed against the same man in 2021 and 2022, and accused Echard of trying to mislead the public.
Add comment