Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has indicted Laura Owens for allegedly concocting a fraudulent pregnancy claim against former "Bachelor" star Clayton Echard. The indictment includes serious charges stemming from Owens' elaborate attempts to deceive, which reportedly involved altering an ultrasound photo and fabricating a pregnancy video, resulting in several instances of perjury, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
The saga began with a paternity claim filed by Owens in July 2024, however, Echard has consistently denied any sexual relationship between the pair and claimed he never fathered her child, eventually with Owens retracting her claim alleging a miscarriage, which later led to a Superior Court judge questioning the veracity of her claims and directing the case to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for further investigation, according to the insights from 12News.
Owens now faces charges of fraudulent schemes, forgery, perjury, and tampering with physical evidence—accusations not taken lightly by law enforcement, Judge Julie Mata, who presided over the original paternity claim, described in a detailed 19-page ruling, has cited Owens' pattern of similar allegations against other men as part of the reason for the indictment. Observing that Owens has a history of analogous accusations, Echard revealed to 12News of having come in contact with other men who had been targeted by Owens with similar paternity claims.
Echard expressed relief on social media, saying "this nightmare is finally over" and extended gratitude to the county attorney and investigators involved in rendering justice with Echard's words captured in his Instagram Reel posted on May 6, as the Maricopa County Attorney, Rachel Mitchell, led the judicial efforts to bring Owens' alleged deception to light, completing this plot twist that has drawn public and media attention alike to the narrative that's unwound over nearly two years. Owens has yet to make a public statement regarding the indictment.
