Arizona woman jailed over fake pregnancy claims. Prosecutors reveal the lengths she went to convince men she was expecting

Laura Michelle Owens has been sentenced in Arizona after a case involving fake pregnancy claims brought her into a lengthy legal battle with former The Bachelor contestant Clayton Echard. Owens, 35, received 30 days in jail, probation, and 12 months of deferred jail time starting next October after pleading guilty. If she violates her probation, she could face up to 12.5 years in prison.

Prosecutors described a pattern of deception that went beyond claiming to be pregnant. They said Owens used the claims to manipulate men and draw them into legal disputes, including allegations of domestic violence and abortion coercion.

According to WGEM, investigators said Owens obtained human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) injections, reportedly under the pretext of using them for skin care. The hormone can cause a positive result on a home pregnancy test.

She had filed a paternity case against the former The Bachelor contestant

Owens first contacted Echard in May 2023 about real estate. The two reportedly engaged in oral sex but did not have intercourse. Days later, Owens told him she was pregnant. She filed a paternity case against him that August.

The prosecution also presented evidence that Owens used someone else’s ultrasound image to support her claims. She allegedly took an image of twins belonging to Stormy Mitchell, who had lost one baby to vanishing twin syndrome, and presented it as her own.

Mitchell told the court that the image was the only photograph she had left showing both twins together. Prosecutors also presented evidence that Owens had edited photographs of herself, altering the shape of her torso to make it appear as though she had a growing baby bump.

The case took a toll on the men who said they had been targeted. Echard told the judge he spent three and a half years trying to clear his name. Greg Gillespie said he spent nearly $300,000 defending his reputation and livelihood. Separate criminal charges involving another alleged victim remain pending.

Her parents said she had been battling serious health problems

Owens’ family asked the court to consider her personal circumstances when deciding her sentence. Her mother, Jan Owens, testified that Laura lived in a backyard casita and helped care for her 81-year-old father, Ronn Owens, a well-known Bay Area radio broadcaster dealing with serious health problems.

Jan asked the judge to impose probation rather than a jail sentence, citing what she described as a decade of abuse and trauma in her daughter’s life. Ronn also made an emotional plea, asking the court not to take away the daughter who helps care for him during his final years.

Owens broke down as she spoke about the online harassment, doxxing, and death threats her family had faced. She also expressed remorse for the people hurt by her actions. The judge said he had considered whether Owens was a calculated con artist or a troubled person who had made terrible decisions, ultimately concluding that she fell into the latter category.