Highlights
- Laura Owens, 34, has not accepted a plea offer in her two-indictment fraud case, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
- Owens faces 14 felony counts across two indictments, including fraud, forgery, perjury, and tampering with evidence.
- County Attorney Rachel Mitchell confirmed trial is the next step if negotiations fail; Owens' next hearing is scheduled for September.
- Mitchell also confirmed allegations against Owens extend beyond Arizona but fall outside her office's jurisdiction.
Plea negotiations in the Laura Owens fake-pregnancy fraud case have not produced an agreement, and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said trial is the next step if they don't. Mitchell made the disclosure during an appearance on KTAR News 92.3 FM's Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos, confirming that Owens has not yet accepted a plea offer while declining to share its terms.
"Yeah, that's the next step," Mitchell said when asked whether the case would go to trial.
Owens, a 34-year-old Scottsdale woman, was first indicted in May 2025 on seven felony counts tied to her alleged scheme against Clayton Echard, a Scottsdale real estate agent who appeared in season 26 of ABC's "The Bachelor." Prosecutors allege she altered an ultrasound image, fabricated a pregnancy video, and lied under oath multiple times during civil paternity proceedings between May 2023 and June 2024. Owens dropped her paternity claim against Echard in May 2024, citing a miscarriage. A Superior Court judge subsequently referred the matter to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for investigation.
A second indictment followed months later, adding seven more charges involving a different man Owens had briefly dated in 2021. The combined 14-count case spans fraud, forgery, perjury, and tampering with evidence across both indictments.
Echard, who has described the indictment as lifting a weight of two years from his shoulders, is among the named complainants whose allegations fall within Maricopa County's reach. Mitchell noted that additional allegations against Owens have surfaced from outside Arizona, but said her office's jurisdiction is limited to conduct that occurred in Maricopa County. She acknowledged that other things may have happened elsewhere without elaborating.
Mitchell also cautioned against what she called trial by media, noting the case has drawn sustained attention from true-crime podcasters and social media commentators, while adding that she does not follow that coverage to gather information.
Owens' next court hearing is scheduled for September.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- ktar.com retrieved 08/05/2026 23:43
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 08/05/2026 23:43. Every claim traces to a source.
