Laura Owens Full Sentencing Hearing — October 23, 2026

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: And sorry for the late start, but let me call the case. This is CR 2025-007-905, State v. Laura Michelle Owens. Time set for sentencing. Can I get the state's appearance, please? [00:00:14] Speaker 2: Good morning, Your Honor. Ed Leiter with Nicole Northrup on behalf of the state. Thank you. [00:00:19] Speaker 3: Good morning, Your Honor. Christian leaders on behalf of Laura Michelle Owens, who's present with me at the defense table. [00:00:24] Speaker 1: Good morning. Ms. Owens, can I get your name and date of birth, please? [00:00:28] Speaker 4: Yes, it's Laura Michelle Owens, 5-14-1990. [00:00:34] Speaker 1: All right, thank you. And Ms. Kerr-Lude is ready to proceed with sentencing. Yes, sir. Based on the defense plea of guilty, it's a judgment of the court that defense guilty of count one, fraudulent schemes and artifices, a class two felony, committed on or about May 17th of 2023 through and including June 10th of 2024. Defense guilty of count six, perjury, a class four felony, committed on or about June 10th of 2024, defense guilty of count nine, fraudulent schemes and artifices, a class two felony, committed on or about June 1st of 2021 through and including August 17th of 2022, and the defense guilty of count ten, taking the defense guilty of count 10, taking the identity of another, a class four felony, committed on or about August 6th of 2021. I have considered the stipulations in the plea agreement. I have reviewed Ms. Owen's criminal history or lack thereof. I have reviewed the pre-sentence report and its recommendation. I've taken into consideration she has zero days in custody. I have reviewed the victim impact statements from Gregory Gillespie, Clayton Eckerd, in preparation for today's hearing. The state will make their presentation and give me the state's recommendation and then the defense will do the same. Mr. Leiter, how would the state like to proceed? [00:01:48] Speaker 2: Yes, the state has a presentation we've prepared for the court. Ms. Northrup will begin with that presentation. Okay, thank you. [00:01:55] Speaker 5: There we go. Okay. All right. Judge, let me know if you can't hear me at any point. I'm going to try not to wander away from the microphone, but. [00:02:19] Speaker 1: I'll let you know. Thank you. [00:02:21] Speaker 5: Thank you. All right. So I want to start by saying it was incredibly difficult to compile this PowerPoint just because of the harm that was done here for the past five years plus. The psychological warfare that she waged on these men is extreme. There's hundreds and thousands of pages of text messages. You will see some of those today. There was no way I would be up here for six hours if I were to present all of those, but this was just to give the court a glimpse of the harm that she's caused. So I'm going to start with Greg Gillespie. His timeline is from June 2021 through February 2024 in Scottsdale. And it's, it's not even fair to say February 2024. It's up until today that this has been going on, that he's been dealing with this. She selected her next victim, Greg, after everything that had happened in California with Mike. I don't know that we'll ever know why she selected who she selected. Um, but just after my brief interaction with each of them, they are extremely nice people. They're good people. And I think she capitalized on that. She knew that they were going to try to do the right thing. So we're going to start with 2021. Um, Greg and Laura went on, um, approximately three dates, um, after which Greg lets Laura know he doesn't, he's not interested in seeing her anymore. Um, at some point they do engage in sexual intercourse, um, with a condom, which will be relevant. Um, 11 days after they had sex, she informs him that she's pregnant. Um, but of course, as you will see as the theme, um, she's going to let him have control of the outcome of the pregnancy. If he commits to being in a relationship with her. So during this time, she continues to stalk, threaten and harass him, including at work. And she showed up to his house. So on August 6th, she takes a photo of an ultrasound depicting her alleged pregnancy with twins. Um, Greg starts to get a little bit suspicious. So he does a reverse Google search and finds it from a, uh, 2015 blog post from stormy Mitchell. We will see a little bit about that later. Um, he texts her a link to the blog. Um, she shows up to his house and she keeps continuing to harass him. We're going to go through some of those text messages. So just so the courts aware from just from August 2nd to August 5th, there's 125 pages of text messages. So thousands of text messages going back and forth during this timeframe, there's 46 pages of text messages just from August 7th to August 8th. Um, so of course I could not put every single message up here, but this is just to show some of these, what Greg was dealing with, um, at the time. This is just 2021. So we have August 2nd, 2021. She, uh, Laura Pony alerts the, um, alerts Greg that the, uh, abortion failed. She didn't take the pills right. Um, so the pregnancy is still viable. Um, she tells him, I'll wait half an hour to contact them. And then she says, you convinced me to get everything for the medical abortion. I'm so shocked. You're a total bullshitter. It's a blessing. You didn't answer your phone. You made up my mind and I'm keeping it. He says, I'm at the doctor. Now, mind you for the next couple days of text messages, Greg is really sick. He's sick with COVID. He keeps telling her, just let me rest. And we can talk about this later, but she will not let him rest. Um, he says, I'm at the doctor. Nothing has changed. Um, he said, it's likely stress. This is, he's sick. He's, this is a stressful situation for him. She's upset that he blocked her on social media the second after, um, she texted him that she had taken the pills. He says, look at what you just said to me, Laura, very vindictive attaching. She said, I would have taken the second set of pills. No problem tonight with you. He says, I'm trying to fight this bug and it's not getting better after two weeks. You keep pushing and pushing me. I'm stressed to the max with this. And my work is becoming overwhelming while I feel helpless with a fever. And then on top, you send me more messages like the earlier one. That I'm not off the hook financially responsible. You're not keeping it a secret. You're contacting my family. Why would you say, say things like this? She says, she's stressed to the max. He says, you could have taken care of yours. I'm trying to take care of mine, but my body is clearly struggling. You could have taken the pills in red directions and this wouldn't be an issue. Now you're projecting it on me and I honestly can't take it. My body is clearly telling me something. Same with my doctor. He tells her later on in the conversation, take the pills the correct way. She says, I'm still going to be pregnant and I'm dead serious about what I said if you don't step up. I was a million percent going to wrap this up and be happy with you. I did late because you were MIA on Friday. That would have worked. I did them Saturday. It wouldn't have been an issue that I did them wrong if we had done this together on the phone on Friday. That's on you. He says, okay, so take them as directed. Then she's upset because he didn't have any intention of following through with a relationship. She says, you have no intention in following through with a relationship with me. He says, entirely not true. I have every intention of getting better and you won't stop pushing, which is stressing me out. She said, I was so fucking worried about you being sick. He says, please, how long do you anticipate this certain texting circle to continue? Can I please rest? Why did you block me and then block me on social media this morning? He's clearly very sick trying to rest and all she cares about is herself. She's upset that he blocked her and that he doesn't want to be in a relationship with her. He says, I have not lied. I have not blown up. I have not backed out of anything. You're acting unstable. I am sick with a fever and not able to function right now. And you continue to send me nasty messages and threats continue to stress me to the max, which is the reason I got here in the first place. And the reason I'm not getting better. Yet you continue to send awful messages that are vindictive, contradictory, and quite frankly, not appropriate. She says, you blocked me after you figured it was done. So that's where she's hung up, getting blocked. She starts planting the seeds of it being twins. You can see this is from later that night. Why all these twins? I think that's the question. Well, when there's twins and a vanishing twin, it makes paternity harder to determine. And the HCG levels, it makes it more difficult to determine if your HCG levels are rising appropriately in a healthy pregnancy. You see that more with Clayton later on with the HCG levels. She says, also, I picked up the pills like I told you I would. I chatted with the doctor at the service that I got the pills from. She asked if multiples run in my family. So there we go. There's the twins. And they do. And she said that if I were carrying twins, that makes it slightly harder to do it medically and that sometimes it has to be repeated or done surgically. I wouldn't know about multiples until 12 weeks. So now we're dragging this out further. She says, not planning to take the pills at this point. I realize now that this is going to be me alone, regardless of whether or not I choose to proceed with the pregnancy, which I plan to do right now. I feel obligated to. You convinced me that you didn't want to have a bastard child and apparently you wanted that at any cost, even if it meant destroying me. COVID didn't make you say whatever I wanted to hear to manipulate you. Me. You did. These pills were supposed to be no big deal to take tonight. And all I was trying to do earlier was let you know. I'm still in shock realizing you blocked me everywhere after. You just wanted to wipe your hands clean of me. So this is his punishment for blocking her and wiping his hands clean of her. Now the next day, we need a fresh start, Laura says. So why don't we just start that tonight when I said one of the most important things to me was sleeping in a bed together. If sleeping in a bed with me was all you had to do to give me comfort and strength, why wouldn't you? It's extremely important to me to get it done before there's a heartbeat. And I will either go in with you or we can take the pills together later this week and spend some time together. She says, my pregnancy anxiety is out of control. The ball is in your court now. So don't put anything on me. Not doing this without seeing you after yesterday and tonight's conversation. If you want to have a real future with me, let's start now by physically being together and supporting each other. If you don't, I will trust that you don't actually want that future. That's all I have been saying and no changing my mind on this. You can pick what you want. The next day, he says, which is why I'm confused. Why are we still discussing? It feels like circles to me. Very frustrating. And the text messages in between this, it's just going round and round and round. He's telling her that she's sick. He needs to focus on work. And she keeps saying she's just obsessed that he blocked her. Then she says, me too. Let's start fresh. I'm going to do the pill first thing in the AM. If I do it tonight, I would probably be sick. And this is a big money client. Do you promise you won't block me? There it is again. And that you forgive me for my behavior. You need to understand that the effect of this pregnancy has on my body. Don't go into this frustrated. Then we have, so that was August 4th. Then we have on August 6th, 2021, she sends an ultrasound. Looks like you're going to be a dad to one or two babies. Was sick enough to go to the clinic this afternoon and had to get an ultrasound to make sure I wasn't having an ectopic pregnancy. I wasn't. I found out that I've been pregnant with twins. Twins. Looks like one of them passed or isn't doing well. Probably because of the medicine I took. I had the option of a surgical abortion and elected not to. If I'm going through this on my own, I will let God decide if he wants one, both, none, or none to be born. And the kids would deserve to know their father's side of the family. I'm giving you one more shot to admit you were overwhelmed and panicked and apologize. Otherwise, you're not getting any input going forward. Your behavior is appalling, coercing me to get an abortion for your own personal agenda. And I will escalate this if I don't hear back from you. I talked to a lawyer who told me I can have a court order to establish paternity at eight weeks and get child support from that point on, which is 25% of your income, even if you're making less than me. You would not get custody given all you have written about aborting the pregnancy. If you also had manipulated me to take abortion pills that resulted in the deformity or death of the second fetus, I would also pursue any and all legal action for that. If you're going to stick with manipulation, lies and ghosting, you are not who I thought you were and would deserve it. I still want to believe that you're the guy who wanted a fresh start with me and to go to Sedona for it on a trip that you told me to book for a hotel. I told you early on that you didn't need to be with me and that I would make the decision on my own with my own timeline, but you insisted that you wanted to be with me and do this the right way in the future, which I believed. This is your last chance to show me that you weren't coercing me to have an abortion under false pretenses. I would have had the surgical abortion today if you were supporting me. I still would if you still intended to keep your word. If I don't hear from you, I'm going to go forward with the lawyer. Here's what I did. I made an appointment for the surgical abortion as well as one with the attorney to go over specifics. So let me know which one you want me to cancel. I guess you're right that I don't know who you are, so show me. Again, threatening him. If you're in a relationship with me, I won't go see the lawyer. It's all up to him. So now on August 7th, Greg is suspicious. He ends up putting the ultrasound into a reverse Google search, and he confronts her with this. He says, "Your ultrasound is fake. Unless you go to the doctor with me next week, there's nothing here. You had pills in a plastic bag. You didn't pee on a stick." Sends the ultrasound. He sends her the link to where he found this ultrasound. He says, "How many guys have you done this to?" She says, "Oh my God, you're so full of it." He says, "You sent a fake ultrasound from the internet. You even used the same story." She says, "I have nothing to hide." "Huh? The same story?" He says, "Do you know why the odds of the ultrasound is matching exactly like this?" He says, "One medical did my pregnancy test, and I also showed you many. They don't match perfectly, and you have seen my results." He says, "Okay, let's go next week. What day is good for you?" And now she mentions one medical here. So we have this one medical from Lisa Daniels, which Lisa Daniels confirms she did not write this. This is Laura wrote this. "Hi, Laura. Thank you for coming in today. Based on your physical examination and reviewing your test results, urine and ultrasounds, both from, in our office and with outside providers, we can confirm that your pregnancy is viable and consistent with the date you provided of intercourse on June 30th or July 1st. A fetal heartbeat was detected. Since you took medical abortion pills, injury to the fetus is likely, but the extent of the damage is unknown at this point. Please seek care from an obstetrician going forward. I have followed up with Julie Ulrich, NP, regarding the call she had with you and the father of the child on July 16th. She noted that he came off as a potential domestic abuser and remarked on his seemingly controlling and dominating behavior. She said that she was concerned for your well-being and is happy to testify on your behalf. Please let us know if you require any additional information in your legal case. Best of luck, Lisa." Lisa confirmed she would never say something like that in a note to a patient. It's not appropriate. So again, he's trying to get her to do the ultrasound. He says, "Ultrasound, I'm done. Don't text me until you're ready to commit to a day to get an ultrasound." She says, "I'm dead serious about legal action." He says, "Don't try to change the topic. You won't get an ultrasound with me." Again, Greg, happy to, but it has nothing to do with the two times I did the medical, which was fake. "What are you afraid of? You can prove everything with an ultrasound. You making false promises and leaving me, you're going to. You're happy to get an ultrasound, then let's go." She says, "Again, you had me take abortion pills twice. You've done enough damage. You were never going to keep your word, hence the lawsuit. I would not threaten what I did if I wasn't sure." He says, "You're a liar and won't get an ultrasound." He finally has had enough and Greg says, "Stop harassing me. Stop contacting me. Stop reaching out from different forms of communication. You need to leave me alone, Laura Owens." She doesn't like this. So now she gets on Google and sends him. So you'll see he sent that at 11:47 a.m. About 30 minutes later, after she's done Googling, she says, "Didn't realize what you have done is technically a DV charge, but it matches up perfectly. We'll also be filing DV charges, just a heads up." So now she's escalating because she's unhappy that he has completely cut her off. And then this is one of the last text messages. She says, "Here you go, an ultrasound and a lawsuit. Went to the ER today to get an ultrasound. Here you go. She didn't see the second fetus, so it's probably gone because of the abortion. The other looks fine, but who knows how it will end up since I took the pills last week. The chances are better not that it will survive, but I don't know what deformities, abnormalities there might be." And then we skip down. "I'm giving you one final chance to redeem yourself as a human being. Say you've had a meltdown and that you were going to keep your word. I can't get myself to believe you're really that bad. If that's the case and you really want to keep your promise to me, I will withdraw the lawsuit tomorrow and do the surgical abortion. If you bullshitted me to kill human lives for your own selfish and cowardly benefit, I will make sure that the law makes you pay the consequences for your actions because they are completely inexcusable. I'm not the crazy one for believing you liked me. You would be a domestic abuser of the worst type for that level of manipulation." Well, notice something here. In that text to him, she calls him a domestic abuser. And then, whoops, in her fraudulent letter, she also uses the words "domestic abuser" again. August 11th, so we're still in 2021, she follows a civil lawsuit against Greg alleging abortion coercion, domestic violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Greg files an order of protection against Laura. He alleges that Laura attempted to get him fired from his job in retaliation for breaking up with her. Greg eventually retains an attorney to represent him. She is asked at some point to take a prenatal paternity test at the labs. She responds and says she will, and she also plans on filing a separate family court case. But, of course, in her email, he can contact me with her phone number if he rethinks his decision regarding a relationship and if he would like to be part of the pregnancy decisions going forward. So, again, if he gets into a relationship with her, she'll take all this back. She files a petition for an order of protection against Greg, which is granted on the same day. Now, we are finally in 2022. The litigation is still ongoing on January 6th. Laura gives her TED talk on being a victim of domestic violence after her relationship with Mike. This has since been removed and taken down. March 4th, her plan isn't working, so now she's going to escalate things. She emails the court, which she is later scolded for ex parte communication. And she says on March 4th, 2022, I was drugged, violently assaulted and raped. I have strong reasons to believe that both the defendant and his counsel were involved. And there's a pending FBI investigation regarding the incident. To my knowledge, neither the defendant nor his counsel are aware that they're being looked into. I was worried that submitting a motion ex parte could accidentally be publicly e-filed and accessed by them, which would pose a threat to my safety. I apologize for sending an email, but I could not think of any other way to alert Judge Backus about this without giving the other side confidential information about what has transpired. So we still have more litigation going on regarding the civil case. Judge Gordon dismisses it on August 12th, 2022. She does renew her order of protection against Greg. So now we're in 2023. She submits the Gillespie connection to the Scottsdale police, claiming that Greg is violating his protection order by posting things about her online. Detective Reedy concluded that none of this, none of the Reddit accounts can be traced back to Greg. As a matter of fact, the actual poster came forward and said he did it, not Greg or Clayton. But of course, she's still obsessed with him at this point because he's moved on. April 26th, it's discovered that the ultrasound she sent Greg back in 2021 to prove her twin pregnancy had a fiber logo embedded in the background. And they were able to determine that the ultrasound actually came from a vanishing twin blog in 2015 from victim Stormy Mitchell. And meanwhile, while all of this is going on, she's also been doing the same thing to Clayton, which we'll get to later. Greg was called to testify at the hearing, but they ran out of time. So here is the, this is on the left here is Stormy Mitchell's actual ultrasound that she posted on her blog. This one to the right is the one that Laura stole. As you can see, hers is zoomed in a little bit more, but it's exactly the same. You see the, um, sack where the baby, both babies would be one's bigger than the other one. Um, uh, you can also see, uh, whoops, there's a typo in it. She didn't use an, uh, the number zero. She put an O in it, which would not be on a proper medical ultrasound. Um, Stormy Mitchell, uh, found this out. She was very distressed because I'm not sure how much the court is aware of it, a vanishing twin. That means the one that the smaller one did not survive. And, you know, what was supposed to be a time of, it was a very difficult time, which is why she posted on the blog, um, to get support. Laura used Stormy sad, or her sad situation for her own selfish benefit. Okay. [00:24:52] Speaker 2: I want to walk you through, uh, what victim Clayton effort, uh, came towards beginning in 2023. So, May 17th, uh, defendant contacts, uh, Clayton. Uh, he was, uh, a reality, uh, star. He had been the bachelor, uh, and at the time he was working as a Scottsdale realtor. She contacts him under the auspices of a, uh, possible real estate deal, as I'll discuss shortly. The evidence supports that, uh, Clayton was targeted by the defendant. They, uh, text back and forth and they agreed to meet, uh, at Clayton's, uh, place. Text back and forth and they agreed to meet, uh, at Clayton's, uh, place. In fact, he invites her over on May 20th, 2023. Uh, importantly, they, they hook up. They end up having oral sex, but there was no, uh, intercourse or penetrative sex. Clayton, as, uh, Ms. Northrup said, these gentlemen who are victimized here, in part they're victimized because they were guys who, who tried to do the right thing. Clayton realized he'd made a mistake. He, he believed that he crossed an ethical line, you know, in his capacity as a potential real estate agent. And he thought it best to refer Laura to, uh, another real estate agent. She became very upset and she was, because she was targeting him, she was very upset about the fact that they were not going to engage in a relationship. That's what she wanted from him. Again, he refused to represent her and ultimately, despite contact, he blocked her, he blocked her number. Here's a text message, uh, from Lower Owens. So, Laura Owens, and I, I will say that the investigation that, uh, detectives with the American County Attorney's Office, uh, it was an exhaustive, uh, very detailed investigation that reviewed tens of thousands of documents, largely from, uh, Laura Owens' cloud account, uh, her text messages. And those are very, uh, informative as to what motivated her throughout, uh, particularly the, the Clayton Eckert incident. This is a text message. Again, uh, judge, the timeline is May 20th, 2023. That's when, uh, Clayton and the defendant hook up. The next day, she sends a text message saying all their plans and dates are still on with Clayton, but I went over and had a gummy and we cuddled, et cetera, but not sex. So from the very beginning, there was no confusion. There was no, you know, we kind of hooked up. I don't remember. There was some intercourse. No, she's very clear in text message to others. There was not sex. He was targeted. Why? Why was Clayton Eckert targeted? Well, Laura Owens had a podcast. Nobody told me. She did TED Talks, as Ms. Northrop said. She was looking to increase and improve her brand. Unfortunately, this is a very 2026 case insofar as we have people who are worried about their social media presence, people who are calculating and contemplating, how can I get more clicks? How can I get more subscribers? And that's what was done here, and that's why Clayton Eckert was targeted. I draw your attention to the text messages on the left-hand side of the screen, Judge, in that this is between Ms. Owens and her sister. And again, we're talking about May of 2023. She's talking about a guy named Nick. She's talking about having sex with this guy. Okay, this is the same timeframe in which eight days after she had just hooked up with Clayton. Why does this matter? Because here was a guy she actually had sex with. Here was a guy she could actually claim that she was pregnant as a result of him. But no, she would have to claim because he was a perfect target for what she wanted. Well, they never had sex, so how can she go through the process of actually convincing him to be her boyfriend or whatever she ultimately wanted? The method that she chose was HCG. It's a hormone that shows up in pregnancy and can be prescribed and injected and will often mask or create a false pregnancy. Or rather a false positive in any sort of like over-the-counter pregnancy tests. So, again, we're talking about nine days after her and Clayton hooked up. This is a message to Inova Medical and Spa. Was wondering if I can get HCG injections. And she comes up with an explanation for clearing up her skin. The evidence supports completely that the only reason she obtained these was to create the false pregnancy that ultimately would manipulate Clayton. We were talking about May 20th, May 29th. Then on June 1st, so three days later, that's when she sends an email telling Clayton that she was pregnant. She also provided the positive pregnancy test. By that point, she'd already purchased and the records that Detective Bow was able to uncover showed that she had already purchased six weeks of injections as of May 31st. So, Clayton says, "You know what, I didn't have sex with this woman." So, he starts to question her. So, what does she do? She's stuck. I didn't have sex. How can I prove to this guy that, you know, we had sex and I'm pregnant and how can I then become his boyfriend and increase my brand? Well, she reaches out to her sister. This is literally an awful thing to ask, but Clayton is acting like he will sue me if I don't provide him with an ultrasound image. I haven't had one yet. Do you have anything I can use? I am freaking out. She was desperate. Goes to her sister. Can you give me something? Sister was pregnant. Sister had ultrasounds. She'd already used the Stormy Mitchell ultrasound. She needed a new one. And here we go. Sarah Owens to the rescue. Sister provides her with the defendant, with Sarah's own ultrasounds, so that she can then push them out to Clayton and continue this scheme of convincing him. That she's actually pregnant by him. And, as Ms. Northrup said, you know what? If one pregnancy is going to inappropriately influence someone, twins is even better. And that's what she did again. She took her sister's ultrasound and, again, photoshopped in twins. So, we're now into June and July of 2023. And this is her attempt to continue to exploit and manipulate Clayton. What is she looking for? She wants a relationship. The relationship, you know, if he's by her, again, brand recognition. Helps her shows. Tonight went well and we did want to see what was there. I would order the pills right away. I have much more respect for you and would promise not to go to the press at any point about this. Why does that matter? Because at this point, Judge, she is trying to, and we're talking about July 4th, 2023, she's trying to create urgency. I'm going to go to the press. I'm going to make your life hell. So, do what I want. August 2023, you know what? There's no way on earth she's pregnant by Clayton. They never had sex. Doesn't matter. Ms. Owens says, you know what? Double down. The only way you get past lies is more lies. She files for paternity, August 2023. Case becomes public. Like, that hurts a public figure. Unsurprisingly. She's thrilled. This wasn't a, let's keep this, you know, secret. She texts out on September 20th, we're ahead of Kim Kardashian on page six Instagram. It's the most trending story on page six. This is what she wanted. This is going to help her brand. This is going to help her podcast. By December, Laura Owens seeks to end the paternity case. Of course, there should be no paternity case because she's never pregnant. But nevertheless, there was a paternity case because she keeps double and tripling down. She seeks to end it. She's like, okay, you know, I lost the baby. I'm not pregnant anymore. We don't need this paternity case to go forward. But Clayton's like, no, this is nonsense. You put me through this last six, seven months of hell. No, no, I need it to be recognized. I need the court to recognize that I did not get you pregnant. So in December 2023, he says, he says, no, no, no, we're not going to end this case. I want a formal finding of non paternity. And I want attorneys fees. I have to pay lawyers to defend this nonsense. So that paternity case continues leading up to March 1st, 2024, where she is deposed, a picture from her deposition. Again, given the opportunity to say, you know what? All right. I lied. I was never pregnant. I'm sorry. She says, no, I'm going to start creating fake documents for my deposition and my court hearings to prove somehow that I was pregnant. In the actual court hearing, Judge, during the deposition, it was presented a photo, this particular photo that was cropped, in which Ms. Owens presented as an exhibit saying, all right, this is me, I'm pregnant, and that's my dad, and he's touching my belly. Well, as the ultimate photo that Detective Beau was able to uncover, clearly it's her sister. But that was a document that she created where the head of the person who's pregnant, which is Sarah Owens, was blocked off. And she says, look, that's my dad touching my pregnant belly. All of this was part of this scheme and manipulation to get what she wanted out of Clayton. So move to June 2024, civil case actually begins, goes to trial. And she continues to make a mockery of the civil court system. What you see is a, was an exhibit that she presented claiming that she was pregnant. And, you know, you could see the person in the, in this particular picture. Looks like they're, they could potentially be pregnant. They've got, they've got a, you know, a bump there. But, during the investigation, we realized that she was using a particular software to manipulate those pictures to make it seem like she was pregnant. Like she was pregnant. This was actually created in early October, 2023. And there you can see the different versions she's trying out. And part of, in photos one and four, you know, parts of the body are obscured and taken away so you can make yourself look pregnant. And she did so to continue this scheme. Just want to give you an idea of what Laura was actually doing right around the time she's creating that video and claiming to be pregnant. And pushing that information to the courts and to the defense while she's actually not pregnant and engaging in horse driving. Listen, you know, part of why this is a compelling case beyond the inclusion of someone who's been on reality TV is how much Ms. Owens tried to denigrate this entire court system. She made a mockery of it, as I said before. And this wasn't just at one time. It wasn't a single document. It wasn't one deposition. It was again and again and again. Beginning in October, 2023. Court hearing with Judge John Doody. Got to stand and lie. Sworn deposition. Lie after lie. Didn't matter if those lies were exposed. She'd lie again. Creation of false documents. Okay, you know what? You've got me. Nope. I'm going to make some, as we saw, medical documents. I'm going to create fake ultrasounds. I'm going to create videos that make it seem like I'm pregnant. Again and again and again. Then it actually comes up to the civil court trial. Gets on the stand. Lies in open court. Lies in that process. And that's why we're here. Because Judge Mata said, enough is enough. With this fine. And the referral to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office ensued at that point. Before I give my recommendation, Judge, at this point I'd like to have Mr. Eckert actually address the court. [00:39:34] Speaker 1: I did review your written statement, but what is it that you'd like to tell me today? [00:40:03] Speaker 6: Yeah, your honor, thank you for giving me this time. And I did prepare that and I appreciate you reading it. I wanted to leave space for me to be able to open up and speak to you human to human. And just let whatever comes up, comes up. Because I believe in speaking from the heart. That's really all I know how to do. So, this has been really hard for me. Because truthfully as a man, as I stand here in front of you, I've been fighting for the last three and a half years. But today, the power is in your hands. It's not in mine. And that's hard. And that's hard. And it's caused me to be angry. And it's caused me to feel a certain way about the court system. But ultimately, I just want you to hear me out and hopefully take it into consideration what I'm going to share with you. Because I think it's important and I think the, you know, the prosecution did a really great job of highlighting the manipulation and the emotional abuse. And what Laura has put me and two other victims that are here. You know of Greg Gillespie, Mike Maraccini, who's sitting back by me. He's from ten years ago. Laura's been carrying out these tactics for at least ten years. She's not sorry. She's sorry she got caught. And I want to make the case or present to you why I know this to be true. When she sat in front of you last and accepted the plea. After that point, she was still in court in the state of California fighting for a lifetime restraining order against Mike Maraccini. Her and her family, as you see, that is complicit. Her family helps her in this. They actively help her in these scandals. We know that coming to court requires money. They've run out of it. Their house is up for auction. And so with a loss of money, they have a loss of power. Laura stopped pursuing the restraining order because she ran out of money. But she said in that dismissal that she's always been telling the truth and everything. She still stands by what she said. After she accepted the plea deal from you. So she's still standing by her story. The facts are as clear as day. She knows she's lying. If she didn't know that, why would she alter medical evidence? If you believe your lies, then you don't have to alter anything. You just present them as they are. Laura has continually covered up at every step of the way. And she knows she's lying. But not once has she admitted to lying. Not once has she taken accountability for what she's done. And I want, as you hear her today, what I suspect will be said is she's going to fight to gain your pity. But I want you to understand this. Laura, all of the suffering that she has endured has fought, has come from her own doing. And it's her choice. She has chosen her suffering. But she has not extended that privilege to me and the other victims. I didn't want any of this. I didn't want to be in the court system. I didn't want to give up my power at the mercy of the court and have them ultimately rule. After fighting for three and a half years, I'm at the mercy of you. And I understand that. And I hope that we have a fair outcome. But I didn't get to choose my suffering. This image of fragility that she presents is calculated. She goes, since we've been in court, she goes, it is documented. She goes to Barry's Boot Camp one to two times a day. Hundreds of days that she's gone. She is manipulating the image of what you see. But that's still her choice. If Laura doesn't carry out paternity scandals, none of this impacts her. All of this suffering is by her own doing. And she's had a choice in the suffering that she's had. And today is about being able to have her face accountability and face a charge that is fair. Because, again, being able to choose your suffering is not the same thing as being forced to endure suffering. Which is what we have had to endure as victims. I believe that incarceration is an absolute must. Because I know as well as the other victims know that Laura will not stop until she is removed from her environment. And her environment is the comforts of her parents' guest house. Her being labeled a felon is not enough. She doesn't work, so that doesn't matter. She's okay with asking to travel with the court. That doesn't bother her. Being labeled a felon, she doesn't own weapons or go shooting out on the weekend. We've never seen that. None of these things impact her to a great degree. But she is afraid of incarceration because it takes her out of her comfort zone. It pulls her out of what she is used to living within. Which is being funded by her family to sit in her guest home and carry out these tactics. She's extremely dangerous because she can do this 24/7 around the clock. And what I don't want to see is another victim back in this court system by her own doing. She didn't choose to stop before she got caught. And now she's just with her back against the wall. Her tears, if she brings any today, are going to be because she's fighting to keep herself from being incarcerated. Her tears aren't from empathy. They're not. She doesn't feel sorry. She's just sorry she got caught. And as you saw with her family, they're complicit. The only way to stop Laura is to take her out of her environment. Her family is as guilty as she is, but they are unfortunately not the ones that are facing charges. And I wish that they were, because I know how complicit they are, as we've seen. But Laura will not realize how damaging the relationship with her family is until she's separated from it to realize that when she's incarcerated at that point, they're not there with her. And then she will see that she was giving bad information, that she was being guided by her family when they should have been protecting her and they should have never allowed her to do that. But again, that's her environment. You have to remove her from it. Otherwise, she has no reason to change. When the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change, that's when change occurs. If you don't take her out of her environment, she's going to come back. And I believe that wholeheartedly. And so, the final point that I want to make is, 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. You can read a statement that you've typed up. You can cry because you're scared that you may be incarcerated, but those tears aren't for me. They're to protect yourself in the 12th hour. If she's truly sorry, the greatest test is to have her face us, look us in the eye, tell us that she made everything up, she lied about it all, and explain to us why she did it, and apologize for the damage that she caused. And we will know, if she can do that, whether or not she's being truthful, because you cannot fake empathy to that degree. So she can say she's sorry, but show us you actually are. [00:48:33] Speaker ?: Thank you. [00:48:34] Speaker 6: Thank you. All right. Thank you. I appreciate your thoughts. [00:48:40] Speaker 2: Your Honor, I have a couple of letters that I've been asked to read on behalf of two of the victims. Sure. On behalf of victim Stormy Mitchell, who is not present today. Your Honor, my name is Stormy Mitchell. I'm a wife, a mother, a daughter, and a friend. I'm a lover of books, concerts, theme parks, and theater. And I am so much more than that. Also, I am a victim of Laura Owens. Laura Owens is a woman I have never met and had absolutely no connection with before discovering what she had done. My husband and I have experienced a devastating loss of babies through miscarriage and stillbirth. These losses have forever changed our family and who we are as people. Losing a child is not something you ever get over, and experiencing that heartbreak is something I would never wish on anyone. My husband and I have had to learn how to continue living, raising our two beautiful sons, and finding happiness, all while living with grief that will be part of our lives forever. Our babies we lost are still part of our family, even though they are not physically here with us. We speak about them, remember them, and love them just as we love our living children. Years ago, I experienced a devastating loss of one of my twins during pregnancy due to vanishing twin syndrome. The ultrasound picture Laura Owens stole was one of my twins. It is the only physical reminder in this world that both twins existed together at the same time. It is the only photo I will ever have of my twins together. I will never get a first day of school photo with them or a holiday photo in matching outfits. I only have that one ultrasound picture. That ultrasound represents my babies, my pregnancy, and my memories. It represents a part of my life that is tucked deep into my heart. After my loss, I shared that that image publicly is a part of my own story on my own personal blog, never imagining someone would take it and use it the way Laura Owens did. What makes this even more difficult for me to understand is Laura Owens went searching online, found the ultrasound photograph of my babies, took it, and presented it as if it were her own. She didn't just steal a picture, which would have been heinous enough. She then claimed that the photograph of my pregnancy represented her own pregnancy. She used my babies as part of a lie to manipulate and hurt someone else. Honestly, that is despicable. That ultrasound is not just some picture I posted online years ago. I have that very same picture framed and sitting in my living room on a shelf so I can see it every day. It is part of our home and part of our family. It is a reminder of two babies we loved from the moment we knew they existed. It represents so much love, but also so much loss. I look at that picture and see my children. I see the baby I was fortunate enough to bring home and the baby I will never get hold of or watch grow up. I see a part of our family story that is incredibly precious to me. And Laura Owens took that picture and claimed it as her own. I cannot begin to explain how deeply it hurt me that something representing love, something representing one of the most devastating experiences of my life, was taken by a complete stranger and used to manipulate and hurt another person. She took an image of real children from my real pregnancy and used it to make her fabricated pregnancy appear real. Those were not her babies. That was not her ultrasound. That was not her story. It was mine. It was my family's. And while Laura was using that picture for her own lives, I had been living with the very real grief of losing one of my babies. Over time, we have learned how to carry that grief alongside the joy of raising our living children and continuing this beautiful, this beautiful my life with my husband. But there are still hard days and moments when I think about what our family would look like if things had turned out differently. And what Laura did brought that grief right back front and center of my life. In an instant, something that was so personal and painful was now connected to a woman and a situation I knew absolutely nothing about. Instead of remembering my pregnancy and my babies on my own terms, I was having to live with the fact that someone had taken my baby's photo and used it for her own purposes. The thought that someone could take something so meaningful and use it in this heartless way is appalling and abhorrent. When I first learned what had happened, I was shocked. I was not even sure shocked covers it. A kind of internet stranger had reached out to me via social media after my ultrasound image came to be public as a part of this situation. It was very disorienting and I remember feeling sick knowing that someone had taken something so personal and used it in this way. It made me feel violated. I had a pit in my stomach and a tightness in my chest. I felt the floor had fallen out from under me. Like I was spinning and falling at the same time. I had something stolen from me that was infinitely precious to me. I was violated. I was violated. My family was violated. I was angry, hurt, and honestly afraid. I didn't know Laura Owens. I didn't know what she was capable of or why she would do something like this. Though I did know someone who would do something like this cannot be a safe person. I worried about my family, about our privacy, about what else she might do. For months and months I have carried anxiety over something I never asked to be involved in. We are just regular people. My husband and I are raising our children, working, spending time together, and trying to live our lives with love and joy. We never asked to be part of any of this. But because of Laura's actions, I have found myself worrying about the safety and privacy of the people I love most. All because a stranger chose to take something that belonged to my family and use it for something filled with deception. I understand that I originally shared my story publicly, but that was my choice. I shared it because it was part of my life and my grief. I did not give anyone permission to claim my children's ultrasound as their own. And I certainly did not give anyone permission to use it to deceive or hurt another person. And I think that is something I want the court to understand. Laura's actions have affected more than my memories and my grief. They have affected my peace and mind and my sense of security. I want to be able to live my life without worrying if Laura Owens might be looking for me or my family. I want my children to grow up feeling safe. We have already experienced enough pain and loss. We just want to find joy in the time we have together. We should be able to do that without fear because of someone else's choices. I had to explain to my family what had happened, to my children, to my friends. I had to revisit memories and emotions that were already painful. I had to make decisions about coming forward and speaking to law enforcement, knowing that doing so meant continuing to be connected to the situation. I know speaking it all would reopen the wounds in my heart, but I knew I had to. I chose to speak up and make sure my experience was recognized because I felt that what happened to my family mattered. That part of my identity was stolen. I want to understand that people affected by Laura's actions are not just pictures on the internet. We are real people with real lives and real families. I've thought a lot about what accountability should look like in this case. I understand that nothing this court does can undo what happened. No sentence can give back the peace I had before I learned my ultrasound image had been stolen, before part of my identity as a mother was stolen. No apology can erase the fact that my family's most personal memories were used in a lie. But I do believe that action should have consequences. I'm asking the court to sentence Laura Owens to jail time. I do not make this request lightly. As a mother and a nurse, I believe in compassion. And I understand that people make mistakes. But I also believe that there is a difference between making a mistake and making multiple intentional choices that cause harm to others. Laura searched for an ultrasound photo and found mine on the edges of the internet. She purposely stole my photo and claimed it as her own. What Laura Owens did was not a harmless act. Her actions reached into the life of a family she did not even know caused pain that she had no right to cause. I believe a sentence that includes incarceration is appropriate because the seriousness of her actions. I want to understand that the people she has hurt are real and there are consequences for using other people's lives and identities for her own purposes. I also want the court to understand that I would have been perfectly happy to have never heard the name Laura Owens. I would have preferred to continue living my life, raising my children, loving my husband, and remembering my babies in the way that I chose. Instead, I am writing this because someone else made a decision that affected my family and I refuse to allow that harm to go unacknowledged. I will always grieve the children I lost. That grief is mine and is part of my family's story. But it should never have been something that another person could take and use for a lie. My pregnancy was real. My children are real. My losses are real. And the pain that Laura Owens caused my family is real. Her story was not real. She took my story and used it as her own. That ultrasound was never just a picture. It was a memory of my babies together. A moment in time that I can never get back represents the joy I had of carrying them together and the grief of having to say goodbye to one of them. Laura Owens took my photo of my babies and stole a part of my story and made up one of her own. In doing so, she brought pain into the lives of people that she had never even met. She stole my identity to create a fabricated story. But it was never Laura Owens' story to tell. It was ours. Thank you for allowing me to share how her actions have affected me and my family. Stormy Mitchell. I now have a statement, Your Honor, from victim Greg Gillespie that I'm going to read for the court. All right, thank you. Dear Judge Reeder, I'm submitting this statement because I want the court to understand that the harm caused by Laura Michelle Owens' criminal conduct cannot be measured by the four counts to which she has pleaded guilty alone. What happened to me was not simply a series of isolated incidents. It has had a long-lasting financial and personal impact on my life. I've spent years dealing with consequences that I did not create, expenses I should never have had to incur, and financial losses that would not have existed but for Ms. Owens' conduct. The county attorney's office has advised me that, as a victim, I have the right to provide information about how the crime affected me emotionally and financially and to seek restitution for actual damages caused by the criminal conduct. I'm asking the court to consider the full economic impact that this conduct has had on me. The personal impact. There is a financial number associated with these losses, but there is no number that can adequately capture what it has been like to live through this. For years, I have had to spend time, energy, and money dealing with circumstances resulting from Ms. Owens' actions. Instead of being able to focus solely on my career, my family, and my life, I have repeatedly had to deal with the consequences of conduct that was entirely outside of my control. The stress did not simply disappear when an individual incident ended. It followed me into my everyday life and into my work. It affected my ability to focus, perform, and function at the level I had previously been capable of maintaining. I have had to pay my career. I have had to pay attorneys to help me navigate circumstances I never should have been forced to confront. I have had to devote countless hours to addressing problems created by someone else's conduct. And financially, I have had to absorb losses that have affected my ability to earn and retain income. The financial consequences have also required me to make decisions that I otherwise would not have made. One of my most significant examples was the sale of my paid off 2014 Toyota 4Runner for $27,000. I owned that vehicle outright, yet I had ultimately had to liquidate an asset to help recover financially from the losses I was experiencing. That decision represents more than simply a $27,000 transaction to me. It represents an asset I had worked for and owned outright that I was forced to give up because of the financial circumstances created by the losses I was trying to manage. Laura also still has an active order of protection against me. Nothing in any of her past three orders of protection she's received against me since 2021 is true. Just more lies from Laura meant to harass and intimidate me. She even went as far as having all three of these orders served to my work when she was very well aware of my home address and knows I do not work out of my company's Scottsdale showroom. Being served with multiple orders of protection at work based on false allegations was humiliating, frightening, and deeply damaging to my reputation. Also included in the order of protection is an extremely serious allegation that I was involved in orchestrating Laura's 2022 sexual assault. This is absolutely not true, and the fact that she continues to spread this allegation is extremely harmful and damaging to my entire reputation and well-being. This is not a minor allegation. It is one of the most serious accusations that could be made against a person. To have someone accuse me of involvement in a sexual assault has consequences far beyond this criminal case. It attacks my character, my reputation, my relationships, my career, and the way other people may view me. It is an allegation that can follow a person indefinitely, even when the person accused maintains that it is completely untrue. I have had to live with the knowledge that these allegations have been made about me while simultaneously trying to continue working, maintaining my relationships, and living my life. I cannot adequately describe what it feels like to know that someone has accused you of being involved in a rape and that this accusation can become part of the narrative surrounding your name. What makes this even more difficult is reading a mitigation submission as recently as August 2026 attached here that asks the state to focus extensively on Laura's suffering and her position as a victim while my own experience is reduced to the conduct and allegations directed at me. She takes zero accountability for her actions. You cannot read this deviation request and tell me that this person, who is remorseful, instead she paints herself as a victim. She fails to include that she lives in one of the nicest parts of town, has horses in her backyard, and brags about attending over 2,000 plus Barry's Boot Camp classes because she has no job and has all the time in the world to do things she wants. She brags about having no criminal history, but how can someone who has been involved in five-plus lawsuits against me truly be viewed in that way? Instead, she just never got caught in the various illegal activities she participated in. Even today, Laura is not being pushed for 10 of her 14 indictments and will brag about this as if it is because they were not true accusations or crimes. I do not care if Laura describes herself as shamed, defeated, broke, and very sick. For the last five years, those are precisely the things Laura's actions have attempted to make me feel and become. She has caused me to spend years defending my reputation, my character, my livelihood, and my name. She has put me in a position where I have had to spend enormous amounts of money on attorneys, devote countless hours to legal proceedings, deal with false and deeply damaging allegations, and live with the consequences of actions I did not commit. She describes herself as broke while I am requesting restitution for hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial losses and expenses that I incurred as a result of what she did. She describes herself as shamed while I have had to live with false allegations that attacked my character in one of the most serious ways imaginable, including allegations that I was involved in or orchestrated a rape. She describes herself as defeated while I have spent the last five years fighting to protect myself, my reputation, my career, and my family from the consequences of her actions. And she describes herself as sick while I have spent years dealing with the stress, an emotional toll of being accused, investigated, represented by attorneys, required to appear in court, and forced to repeatedly defend myself. I'm not going to go into specific detail on the financial requests for restitution other than to summarize Judge, Mr. Gillespie is seeking $67,234 in attorneys, fees that he has paid during the course of the last five years. He is requesting for lost wages and performance-based commissions, $200,000. He is also requesting the $27,000 for the Toyota that he had to sell as a part to pay for all of the court hearings and the attorneys fees. He is also asking for some specific court-related travel mileage and parking expenses, all told that comes to $294,309.03. Conclusion. For years I have been forced to deal with the consequences of decisions that were not mine. My reputation has been damaged. I have had to explain myself to friends and family that I was not the person Laura had tried to portray me as in her many court documents. I have been abused by Laura Owens and the legal system. I have paid money I should never have had to pay. I have lost income I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to earn. I have had to involve attorneys simply to protect myself and address the consequences of Ms. Owens' actions. I have spent countless hours dealing with this situation, including traveling to court on 10 separate occasions. I have incurred mileage and parking expenses simply to participate in proceedings that I never would have been involved in but for the conduct at issue in this case. And ultimately had to sell an asset that I had completely paid off in an effort to recover financially. The financial damage has been substantial, but the personal impact has been just as significant. This situation has taken time from my life, attention from my career, and peace from my family. I cannot get those things back. What I can ask for is accountability for the economic harm that can be documented. I request the harshest possible punishment for Laura Owens for the crime she has committed against me. I hold no sympathy for her. Ms. Owens has now pleaded guilty to fraudulent schemes and artifices, perjury, fraudulent schemes and artifices, and taking the identity of another. I respectfully ask the court to consider the real-world financial consequences those criminal acts have had on me. I ask the court to order restitution to the greatest amount supported by the evidence and permitted under Arizona law, including the $294,309.03 subtotal identified above, plus the applicable mileage reimbursement for my 175 miles of court-related travel. I will provide the documentation necessary to substantiate these losses and respectfully ask the court to consider both the evidence and the full circumstances that led to these financial damages. Thank you for taking the time to hear me and to consider the impact that this has had on my life. Respectfully submitted, Gregory Gillespie, victim. [01:08:11] Speaker 1: Thank you. [01:08:13] Speaker 2: Judge, at this time the state was going to have our case agent present a little bit of information to the court. And before he does so, the defense has submitted a substantial mitigation as opposed to as a part of their sentencing recommendation. Detective Boe is going to address some of the contentions and some of the bases for mitigation to your honor. [01:08:43] Speaker 7: Thank you. [01:08:44] Speaker ?: All right. Good morning, your honor. Good morning. My name is, Chair. Sorry. Just for some context, Judge. Some of the specific mitigation referenced in the defense's recommendation for your honor involves Mr. Maroncini and some instances that happened in California in or around 2016. Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. [01:08:59] Speaker 1: I'm sorry. [01:09:00] Speaker 2: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Just for some context, Judge. Some of the specific mitigation referenced in the defense's recommendation for your honor involves Mr. Maroncini and some instances that happened in California in or around 2016. [01:09:25] Speaker 8: Your honor, this case was assigned to the county attorney's office in June of 2024 as a result of a referral from Judge Julie Mata. The judge found that Ms. Owens acted unreasonably when she initiated litigation without a basis for merit. Judge Mata also found Ms. Owens acted fraudulently. We began this investigation with the interview of Mr. Eckert. Mr. Eckert provided us with data from his computer. Detective Gonzalez and I viewed the video from the civil lawsuits that were involved from depositions that were held regarding the civil lawsuits. At that point, we obtained a search warrant for Ms. Owens iCloud and processed an extremely large amount of data. From there, we continued to conduct interviews along with serving approximately 11 subpoenas for medical records. On January 29th, 2025, we served a search warrant at Ms. Owens' residence with the assistance of Scottsdale Police Department SWAT unit. Ms. Owens was uncooperative and resistive during this process. We seized several laptop computers and cell phones which were later processed for evidence. We obtained Mr. Maraccini's laptop through consent. The investigation continued with further evidence and interviews. This resulted in the 14 felony counts that were charged. You know, I understand that when we look at Ms. Owens, we see she's underweight. She appears frail. She appears harmless in her size and frame. However, this is intentional. This is part of her manipulation. You know, as part of the search warrant at her residence, we located a number of syringes of Ozempic, weight-reducing drug. She was very concerned that we were going to take that. We didn't, but her main concern was, "Don't take my Ozempic." The appearance of Ms. Owens is part of her master manipulation. She's a master of manipulation, and her ability is not in her physical strength, but in her focus, her tenacity, and her vindictiveness. She has a thirst for control over her victims and a clear lust for notoriety and prestige. Her talents and her abilities contrives schemes through calculated lies and deceit, and she has the ability to develop long-term plots to control people through threats and coercion. She's relentless. Her attacks become more threatening with resistance from the victims. She begins with a proclamation of love. However, when rejected, she contrives a pregnancy and begins a barrage of text messages and emails. She attempts to guilt her victims into submission. She becomes relentless in her quest and demands constant contact and reassurance from her victims. This can be seen in the text messages that she sends constantly. Ms. Owens then begins to construct her plot and her pregnancy facade. As resistance builds from her unsuspecting victim, so does Ms. Owens' threats, threats beginning with court action, media attention, and criminal prosecution. There are three victims that have come forward. Other victims have not, all resulting in substantial legal fees, protect borders, and emotional distress. Aside from the victims that are already mentioned, Mr. Eckerd and Mr. Gillespie, there are two in California. One wouldn't come forward because he's so scared of Ms. Owens and what she would do in retribution. The other is Michael Maraccini. Mr. Maraccini is Ms. Owens' second targeted victim, and this began in March of 2016 on a dating app. The manipulation began slowly, over about a month and a half, at which time they had a second date. They went on four dates between March and June. On Mr. Maraccini's 29th birthday, Ms. Owens sent him a photograph of a positive pregnancy test. This was done to change the course of the relationship and to cause him to concentrate his attention on her. Mr. Maraccini questioned the pregnancy because he always used condoms, however, could not fathom that he would fabricate something like this. Mr. Maraccini was not ready to be a parent at this point. He told Ms. Owens that he would be supportive and he would co-parent if she wished to keep the child, however, they would not be in a relationship. Within weeks, Ms. Owens reported that she was pregnant with the twins. Mr. Maraccini reported that Ms. Owens and her family were under the belief that they were on their way to marriage, but he was not and did not wish to have a relationship. Understanding that Mr. Maraccini was slipping from her grip, Ms. Owens then told Mr. Maraccini that she would terminate the pregnancy if he committed to a future with her. Ms. Owens then allegedly obtained abortion pills. Mr. Maraccini agreed to stand by her during this time. Ms. Owens told Mr. Maraccini that she took the pills, however, he never saw the pills and he never saw Ms. Owens take them. Following this, Ms. Owens reported to Mr. Maraccini that she had an ultrasound and that the abortion failed. The twins were still there. She provided medical documents. Mr. Owens allegedly took -- Ms. Owens allegedly took the abortion pill a second time and told him this time it worked. A few weeks later, Ms. Owens told Mr. Maraccini that she was pregnant again. This confused Mr. Maraccini because she had told him that the pills worked a week earlier and now she was still pregnant. Ms. Owens told him that there was still one embryo that the pills did not work. Mr. Maraccini believed what Ms. Owens was telling him because her family became involved. He reported that he went to Ms. Owens -- went with Ms. Owens to Planned Parenthood in Walnut Creek. Ms. Owens allegedly went to see a provider in the Planned Parenthood location, leaving Mr. Maraccini in the waiting room. He sat there for about five minutes and then he saw Ms. Owens leave through his side door. When questioned, Ms. Owens told him that she had gotten more pills, however, she didn't wish to take them at the time. Mr. Maraccini did not see the pills and Ms. Owens would not talk about it when asked. This went into July of 2016, when Ms. Owens now told Mr. Maraccini that she had had a surgical abortion and she sent him documentation from a doctor. Ms. Owens told Mr. Maraccini that the abortion was successful, but she had an egg trapped in her ovary. At this point, Ms. Owens claims to have had ovarian cancer. Ms. Owens now caused her family to pressure him into supporting her emotionally as well as physically. Mr. Maraccini stated that every time something would happen, he would get pulled back into this relationship. In August of 2016, Ms. Owens told Mr. Maraccini that she had her ovary removed and a surgical abortion and also sent him documentation from a doctor. The nightmare pregnancy lasted for months before turning to cancer and then threats of suicide. Ms. Owens told Mr. Maraccini that if he didn't stay with her, she would commit suicide. Ms. Owens continued to barrage Mr. Maraccini with text messages where Ms. Owens was wanting him to profess his love and commitment to her. Ms. Owens would become angry when Mr. Maraccini refused to do so. Ms. Owens' family became involved. Her father asked Mr. Maraccini to stick with Ms. Owens because she was suicidal at the time. Later in 2016, Ms. Owens offered Mr. Maraccini a trip to Iceland as she felt bad for what she put him through. Mr. Maraccini believed that he would be going alone. This trip was slated for the time period of New Year's, 2016-2017. The trip was booked, however, he didn't know Ms. Owens was going until the day he was leaving. During the flight, Ms. Owens wanted Mr. Maraccini to tell her that he loved her. She became distraught when he refused. Ms. Owens was crying, and she created a scene on the flight. The rest of the trip to Iceland was not eventful. Mr. Maraccini successfully ended the relationship in the summer of 2017, but things came back to light in 2018. Mr. Maraccini began a relationship with another young lady. He took his date to a restaurant, and Ms. Owens and her mother happened to be there. At the end of the evening, Ms. Owens and her mother stopped at Mr. Maraccini's table, introducing themselves to Mr. Maraccini, to her date, or to his date, and learning her name. On a separate night, Mr. Maraccini went out to dinner with his sister. While leaving the restaurant, Mr. Maraccini asked Ms. Owens to leave him alone. Ms. Owens then told Mr. Maraccini's sister that he had raped and tried to kill her. This caused a shouting match between Mr. Maraccini's sister and Ms. Owens. Mr. Maraccini made a report to the San Francisco Police Department that night out of fear for his safety. After this, Mr. Maraccini was shared with a domestic violence protective order. In 2021, Ms. Owens released a TEDx talk titled "The Lifesaving Power of Kindness to Strangers." During this presentation, Ms. Owens alleged having been beaten and abused by her abuser during a trip to Iceland. During the TEDx talk, Ms. Owens published a photograph of herself in a hospital bed, appearing to be injured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image would be injured. [01:18:29] Speaker ?: Mr. O'oddly, the same image would be injured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. [01:18:50] Speaker 8: Mr. O'oddly, the same image was sent to Mr. Maraccini on August 1, 2016, four and a half years earlier. Mr. O'oddly, the text image was her in a hospital bed, and it was captured looking bomb AF on narcotics. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. [01:19:31] Speaker ?: Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. [01:19:35] Speaker 8: Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. [01:19:42] Speaker ?: Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. [01:19:47] Speaker 8: Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. [01:19:52] Speaker ?: Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. [01:19:53] Speaker 8: Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. The same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. Mr. O'oddly, the same image was captured. The final known false pregnancy scheme concerning Mr. Eckerd was concocted not only to strong-arm Mr. Eckerd into an unhonored relationship through fraud, deceit, and extortion, but also to gain notoriety. Ms. Owens has resorted to threats involving civil suits, extortion by alleged criminal charges, financial extortion, media shaming, and even initiating an investigation through the Department of Real Estate on Mr. Eckerd. Ms. Owens has clearly engaged in aggravated stalking in both of the Arizona cases, as well as a known victim in California. Ms. Owens uses the court system as a weapon, filing frivolous and malicious lawsuits. In fact, on September 21st, 2023, she told Ms. Eckerd that she has unlimited budget to sue him. There are no boundaries to Ms. Owens' vindictiveness, and there are no limits to the death that she will go. This is her. This is a life of privilege that she has lived, the sheer indulgence that her parents have bestowed on her. Ms. Owens has not been told no. She has not been held responsible for anything she has done, nor has she taken responsibilities. Ms. Owens does not feel remorse and is likely not able to feel remorse. She truly believes that she is the victim in all this. The fact that she accepted a plea is not part of her taking responsibility. It's the act of manipulation to attempt to avoid a period of incarceration. Ms. Owens is a terrorist in her own right. A probationary slap on the risk gives no justice to the victim and signals to Ms. Owens that her game was successful and that she's invincible. Thank you, thank you. [01:22:00] Speaker ?: Can counsel approach for a second? Thank you. [01:22:01] Speaker 8: Thank you. [01:22:02] Speaker 1: Can counsel approach for a second? [01:22:05] Speaker ?: Thank you. Thank you. [01:22:11] Speaker 2: I have some final comments and then the state will be finished with its presentation. [01:22:36] Speaker 1: Okay, thank you. [01:22:37] Speaker 2: The Honor, over the last week or so, Ms. Northrup and I have been going through all of the evidence in preparing this presentation. And the pervasiveness and just the sheer amount of lies and fraud that Ms. Owens engaged in for at least a five-year period of time. And I think the record, at least some of the information from Detective Bow reference, Marancini, extends that another five years. So she has been engaging in this course of conduct for nearly 10 years. Given that, given the sheer amount of fraudulent documents and attempts to manipulate and lies to the court and lies in deposition, the state does believe a prison sentence is well supported. That being said, just because there is a reality star involved in this case, as ministers of justice, that is ultimately the responsibility of prosecutors to weigh everything and not treat people disparately. If we compare what Ms. Owens' conduct was to other similarly situated people, there are situations in which the county attorney's office offers probation with jail. So, as I said, prison is well supported. But based on the court's inclination to the state, based on a weighing of interests. Now, there are substantial victim interests at stake. You heard those letters. You heard from Mr. Eckert. You heard that the emotional impact cannot be understated. At the end of the day, Judge, we do believe incarceration is appropriate. And before I specifically give you the recommendation, Judge, I did want to address some of the, because it is relevant from the state's perspective in the court's consideration on what really mitigation Ms. Owens has. She talks about letters of support. I just would point and remind your honor of how complicit her sister, who wrote one of those letters, was in her fraud, specifically the fraud on Clayton Eckert. As you heard from Detective Bowen and the information before the court is, Mr. Marancini not only disputes the mitigation that Ms. Owens claims, but the state believes the evidence supports that she was engaging in the same conduct that she ultimately engaged with Greg Gillespie and Clayton Eckert with Mr. Marancini. Mental health is mentioned. I would just point to your honor that there's no specific SMI diagnosis. I certainly want to believe Ms. Owens is underlying, that she has some underlying mental health. It is a struggle to believe, she has something. This is very much a boy who cried wolf, because again, and again, and again, she fabricates medical documents, fabricates emails from doctors. It's really hard to believe, for example, the 2022 allegation of Mr. Gillespie's involvement in rape as a basis for mitigation. As a context judge, I asked, should that be considered mitigation, given the timeframe on when those allegations were made, and specifically who they were made to, a person who she has now pled guilty to victimizing? Although, that being said, she has accepted responsibility. But when, and I should say that mental health of a defendant is a very important consideration for the parties. And again, as ministers of justice, we have to examine that and think about it, and accept a lot of it, and say, you know what, someone, an explanation for why they did a thing matters. An explanation for a former soldier engaging in violent conduct when they have diagnosed PTSD, that matters. But I would just draw the court's attention to the 10 years and the incredible similarity in the type of fraud and manipulation that Ms. Owens abused. And I would ask the court to consider the mental health in the mitigation in that context. I draw the court's attention to the fact that the pre-sentence reporter did, in fact, recommend prison. At the end of the day, it matters that she targeted these individuals. It matters that she targeted a man for her own selfish purposes. That matters. It matters how she has manipulated the healthcare system, how she has manipulated the court system, again and again and again, in spite of obvious evidence. Mental health informs conduct, but the state's position, it doesn't inform 10 years of calculating conduct again and again and again. She mentions domestic violence repeatedly. It is a tactic, it is a way she has exploited these individuals. As someone who has tried and been involved in domestic violence cases throughout my career, when she does that in the context of Greg Gillespie, she demeans those very victims. What we have presented to your, your honor is 10 years, five specifically of manipulation, abuse of the system that demands accountability. Accordingly judgment, the state is recommending for count one fraudulent scheme specific to Clayton Eckert, five years, five months of initial jail, not to be deleted or deferred. We also recommend five years of supervised probation. Importantly, Judge, we're asking that that run consecutive to the probation in count nine. That would be a total of 10 years of probation. We recognize and accept that there is some mental health, and we ask that you impose mental health terms along with the restitution. So between, and similarly for Mr. Gillespie, we are asking for five months of initial jail not to be deleted or deferred. Ten months total of jail for her conduct and her victimization of Greg Gillespie and Clayton Eckert. And ten years of supervised probation that sort of dovetails nicely with how long we know that she's been engaging in this sort of conduct. As to count six, the perjury, Judge, we ask for one month of initial jail not to be deleted or deferred. And three years of supervised probation that can run concurrent with the ten years we are requesting. Certainly mental health terms are appropriate. And we are also asking specific to count six, 400 hours of community service. Why are we asking for that? Because of the community, our society rely on honesty in the criminal justice process, in the court system. And she took advantage of that and exploited that again and again and again. Community service is appropriate, specific to count six. And then as to count ten, and you heard that letter from Ms. Mitchell, we're asking for one month of initial jail not to be deleted or deferred, three years of probation concurrent. Certainly pretty remarkable how impactful her conduct was to Ms. Mitchell and there needs to be some accountability there. And that is taken together, Judge, the state is asking, despite, as we said, prison being appropriate based on the conduct for 12 months of initial jail. We understand where the court is inclined, but we think this is an appropriate sanction and consequence for what Ms. Owens has done to these individuals. Thank you. [01:32:02] Speaker ?: Thank you. [01:32:02] Speaker 1: Thank you, Mr. Leiter. [01:32:07] Speaker 3: Mr. Lewers. Judge, a couple people to speak on Ms. Owens' behalf. I think first we'll have David come up. [01:32:26] Speaker 1: Good morning, sir. [01:32:27] Speaker 9: Can I get your name, please? Good morning, Your Honor. My name is David Gingras, G-I-N-G-R-A-S. All right, sir. [01:32:32] Speaker 1: I did read your letter that was submitted to me prior to this hearing, but go ahead. [01:32:36] Speaker 9: Sure. Your Honor, as I explained in my letter, I'm a lawyer, and I have been a lawyer for 26 years. I am not standing before you as a lawyer today. I'm not Ms. Owens' defense counsel. I'm not advocating for her. The reason I wanted to be here today was mainly because, as I think I briefly explained in my letter, I've had to sit, I'm obviously not a judge, but I've had to sit as a lawyer. You get drafted to be an arbitrator for the Superior Court. I've also volunteered to be an arbitrator for the State Bar. And in that capacity, I've had to sit and judge people. And I've had to sit and think about what should I do in any particular case. I've found that to be extremely impactful, and it was a heavy weight that I felt when I did it. And every time that I did, I always thought I wanted to make sure I had all the information, as much information as possible. That's my goal here today, Your Honor, is just to add a little bit of perspective. I'm not here to defend Ms. Owens' actions whatsoever, other than to tell you what I saw, because I was a witness. It played a role in what brought us here today. And I really, I regret part of it, but then I also don't. And I'll sort of touch on that. One thing I heard, and again, I'm not advocating, I'm not lawyering, one thing that was a little bit frustrating, and I know it's not intentional, but the state mentioned, and I think I covered this in my letter, this idea, and I also, this is coming from what Mr. Eckerd said, I listened to him very carefully, this idea of you have to stop her because she won't stop herself. That was frustrating insofar as, although I wasn't involved in the case in the family court at that time, Laura moved to dismiss with prejudice really the minute that Clayton hired a lawyer. I don't deserve any weight at all, that's your call. I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of that fact as being, you know, something that, the idea that she would never stop, she did try to stop. And then she was dragged through six months of additional litigation, and the record is what it is. The other thing I heard the state say was regarding this idea that she was looking for attention, that she was excited about the media talking about the case. Again, because I was a witness and was involved in this, I know from the family court case, Laura moved to seal the record in that case three times. On three occasions she asked the court to limit the sharing of information. I think her initial motion was filed on my birthday, September 14th, and she asked the court to completely seal the entire case. Obviously that's an extraordinary remedy, it's not normal, but the idea that she was looking for attention is not what I saw. But I saw the opposite of that, that she was trying to limit the sharing of information about the case. Again, I just want the court to have accurate information. Now, as for what I wanted to add to my letter, 942 days ago I agreed to represent Laura in the family court case involving Clayton Eckerd. Obviously back then I never imagined that I'd be standing here saying what I'm about to say. And again, I thank you for reading my written statement. I'm not going to repeat anything from that other than to add something that I didn't tell you. Laura and I recently talked about the fact that she was charged with 14 felonies in this case. And it came up while we were talking about her thoughts for the future and her hopes and dreams. Laura's number one dream is to be a mother, obviously that's sort of what the theme is in a way. She loves being an aunt to her sister's two children, but Laura wants a family and children of her own. And when we talked about this, Laura mentioned the 14 felony charges in this case as being something that might make her dream of motherhood impossible. And I think she felt a lot of shame and embarrassment over the type of charges and also the number of them. And she never said it, but the impression I got from her was that she was thinking she's been charged with 14 felonies. Who would ever want to have children with me now? And my response when I sort of had that conversation with her was to tell you something that is not easy for me to say, standing in a courtroom with eyeballs looking at the back of my head and a TV camera. But what I said to Laura in response to her concern about her 14 felonies, Your Honor, I've been a lawyer for 26 years, and I've had a career that I'm very proud of. But when I was much younger, before law school, I made huge mistakes. My mistakes were so bad, I ended up charged with 14 felonies. And that number is correct. It's not 12, it's 14. That's not normally something that would stand here in public and brag about it, and I'm not bragging about it. But what I'm mentioning it for is because the idea is that you can make mistakes in your life, and you can recover and redeem yourself. And you can go on and do some good with your life. My passion as a lawyer has always been helping people resolve their legal troubles. In the last three decades of work, I've donated hundreds of thousands of dollars of free legal services to helping people that couldn't afford to pay me. I once helped a lady, the smallest case I ever handled, was a wage claim involving a $600 paycheck that the hospital wouldn't give a nurse after she quit. I took that case to trial and I won, and my client was awarded $600 plus attorney's fees. And she was so happy that she cried, and she gave me a clock with my name on it, a little ugly clock from the mall. But the reason I remember that clock, and the reason I'm mentioning it, is because I made terrible mistakes when I was younger. And I stood, as Laura does today, I stood in court, and I had a judge look at me and think, "What am I going to do with this guy?" And I was given grace and mercy and an opportunity to redeem myself, and I've never forgotten how much that meant to me. And I just think, knowing Laura, I understand that all crimes require punishment. And I mentioned also in my letter, Your Honor, just to clarify, this issue of her being attacked online and so forth, that's not a mitigating factor. I want to bring that up because, you know, Laura's been attacked and therefore she deserves special treatment. And I appreciate, I don't know who mentioned it, but Clayton Eckerd doesn't deserve special treatment because he was on The Bachelor. The reason I mentioned what Laura has been through is because of this idea that you have to punish her, you have to incarcerate her to stop her from doing this again. Your Honor, she's become a pariah in a way that I've never seen in any case I've ever worked on, and I've had cases more high profile than this. Laura will carry this case with her for the rest of her life, no matter what you do today. I just think it's a relevant factor to think about the fact she can't go out and get on an online dating app, she can't have people Google her. The history is all going to be there for the rest of her life. I think it's something that you should just keep in mind when you're deciding what to do. Your Honor, I, from my own experience in this case, wish that you would find it in your heart to extend some, mercy, and think about Laura. I appreciate, again, the state brought up that there's something going on, and I agree with that. I would like you to also keep in mind that she's never been in trouble before, and I really hope that you give her the opportunity to go forth and do something good with her life, just as I was given. I never looked back, and I never stopped appreciating the chance I had to fix my mistakes, to rise above them, and I hope you give her that chance. you give her that chance. All right, thank you. [01:40:27] Speaker 3: Thank you. [01:40:57] Speaker 10: Good morning, Your Honor. Good morning. My name is Jan Owens, and I am Laura Owens' mother. I'm speaking today on behalf of myself and my husband, Laura's father, Ron, who's right next to me. My husband and I have both enjoyed decades-long, award-winning careers in journalism, hosting news and talk shows on ABC and CBS-owned radio stations in San Francisco. I am now 70, and I rely heavily on Laura to help me provide daily care for Ron. As has been mentioned, Laura lives in a casita on our property. Ron is 81 and has had severe mobility issues, having battled Parkinson's disease for 26 years, along with three kinds of cancer, serious heart issues, and numerous other health issues in recent years. Three years ago, we were told that Ron had only six months to a year to live. And while thankfully he has outlived that prognosis, a jail sentence for Laura would in reality be a punitive sentence for us as well. It would deprive Ron of the precious, limited time he may have left with his daughter, and it would strip away the vital caregiving support we both desperately need at this time in our lives. After reviewing what's been submitted on her behalf, I urge the court to recognize that Laura is a good, caring person with no prior criminal record, and this is a first-time non-violent case stemming from a paternity case. I pray, Your Honor, that you recognize that Laura's is a multifaceted story. Over the past ten years, it has been absolutely gut-wrenching for us as parents to watch, as she has been the target of unspeakable emotional and physical abuse, as well as relentless cyber harassment and online trauma from a number of sources. Some of those very individuals are in this courtroom today. Laura has already been severely punished. Her character has been destroyed, she's been humiliated, and she's paid a devastating price physically, mentally, and financially. As her parents, it has been incredibly disheartening and absolutely disgusting to see her experiences twisted into a narrative designed purely for the personal benefit of others, people who have sought to gain fame, financial profit, and even entertainment at her expense. Many of the people pushing for a harsh sentence today do so simply to keep this narrative alive, ensuring that they can continue to taunt, torment, and monetize her life for just a little bit longer. They don't care that there is a real human being with a family beyond the bullying. They don't care about context or taking her story out of context, which has been done so badly. I cannot believe how badly her story has been taken out of context. She has been pregnant. She has been attacked by men she has been with. There is no question about this. And to cast doubt on her stories about whether she was really pregnant or whether she was really abused is just mind-boggling to me that anyone could do that when there is proof. There are at least two and perhaps three or four men in this courtroom today that Laura has had protective orders against. And it's no surprise that they have all pushed publicly for a harsh sentence for her, driven by the hope that such a thing would somehow cast doubt on the legitimacy of the protective orders she secured against them, using this court to vindicate themselves and rewrite the past. Your Honor, Laura has already endured a form of severe daily punishment through this relentless online harassment. And despite the constant provocation, Laura has consciously refrained from giving interviews, she's chosen instead to handle this matter through the proper legal channels. Still, she's paid a profound, agonizing price through the loss of her privacy and the permanent damage to her name and reputation. Your Honor, I trust completely in your ability to look beyond all of this external noise. To look past the sensationalism and to see this case for what it truly is and to see her as a woman who found herself in circumstances that many women have found themselves in over the years and was trying to figure out what to do going forward. On behalf of Ron and myself, I ask that you show Laura mercy and sentence her to probation only, granting her this chance to quietly rebuild her life under the supervision of the court. Probation gives the court the oversight and accountability it requires while preserving our family's vital caregiving structure and helping to close the curtain on this public spectacle. I thank you very much for your time and your wisdom. And I know my husband has some comments that he'd like to add. [01:47:01] Speaker 7: Your Honor, I just want to tell the court that I love my daughter more than I can put into words. She's been there for me through the good times and bad. And she's always trying to think of ways to help me and brighten my day. She cares for me in a way that no one else could. I don't know how much time I've got left, but I beg that you not take her away from me for that or whatever time that might be. I'm not sure either of us could really survive this threat. [01:47:46] Speaker 1: Thank you. I appreciate that. [01:47:49] Speaker 7: Thank you, Your Honor. Thank you. [01:47:59] Speaker 3: Your Honor, do you want me to go to the podium? [01:48:28] Speaker 1: Wherever you're most comfortable. If you just want to stay there, that's fine. [01:48:52] Speaker 4: Your Honor, I'm absolutely terrified of what might happen after I speak to today, but I really don't want that fear to overshadow what I came to say, because I know there are people who have suffered because of decisions that I made, and I want to take accountability for that, and they deserve to hear me do that. I plead guilty to four felonies, and I am profoundly, profoundly sorry for the pain, distress, and expense that I've caused them, and for failing to meet the standard of honesty that this court had every right to accept from me. I've thought about the choices that brought me here every moment of every day, and I wish more than anything that I could go back to the moments that I still had the opportunity to make different choices, and I wish more than anything that I had made those different choices, and that's not because I'm finding myself here right now. I just genuinely wish I had made better choices and hadn't panicked. I've never in my entire life set out to hurt another person, but I do understand that the people I hurt don't have, don't, they shouldn't have to care what my, what my intentions were. They just have to live with the consequences of what my actions did to them, and I am just so terribly, terribly sorry that, that I ever put them into that position. For a long time, I didn't know what to do with that remorse, and I just thought about it and thought about it, and as the public attention on the case grew, sort of just the absolute shame and humiliation that I felt, and again, not just because it was public and I was embarrassed, certainly not for, for my reputation or anything. I tried to change my name as soon as, and as soon as any of this became public, I wasn't wanting attention. I just wanted, I just had so desperately wished I had made better choices, and I was so ashamed of myself. Supporters of the victim started sending death threats to me and my family, and soon after this happened, somebody posted on Facebook saying that they wanted to shoot my mother and posting our address, and then they kind of messaged me and said, everybody go shoot this, this, this C word with our address, and I was home. And they put, you know, hashtag justice for Clayton on it, and we didn't know what was gonna happen if this person was gonna actually come to my family's house and shoot my mom, and I felt so guilty about it, and we got messages, or I got messages telling me to kill myself. One guy said he never wished that anybody would die, and everybody just wished that I would, and he said he wished for terrible things to happen to me and my family, and I would get called. One said that my execution needed to be live-streamed, and eventually I started to believe that the things that these people were saying were true, and I hated myself so much that I thought that I deserved to suffer, and I starved myself, and I made myself vomit. Like, I could physically rid myself of the shame that I couldn't bear, and I felt I had no control to apologize to these people, so this was like a way I could control, have some sort of control, and I lost 50 pounds. I weigh 85 pounds now, and I considered ending my own life. I wondered if doing that would make these people feel like they got justice that they deserved, and I still think about that a lot, but I also understand how terribly wrong that thinking was, because I can't make amends to these people by hating myself. They deserve better, and they need to know that I've taken this seriously enough to change how I live, and that's exactly what I've been trying to do. Today, I helped my mom care for my father, who you saw, who's 81. He's had Parkinson's for 25 years. He has stage four cancer. If I were to be locked up, my mom can't take care of him on her own, and would have to find another solution for him, and I also helped my sister care for my two young nephews and for our elderly and rescued animals. I'm continuing treatment. I just started intensive therapy last Sunday, and I really just hope to rebuild my work and find ways to contribute to the community going forward. My mom is 70, and she can't physically manage my father's care alone, and the animals have needs that can't be put aside and that she also can't take care of. I know that my responsibilities don't excuse what brought me here, but people and animals who depend on me and had no part in these awful decisions that I made would be the ones who would be paying the price if I were to be incarcerated. I'm terrified of jail, Your Honor. I'm not going to pretend otherwise, but I'm also terrified, but I'm not terrified of being held accountable, and if you allow me to go home today, I won't believe that I've escaped the consequences of what I've done. I know I would have years of responsibility ahead of me, and I'm prepared to meet it, and you would never see me in a criminal court again. I want to continue the intensive treatment that I started, meet every condition the court imposes, and care for those who need me, and above all, I want the rest of my life, and not just my words today, to show how completely, terribly sorry I am for everybody I've harmed. I'm not asking you to treat my remorse as the end of my accountability. I'm asking you to let it be the beginning, and please allow me to do that at home where I'm really needed. Thank you, Your Honor. [01:55:37] Speaker 1: All right, thank you, Ms. Owens. Mr. Luters, I did review your sentencing memorandum. Did you have any additional comments? [01:55:45] Speaker 3: Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. [01:55:49] Speaker ?: Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. [01:55:49] Speaker 3: Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. [01:55:51] Speaker ?: Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. [01:55:51] Speaker 3: Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. Thank you, Mr. Eichhardt. As Your Honor knows, a lot of what is said during these hearings goes unchallenged. There's no evidence required today. A lot of things that the state presented, either through the victims, their letters from the prosecutors themselves, were incorrect. Somebody said today, I believe it was Mr. Eichhardt, that, first of all, then Ms. Owens, after taking the plea, publicly stated that she wasn't guilty, Laura hasn't said a word. To anyone about this, she certainly hasn't said that. To me, it's been just the opposite. She has been taking accountability since I met her in January of this year. Laura never publicly accused Greg Gillespie of being involved in that rape situation. She never did that publicly. That came about because Greg Gillespie himself shared an email that Laura had sent him. [01:56:54] Speaker 1: It's 100 percent true. I don't need any outbursts from the back of the courtroom. Everyone's had their time to speak. I'm going to allow Mr. Luters to speak. Thank you. I mean, I know that you're a victim in this case, but I can't have these types of outbursts. Otherwise, I'll have to ask you to leave. Don't put me in that position. Thank you. Mr. Luters. [01:57:13] Speaker 3: There was mention of several or multiple lawsuits that Laura's brought against victims or other interested people in this case. She's only ever brought one lawsuit that was against Greg Gillespie. He countersued her. That case went full litigation months, if not more than a year. Both were presented by counsel. The case was dismissed on both sides. Both claims were deemed to be unsubstantiated. There were no more lawsuits than that. If we're talking about -- I mean, I honestly don't know what we're talking about. Nothing's been presented to me as far as multiple lawsuits. But if we're talking about the paternity cases or Laura's orders of protection that she's asked for, those are not lawsuits. Those have all been upheld. Those have been found by a judge to have sufficient standing to continue. That includes Mike Marasini. It includes Greg Gillespie. Judge, when someone comes to me looking for help because they've been accused of a crime, I occasionally discovered that they did, indeed, commit a crime. In those situations, part of my job becomes an exercise of trying to negotiate the punishment that fits that crime. My client committed crimes. She committed some, but not all, of the crimes she's been accused of. She did some, but not all, of the things that were alleged today. So I then became an advocate for Laura and her family with the goal of arriving at a fair and just punishment. There really wasn't much negotiation in this case. The plea is what it was. I was not alone in this because at the same time that I was trying to arrive at a fair and just punishment, many people have been working very hard to find that punishment as well. Some of those efforts were just and fair, but not all of those efforts were just and fair. First, for her role in the 2023 paternity matter with Mr. Eckard, the family court judgment of $200,000 in fees and costs and a criminal referral for perjury. And so Laura got what she deserved. And then a 6:00 a.m. SWAT raid, 15 officers in full tactical riot gear. Add one 79-year-old woman. Add a terminally ill old man, naked, awakened and pulled from his bed by an officer. One 35-year-old anorexic female. Their home turned inside out. What was the mention of Ozempic for? What were we saying there, by the way? There is indeed passion and prejudice behind the investigation and the prosecution in this case. What were they saying that that's the reason why she's so thin? It's not anorexia. It's Ozempic. What was the purpose of bringing that up today? But Laura got what she deserved. Next, the formation of an online community, a portion of which issues daily ridicule, insults, hate and vitriol. And those are the good ones. A portion of them openly daydream about violent physical assault, sexual assault or death of Laura. A smaller portion of them actually threatens death. And by the way, no one on this side of the aisle or the folks who spoke to you today for the victims have ever spoken out against this community. In fact, some of them join in and participate. Some of them get a lot of enjoyment from that participation, including two people you heard from today. Because of the ongoing legal proceedings, Laura can't express remorse. She can't apologize publicly. She doesn't even speak publicly about this at all, but that's not true for anyone else in this case. She's been demonized for everything, including failing to apologize, failing to take remorse. But that's what she deserves. Then comes indictment number one, seven counts, six months of litigation, tens of thousands of dollars in attorney's fees, the case dismissed to re-indict. And she continues to get what she deserves. Then indictment number two, 14 counts, 12 months of litigation. Her previous attorney quits because he only signed on for one case and needs more money. more attorney's fees, a guilty plea for permanent felony convictions, and it's what she deserves. You have a mental health collapse. But by the way, SMI is not a diagnosis. She would absolutely qualify for SMI. I think this court knows that. SMI is a legal status. mental health collapse, physical health collapse, financial collapse. The family is bankrupt. They will lose their home this year or next. That's a guarantee. Police officers are called to their home for welfare checks at all hours. Laura and her family are followed and photographed on a daily basis. The fans of this case celebrate, mock, and revel. So, you, like me, at the beginning of this case, are thinking to yourself, "Well, why can't she just tune that out? Why can't she just escape all that? It's online. She lives in the real world." You don't need to go online to see all that. But you can't tune it out and you can't avoid it if it comes knocking on your door, if it texts you in the middle of the night, if it sends you an email telling you to kill yourself. But it's what she deserves. Laura Owens committed crimes. There are victims of her crimes and they were wronged. No one is disputing that. Some were wronged more than others. They have the right to be angry. No one disputes that they have the right to be angry. No one judges them for their anger. But some of them turned their anger to the public. And the public got angry. And they encouraged that public anger. And the anger turned into hatred. And the hatred is what we have left. So, the state wants her in jail. The victims want her in prison. Because all of this wasn't enough. Jail will give them what they want. That will finally be enough. But it won't ever really be enough. Laura's already been judged and sentenced to something far worse than death by some of the people in this courtroom, along with others who wished desperately they could be here to see this. There will be more documentaries. There will be more podcasts. There will be more attention. There will be more money. Elevating and nourishing the worst of human instinct that this case has brought out. But only one life, judge, will be left in ruins after today. That's a fact. I'm an optimistic person, and I pray that Laura will get past this, but I don't know. Laura has given her pound of flesh throughout this case. I pray that it ends here, but for her and her family, it won't. Thank you. [02:04:01] Speaker 1: Thank you, Mr. Luters. Any legal cause, Mr. Luters? No. Okay. Well, I might be the shortest presentation. All right, I know there's a lot of interest in this case. And I've tuned all that out. From my point of view, I just think there's been a lot of suffering all the way around. And, you know, it's unfortunate that suffering has become a spectator sport. So, sorry for everybody who's been involved in this case. You know, I've been doing this a long time. I've sentenced a lot of people for just about every way a human can harm other humans. I think Mr. Eckert was asking, you know, why did you do this? You know, the question why? And that really, you know, when trying to figure out what the appropriate sentence is for Miss Owens, you know, you think about the why. Because on count one, it's wide open. I can sentence her up to 12.5 years in the Department of Corrections or put her on probation with zero days in jail. That's a pretty broad area of discretion that I have. And so you've got to do what you think is right based on the evidence presented to you. And, you know, why would she do something like this? And, you know, it makes sense if you have a drug addiction and you rob a Circle K to get money to buy drugs. That makes sense. If you, you know, you're in a gang and you have a dispute with another gang member and there's violence. That makes sense. This, I don't know, man, nothing makes sense about this. She's either a sophisticated, conniving, calculating, shakedown artist or she's been engaging in some really poorly thought out, attention-seeking behavior as a result of mental health issues. So, which is it? Because one deserves one kind of sentence and one deserves a different kind of sentence. And you can only look at the evidence for that. And, I mean, this is the worst plan if she was trying to shake these guys down for money that I've seen, because ultimately it was never going to work. And did she get any? What's the benefit that she got out of this? Did she get any money? It doesn't sound like it. She cost people a lot of money, that's for sure. But did she get any money out of it? No. She had a successful online personality for a while, that's collapsed. House and foreclosure, I guess she got some notoriety out of this, but no one wants this kind of notoriety. So, I don't believe she's gotten any benefit out of this. And so, that takes you to just some poorly thought out behavior and what explains it. I got a list of mental and behavioral health diagnoses. Those are there. The evidence itself, I mean, with each of these guys and even the gentleman from California, at some point during all this litigation and right in the middle of it, she basically, and this was in the pre-sentence report in the summary of the departmental reports, says basically, "Hey, if you just date me, if we have a relationship, this will all go away." I mean, that tells you pretty much all you need to know when you're deciding whether or not she's this sophisticated, con person, or a very sad individual making some poor choices. So, obviously, I think it's the latter. I'm going to impose a sentence that goes along with that. Some of you may think that's light. Now, I could be wrong, but I'm going to structure this sentence in such a way that if I am wrong, there are other consequences that could come along in the future. So, for the legal standpoint, I've considered as aggravating factors. Obviously, the harm to the victims, they've spoken today or been spoken for today, clearly emotional and financial harm. We have multiple victims. As far as mitigation, I've taken into consideration she's taken responsibility by pleading guilty. She seems remorseful for her conduct. I've considered her physical and behavioral health issues as mitigation. I've considered some of her traumatic experiences she's had in her life and that she has family support. I've considered all those as mitigating factors. So, obviously, I don't think putting a potentially mentally ill person who has committed a nonviolent offense with no prior criminal history in a prison is the appropriate thing to do. I'm not going to do that. For counts 1, 6, 9, and 10, it's a judgment of the court to imposition a sentence be suspended. On counts 1 and 9, I'm going to put her on 7 years of supervised probation. On 6 and 10, 4 years of supervised probation. Ms. Owens, you're going to get copies of your terms and conditions. So, you'll have them all in writing. You're responsible for all of them. I'm going to cover a few of them with you. You'll be responsible for them. The bail laws, obviously. The deed report is directed. No contact with victims. Don't possess weapons. Don't possess any drugs that are valid prescription. And by pronouncing this sentence, I don't diminish the harm that was done to the victims in this case. It was, you know, I've heard about the emotional part of it and the financial part of it. So, it's been clearly set forth on the record. Because of that very harm, the multiple victims, unintentional victims. You know, Ms. Mitchell just drug into this unintentionally and causing her emotional harm. And then, also, the manipulation and use of the court system to effectuate the scheme. I do find that a pediatry of sanction is appropriate. On count one, I'm going to order that Ms. Owens spend 30 days in the county jail beginning today. That will be flat time. Her release date will be November 22nd. As an intermediary sanction on count nine, the court's going to impose 12 months of deferred jail beginning October 22nd of 2027. And, so, Ms. Owens, the way deferred jail works is if you are in compliance with your probation, that deferred jail sentence can be further deferred or deleted in its entirety, depending on whether you're in compliance or not, and getting the input from the probation department. So, it's kind of up to you whether you will spend that time in jail or not. Secondarily, though, just because prison wasn't imposed today, that is always a thing you're going to have to worry about while you're on probation. Because if you violate the terms and conditions of your probation to a degree, your probation could be revoked. And if that happens, you could be sentenced up to 12.5 years in the Department of Corrections on counts one and nine, and up to 3.75 years in the Department of Corrections on count six and ten. With respect to your financial conditions, I'm going to impose those on count one and I'll cover those with you. As soon as I bring it up, excuse me. Because of the anticipated restitution in the future, I'm going to reduce the probation service fee to $25 per month. There's a $9 victim rights compensation fund assessment, $20 probation assessment, $2 victim rights enforcement assessment, a criminal penalty assessment of $13. Start dates and amounts for those will be to be determined. I'll retain jurisdiction over the issue of restitution for a period of one year. If that needs to be extended, just file a quick motion, I can do that. Mr. Luters, if the issue of restitution becomes a litigated issue, is Ms. Owens going to want to return for that or would she waive her appearance for that? [02:12:06] Speaker 3: She'll waive, Your Honor. [02:12:07] Speaker 1: Okay, we'll note the waiver pursuant to the plea agreements or dismissing counts two through five, seven and eight, and then 11 through 14. Ms. Owens, you have the right to file a petition for post-conviction relief. If you choose to do that, you must do that within 90 days of today's date or you could lose that right. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to assist you for your first petition. If you cannot afford the necessary records and transcripts, they'll be provided to you at no cost. These are felony offenses, so they suspend your civil rights. Can't vote, can't be a juror, can't possess weapons, can't hold public office. We'll give you a notice that you can petition to have your civil rights restored once your sentence is complete. If it's not done automatically by operation of law, also notice that you can petition to have the conviction set aside and the record sealed this matter unless prohibited by law. It's order man you into the custody of the sheriff's office to begin serving the 30-day sentence. Mr. Leiter, Ms. Northrup, have I covered everything from the state's perspective? [02:12:59] Speaker 2: Yes, Your Honor. [02:13:01] Speaker 1: All right, thank you. Mr. Luters, have I covered everything from the defense perspective? [02:13:04] Speaker 3: I believe so, Judge. [02:13:05] Speaker 1: All right, thank you. So, we are in recess of this matter. So, I changed things up a little bit. [02:13:17] Speaker ?: So, seven years of probation. Okay. So, what happens next? So, we're at four on the last four. I mean, it's different. Can you do this a chance? Oh, I'm sorry. [02:13:30] Speaker 1: Yes. Yes. And, my apologies. I left off that I'm imposing the computer usage special conditions of probation. My apologies. [02:13:40] Speaker ?: I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. [02:14:01] Speaker 1: I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. [02:14:06] Speaker ?: I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. [02:14:12] Speaker 10: I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. [02:14:15] Speaker ?: I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. I'm not going to be able to do this. Thank you.