Laura Owens, who falsely said she was carrying twins fathered by former “Bachelor” star Clayton Echard, has received her sentence.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Rueter sentenced the 36-year-old Owens on Friday to 30 days in county jail followed by seven years of probation, according to a hearing livestreamed by FOX 10 Phoenix.
A violation of her probation could result in Owens serving as much as 12 years in prison.
Speaking in court, Owens said she was frightened by “what might happen after I speak today,” but added that she did not want that fear to distract from her statement.
“I know there are people who have suffered because of decisions that I made, and I want to take accountability for that,” she said. “I pleaded guilty to four felonies, and I am profoundly, profoundly sorry for the pain, distress and expense that I’ve caused them.”
Echard, 33, gave his own statement to the court and challenged Owens’ expression of remorse, saying, “She’s not sorry — she’s sorry she got caught.”
He told the judge that he considers prison time “an absolute must,” arguing that Owens “will not stop until she’s removed from her environment.”
“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,” Echard said. “She can say she’s sorry, but show us you actually are.”
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The case began with a paternity lawsuit Owens filed in 2023. In that filing, she claimed she had “engaged in sexual activity” with Echard and was pregnant with twins who were due in February 2024.
Owens asked the court to require Echard to take a paternity test and sought a parenting plan in case testing identified him as the father.
Echard denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit “groundless and lacking in merit.” He maintained that the pair had “never had sexual intercourse.”
He later posted an Instagram Story featuring what appeared to be a $725 receipt for a paternity test. Alongside the image, he wrote, “The truth will set you free.”
Echard also said he had become aware of other people who allegedly received “nearly identical accusations” from Owens.
At the time, Owens’ identity had not been made public. She told Page Six that Echard was pointing to “restraining orders from 2021 and 2022 against the same man” and accused him of attempting to “mislead people.”
Owens pleaded guilty in August to four felony offenses connected to the false pregnancy allegations involving Echard and another man.
The convictions included two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of perjury and one count of taking the identity of another person.
As part of her plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed 10 other charges, including allegations of forgery and evidence tampering. Because the deal did not include a recommended sentence, Judge Rueter was left to decide the punishment.