transcript
Speaker 1:
[00:02] After the family court judge made her ruling, there was a long wait to see if Laura would be criminally charged. Clayton wanted Laura to face consequences.
Speaker 2:
[00:12] We also were like, are we asking for too much? To get her prosecuted, the only win is her being held accountable.
Speaker 1:
[00:21] He wasn't the only one who felt that way. Shortly after Clayton's trial, content creator Megan Fox launched a letter writing campaign. The goal was to try to get the attention of Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, so that her office would pursue criminal charges against Laura Owens.
Speaker 3:
[00:40] All I did was put the idea out there, write a couple of templates for people if they had a problem writing, and ask them to do it. The fact that people sat down and did this, that's organic. They licked stamps, put them on envelopes, and sent them in. I know that Attorney Mitchell, well, she got a lot of letters.
Speaker 1:
[01:01] Laura had offended a lot of people, directly and indirectly, and this was their chance to be heard. Here's Megan again.
Speaker 3:
[01:09] I'm a big believer in writing paper letters because if you send emails, nobody reads them. But if they get faxes and paper letters that you have to dump on their desk, just like in Miracle on 34th Street, they can't ignore you and they really start to think, wow, there's a real problem here. People cared enough to walk to the mailbox and send me a letter and you have to be heard. And the next thing you know, action starts happening.
Speaker 1:
[01:38] It wasn't just random Reddit users writing letters to Rachel Mitchell. Some of the letters were from people who'd been personally impacted by Laura Owens, like Danielle Maricini, Mike's wife. Here's what Danielle wrote.
Speaker 4:
[01:53] I said, Dear Rachel Mitchell, my name is Danielle Maricini and I am writing to you not only as the wife of Michael Maricini, but as a mother and a woman deeply affected by the ongoing trauma inflicted upon my family by Laura Michelle Owens. Michael has been the direct target of Laura Owens manipulative and malicious behavior and it has caused serious emotional, psychological and reputational harm. Her actions have gone far beyond the boundaries of conflict or disagreement. They have been tormenting, targeted and entirely destructive. She has continuously made efforts to disrupt our lives, spread falsehoods and create division within our personal and professional circles. Over the past several years, I have had to sit through two separate court hearings, one in 2020 and another in 2024, both initiated by Laura Owens falsified claims. I was pregnant with each of my daughters during those proceedings. To endure such stressful and emotionally charged legal battles while expecting our children was incredibly traumatic. As a result of her actions, I have endured intense stress and anxiety, and our family has lived in fear and uncertainty for far too long. The relentless nature of Laura's behavior has caused sleepless nights, strained relationships, and has affected our ability to feel safe in our own lives. We are pleading with your office to take a closer look at this case, not just as a legal matter, but as a human one. What Laura Owens has done is not only harmful, but unjust. We need accountability, and more importantly, we need protection. I ask that you consider the long-standing pattern of emotional abuse and manipulation of Laura Owens.
Speaker 1:
[03:38] I'm Stephani Young, and this is Love Trapped. After Clayton's trial, there was a groundswell of support for people who had been victimized by Laura Owens. Mike Maraccini wrote a letter of his own to the prosecutor. It was not only a plea for them to take Laura's actions seriously, but an offer to help their investigation in any way he could.
Speaker 5:
[04:25] I said, listen, I have all this information here. I would love to share this with you. She's going to try to make all of our lives hell. Please look at this information. She responded within, I would say, two hours and said, I'm including my investigators on this case. They'll be reaching out to you. They called me within another hour and they're like, when can we come to you?
Speaker 1:
[04:50] Mike sent them evidence he had collected, including what he had on his old laptop. Within a week, the investigators flew to California to interview him.
Speaker 5:
[04:59] We talked for several hours at my house and they didn't give me any details of what they were looking into. But they said they traveled all over the US and they were taking this case very seriously.
Speaker 1:
[05:12] They were looking for proof of any criminal behavior. I reached out to Rachel Mitchell's office to see if they would weigh in for this podcast. They wrote back saying that she's unable to comment given that this is an open case. But Rachel Mitchell did give a public update at a press conference in August of 2025.
Speaker 6:
[05:32] I was talking to one of the investigators working on it this morning about an update and I know they're going through it quickly. They've talked to a number of people and as you can imagine, it's gathering information from a number of different sources, medical courts, etc. So they're busy working on that.
Speaker 1:
[05:51] At the end of episode 7, you heard Clayton's family court trial and the judge's ruling. After that, there were months of waiting while Rachel Mitchell's office carried out their investigation. As we talked about in the last episode, Laura stayed busy by posting online, telling her side of the story. Then, on the morning of January 29th, 2025, 12 police officers in tactical gear showed up at the Owens family home. They were there to execute a search warrant of the Owens property, looking to find evidence that would support their growing criminal case against Laura Owens.
Speaker 7:
[06:30] Police search warrant!
Speaker 1:
[06:33] The 12 cops split up, with one group going around back to the casita where Laura lived. It's a detached studio apartment behind the main house. Another group of officers went to the front door, where Laura's parents lived.
Speaker 7:
[06:47] Run!
Speaker 8:
[06:48] Laura, please search warrant! Open the door, please!
Speaker 1:
[06:52] What you're hearing is the real audio from the officers' body cams. This wasn't the Scottsdale PD's first trip to the Owens' home. Over the last few years, they'd been there at least four times to conduct welfare checks on Laura. Most of those calls were triggered by anonymous tips from people concerned about the suicidal ideation she'd been posting online. On this day, the police stood at the front door, repeatedly knocking.
Speaker 8:
[07:19] Police, search warrant. Jan, Laura, Ron, open the door.
Speaker 1:
[07:26] You can hear motion from behind the door. It's Laura's mom, Jan, but she's not opening it, even for the police.
Speaker 7:
[07:33] We're the police department, Jan.
Speaker 8:
[07:34] Scottsdale Police is Detective Buckner with the Scottsdale Police Department. We have a search warrant, okay? We're serving you on the behalf of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
Speaker 9:
[07:44] We need to open up the door.
Speaker 1:
[07:45] In an odd turn of events, with 12 police officers on her property, She says she's calling the police. but Jan still won't open up the door.
Speaker 10:
[07:54] Jan, we do not want to breach your door, but we will if we have to.
Speaker 11:
[08:01] You have to open the door.
Speaker 12:
[08:02] Jan, we will ram your door.
Speaker 1:
[08:06] We don't want to do that.
Speaker 10:
[08:06] We don't want to damage your door.
Speaker 9:
[08:07] Just pop the door and talk to us.
Speaker 1:
[08:09] After two long minutes, Jan finally opened the door to speak with the group of officers waiting outside.
Speaker 12:
[08:18] Hello.
Speaker 13:
[08:20] Hi.
Speaker 14:
[08:20] Are you out of the police department, okay?
Speaker 10:
[08:22] Okay.
Speaker 13:
[08:23] We're not here to hurt you.
Speaker 10:
[08:24] We're not here to do anything.
Speaker 1:
[08:25] Okay?
Speaker 10:
[08:25] We can talk to your daughter, okay?
Speaker 1:
[08:28] The officers made their way into the main house. Almost immediately, the scene turned chaotic. Everyone was talking over one another, and the confusion was palpable.
Speaker 13:
[08:40] Scott Still Police.
Speaker 7:
[08:42] Scott Still Police Department.
Speaker 6:
[08:45] We have a search warrant.
Speaker 1:
[08:46] The cops want eyes on everyone in the house, and they find Ron still in bed.
Speaker 7:
[08:53] Regarding, regarding Laura. I'm gonna turn on the slide, okay?
Speaker 9:
[09:01] We made entry.
Speaker 7:
[09:04] Contact my parents right now.
Speaker 9:
[09:05] You're good to move to the casita.
Speaker 1:
[09:08] When the cops approach the casita, they find Laura standing there, behind a sliding glass door.
Speaker 15:
[09:14] Laura, police?
Speaker 16:
[09:15] It's the police.
Speaker 8:
[09:17] It's the police department.
Speaker 11:
[09:21] Laura, Scott Still Police. You see my badge?
Speaker 1:
[09:25] Laura cracks open the sliding glass door, but leaves the screen door in place.
Speaker 11:
[09:29] We're with the Scott Still Police Department. Can you come out and talk with us, please? No. The county attorneys have a search warrant for your property, so we need you to come out.
Speaker 17:
[09:37] Okay. I'm sorry. It's not even 7 in the morning.
Speaker 11:
[09:41] That's fine.
Speaker 17:
[09:42] I'm not comfortable having you. I don't know who you guys are.
Speaker 11:
[09:45] I just told you we're the Scott Still Police Department.
Speaker 17:
[09:47] I know, but I'm not comfortable even opening my screen.
Speaker 1:
[09:51] Behind her, you can see into her casita. This body cam video is our first real look into Laura's private world. The floor is covered in clothes, even in the kitchen area and bathroom. On the opposite wall, the pile of clothes is so high, it reaches the bottom of the window. The drawers hang open, overflowing. Honestly, every single surface is covered in stuff. The counters and bedside tables are buried under papers, random electronics, even multiple pill bottles. Resting on top is what looks like a pink Victoria's Secret shopping bag. The walls are decorated with those motivational art prints, like one by her bed that reads, You got this. Another in her kitchen that seems to read, Everything is figureoutable. The cops are trying to calm Laura down.
Speaker 11:
[10:46] Okay, well, if we were going to handle this more escalated, we would have just forced our way in, but we're not doing that. We're trying to handle this as low key as possible.
Speaker 17:
[10:53] I was told that if the police were going to come, I would come during business hours. Can I call my attorney, please? I'm not comfortable with it.
Speaker 11:
[11:00] You can call your attorney, that's fine.
Speaker 17:
[11:01] Let me call my attorney. Can I break in or something? I'm concerned about my parents. You guys have your guns drawn right now.
Speaker 11:
[11:07] Our guns are not drawn. Nobody's pointing.
Speaker 17:
[11:09] That looks like, I can't tell.
Speaker 11:
[11:11] Is anybody pointing a gun at you?
Speaker 17:
[11:12] You know what? Do my parents know that somebody's here?
Speaker 11:
[11:16] Yes, we have officers talking with your parents right now.
Speaker 1:
[11:19] I've seen this footage more than 20 times, studying it from every available body cam angle. And I want to be clear, while the officers are armed, their guns are holstered, not drawn. But Laura is shaken. Her hands are visibly trembling.
Speaker 11:
[11:36] I'm giving you an opportunity. I told you we have a search warrant for your property.
Speaker 17:
[11:39] Then let me have my parents out here and my attorney on the phone.
Speaker 18:
[11:42] Cause I don't, I am just, I have a-
Speaker 11:
[11:45] Just listen to me, okay? I've been nothing but respectful to you.
Speaker 17:
[11:48] No, it's not even seven o'clock in the morning. Let me just call my attorney, okay?
Speaker 11:
[11:52] You can call your attorney.
Speaker 19:
[11:53] I'm allowed to call my attorney.
Speaker 1:
[11:55] Laura starts firing off demands, but even as she's talking, she's still refusing to actually open the door.
Speaker 14:
[12:01] Open the door.
Speaker 17:
[12:03] I, can I just-
Speaker 14:
[12:04] We're gonna cut the screen and come in if you don't get off the phone.
Speaker 17:
[12:06] You can't, the screen isn't even, I'm on the phone with my attorney. I'll put him on the phone right now. This is my attorney David Gingras. My attorney David Gingras. I don't know who you guys are and it's not even seven. Do they have authority to search before seven o'clock in the morning?
Speaker 20:
[12:22] The police are there, Laura. You need to let them do whatever they're gonna do.
Speaker 21:
[12:25] Okay, fine.
Speaker 19:
[12:26] That's all I needed.
Speaker 17:
[12:28] There's like seven of them here.
Speaker 1:
[12:30] After hearing from her attorney, Laura opens the screen door. One of the men grabs her phone out of her hands.
Speaker 17:
[12:37] Don't grab my phone and take it. I need to be able to speak to my attorney. You guys have guns? No, you guys literally, no.
Speaker 19:
[12:46] We're not going to hurt you.
Speaker 13:
[12:48] Come on.
Speaker 17:
[12:49] My dogs are in here?
Speaker 10:
[12:51] We'll make sure they stay inside, all right?
Speaker 7:
[12:53] We're, come on, this way.
Speaker 12:
[12:54] Your mom's inside.
Speaker 17:
[12:57] I'll speak to my mom. You guys have guns?
Speaker 19:
[12:59] I'll speak to my mom.
Speaker 12:
[13:00] Yeah, I'm taking to her right now, okay?
Speaker 11:
[13:02] Okay, we have contact with her. We are escorting her out.
Speaker 1:
[13:06] The body cam continues as officers escort Laura into the main house. Meanwhile, the group of officers who were already inside the main house were waking up Laura's dad, Ron Owens. Ron asked why the police were there.
Speaker 8:
[13:20] So Laura is a subject of an investigation by the courts. So it's regarding that, okay? So it's going to be, they're going to come in here and they'll explain it to you and they'll give you a copy of the search warrant.
Speaker 1:
[13:36] Ron asks to see the search warrant and wants to know the officer's badge number.
Speaker 16:
[13:40] Can I see your badge for a second? Your number is what?
Speaker 8:
[13:43] 1422 is my badge number, okay? We're going to all leave it here for you.
Speaker 1:
[13:48] The officer attending to Ron stays incredibly patient and helpful. You have to remember, Ron has dealt with a lot of health issues over the years, and he actually needed a hand just getting out of bed.
Speaker 7:
[14:01] Let me get you your rocker, okay? Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[14:03] The officer hands him his robe and calmly explains exactly what's happening.
Speaker 8:
[14:08] Yeah, because I guess Laura has been a little bit uncooperative and they were- Cooperative? Yeah, you can talk to the investigators, okay? They'll have all the details. We're just helping them out with the service of the warrant.
Speaker 1:
[14:19] As Ron gets out of bed, he looks at the officer and warns him about Laura. She is basically suicidal.
Speaker 18:
[14:26] That's what I'm putting her on.
Speaker 8:
[14:27] She's suicidal?
Speaker 14:
[14:29] She has magic.
Speaker 15:
[14:31] Don't be scared. It's not anything because she will get to the side of this.
Speaker 1:
[14:40] Before the officer could finish his conversation with Ron, Laura comes into the house, guided by two officers. You can see they're handling her with extreme care, using what's known as an escort grip. One hand on the wrist and the other just above the elbow, to keep things controlled but steady. It doesn't look like they're using excessive force, but Laura feels otherwise, and she's not quiet about it.
Speaker 19:
[15:07] Please, you're hurting me. You are hurting me.
Speaker 1:
[15:13] They pass right by her father's bedroom.
Speaker 17:
[15:15] I want to see my dad.
Speaker 10:
[15:16] Do you want me to put on your handcuffs?
Speaker 17:
[15:18] Yeah, that's what I want. I want to see my father. You are hurting me. You are hurting me and there's going to be a report for what you have done. I guarantee you, I will have bruises from this. I guarantee you, I will. I'd like to see my father, please.
Speaker 1:
[15:34] What's your son, Laura?
Speaker 17:
[15:35] No, I don't know where my mom is.
Speaker 7:
[15:37] Your mom's right over here.
Speaker 1:
[15:38] The moment Laura sees her mom, Jan, she frantically runs straight to her.
Speaker 19:
[15:46] These people are horrible. There's like eight of them showing up with gusts of fire. I can't see that. This is so inappropriate.
Speaker 1:
[15:56] She says the police are horrible, inappropriate. But between 2021 and 2025, Laura reached out to the Scottsdale police for help nearly 20 times. She was the one contacting them, saying she'd been the victim of harassment, press leaks, and restraining order violations. Now that the tables had turned and she was the one being investigated, Laura suddenly finds their presence inappropriate. She cries to her mother that she's not sure if the police are real or not.
Speaker 19:
[16:27] I asked for you because I said I didn't know if they were real or not. I really still don't even know when they've got all their guns drawn on me.
Speaker 1:
[16:37] And then Laura hits her breaking point. She turns and delivers the one line that, in many ways, has come to define this entire case.
Speaker 19:
[16:47] You know what? It's not even 7 o'clock. I have done nothing except get pregnant by the fucking bachelor. Okay? It's not like I'm going to kill somebody.
Speaker 1:
[16:59] Now remember, this video was recorded in January of 2025. Six months earlier, it had been adjudicated that Clayton, the bachelor, wasn't the father of Laura's alleged twins, because, according to the judge, she was never pregnant. But she's sticking with her story. Laura then hears her dad beginning to shuffle into the room and shifts her focus to him.
Speaker 17:
[17:22] I need to help my father.
Speaker 19:
[17:24] He cannot get up.
Speaker 17:
[17:25] My dad is handicapped. No, he can't get up.
Speaker 19:
[17:28] You don't get it. My dad can't get up and he's all panicked in there. He can't get up. He's handicapped. Have a seat. Please do not do something. No, he can't.
Speaker 21:
[17:40] He literally can't.
Speaker 17:
[17:42] What has nothing to do with this? all of you guys. Seriously, you guys.
Speaker 19:
[17:50] This is not cool. It's not even seven o'clock in the morning. They're acting like I murdered somebody.
Speaker 21:
[17:58] I agree, honey.
Speaker 1:
[17:59] You can hear her mom Jan comforting her, agreeing with her. Then Laura says this to the police.
Speaker 19:
[18:05] Yeah, do you guys see what you've done?
Speaker 17:
[18:07] Do you see what you've done? I mean, really, that my family is dealing with this?
Speaker 1:
[18:13] As her father walks in the room, Laura has a realization. All of this is being recorded.
Speaker 17:
[18:20] these people.
Speaker 19:
[18:20] This isn't the same. You know what?
Speaker 17:
[18:25] Oh, I'm sure they already told me they had body cams. I'm sure they're going to give this footage.
Speaker 6:
[18:29] No, he needs to sit in the chair.
Speaker 19:
[18:31] If this footage becomes public record with my father on it, they're just...
Speaker 17:
[18:36] The crew that is harassing me is going to get it.
Speaker 1:
[18:39] In the middle of the chaos, there's an almost-farsical moment. Instead of addressing the 12 tactical officers in their living room, Laura and Jan start arguing with the police about which chair is best for Ron to sit in.
Speaker 19:
[18:53] He can't sit in that chair.
Speaker 21:
[18:55] I really can't sit in that one, honey.
Speaker 17:
[19:00] That one he can't use because it's on rollers.
Speaker 7:
[19:03] Mom just said to use it.
Speaker 19:
[19:05] The black chair.
Speaker 17:
[19:06] The black chair.
Speaker 22:
[19:08] The black chair.
Speaker 16:
[19:09] Ronny, just sit in the chair you normally sit in, sweetie.
Speaker 22:
[19:12] Just sit in the black chair.
Speaker 17:
[19:13] Just sit in the black chair. But he'll roll in that one.
Speaker 11:
[19:17] That's where he sits, sweetheart.
Speaker 8:
[19:19] So this one or? I'll hold it.
Speaker 1:
[19:25] Then, Laura has another realization. The police have already confiscated her mom's phone.
Speaker 17:
[19:31] Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. It does not say you guys can take my mom's. It doesn't.
Speaker 1:
[19:37] You can hear the panic rising in Laura's voice. She seems suddenly, desperately concerned about what the officers might find on her mom's device. The police hand her a copy of the warrant, but she only glances at it.
Speaker 6:
[19:50] Laura, did you read it?
Speaker 17:
[19:52] Yes, I just did. On the person, Laura Michelle Owens, where does it say you can take my mom's phone?
Speaker 12:
[19:57] Take three minutes and read the whole warrant.
Speaker 17:
[19:59] And it says you can take my mom's phone?
Speaker 12:
[20:01] Read it.
Speaker 5:
[20:02] Don't just look through it.
Speaker 1:
[20:03] The officers aren't interested in the bickering. They're just trying to move forward and finish securing the property so they can turn it over to the investigators.
Speaker 11:
[20:12] So we're serving the search warrant on behalf of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. That's what I hear.
Speaker 17:
[20:18] I'm not seeing where it says to put my mom or my brother.
Speaker 23:
[20:20] So it's originally up to 6.30 in the morning?
Speaker 8:
[20:23] My God, what are you...
Speaker 11:
[20:24] So per statute, we can serve a daytime search warrant between the hours of 6.30 in the morning and 10 at night.
Speaker 8:
[20:30] And this is important enough to do it.
Speaker 13:
[20:31] Yeah, there's absolutely no doubt.
Speaker 11:
[20:33] What are you looking for? So they are the investigators. Our role here was just securing the property. So the investigators have all the details that they drafted the search warrant.
Speaker 19:
[20:43] Okay, and I have this.
Speaker 17:
[20:45] There's nothing that says you guys can search my mom's phone.
Speaker 13:
[20:47] Laura, you haven't read it.
Speaker 22:
[20:49] I did read it. Don't you tell me I can't.
Speaker 17:
[20:51] I didn't read it. Where does it show that you can search my mom's?
Speaker 11:
[20:54] Laura, like I said, we did not draft the search warrant.
Speaker 17:
[20:56] But it doesn't say you guys can search my mom's phone.
Speaker 11:
[20:59] I haven't gone through your mom's phone.
Speaker 17:
[21:01] They took your phone, you said.
Speaker 11:
[21:02] Laura, just listen to me, okay? Just because we've set a phone aside doesn't mean that we're searching it.
Speaker 17:
[21:08] Oh my God, this is the most insane thing I've ever seen.
Speaker 11:
[21:10] Just because we've done that, just like because we've put you guys in here.
Speaker 22:
[21:13] Wait, so then you can't go.
Speaker 8:
[21:15] What are you looking for?
Speaker 5:
[21:16] That's what I know.
Speaker 11:
[21:18] I can't tell you guys this enough. We are not searching the property. Maricopa County Attorney's Office is the one responsible for drafting this warrant and searching for evidence for their case. We have merely secured the property on their behalf.
Speaker 1:
[21:33] This whole time, the investigators have been standing a few feet away, ready to get to work.
Speaker 11:
[21:38] These are the County Attorney Office detectives. They have the intelligence and the information on the case. Any questions that you have, they may or may not be at liberty to answer based on the severity of the case or whatever they're investigating, but they are the ones with the information behind it. I do not have any information to provide you.
Speaker 1:
[21:56] Despite everything else that is happening, the Owens family is still fixated on one detail. They keep coming back to the timing, asking again why the police came before 7 in the morning.
Speaker 11:
[22:07] Yes, sir. We can serve a warrant between 6.30.
Speaker 12:
[22:09] We can, but I mean, isn't there a little bit of discretion about it?
Speaker 1:
[22:12] We're not talking about it.
Speaker 11:
[22:13] Would you rather we serve it at noon, where all your neighbors see the police here?
Speaker 17:
[22:17] Oh, yeah.
Speaker 11:
[22:17] You would rather that?
Speaker 19:
[22:18] Oh my God, yes.
Speaker 17:
[22:19] At 6.30 in the morning, my parents are asleep?
Speaker 11:
[22:22] Well, we're well within the law to do that, okay? So any questions that you have pertaining to the case, the County Attorney's Office detectives can answer those.
Speaker 1:
[22:30] The police turn the scene over to investigators, who have the cumbersome task of searching the house for evidence.
Speaker 11:
[22:36] I don't think we have comms with you guys.
Speaker 5:
[22:38] Okay.
Speaker 11:
[22:38] If you need us to respond, you know, just, yeah. Number one or whatever.
Speaker 13:
[22:41] Sounds good. Thank you. Hey, guys, thank you very much. Yep, thank you.
Speaker 11:
[22:43] Appreciate all your help.
Speaker 13:
[22:44] I'm fine.
Speaker 1:
[22:46] This is where the body cam footage ends. Apart from law enforcement and the Owens family, no one knew this raid happened. Not Clayton, his lawyer, or any of the online detectives. Three months passed where, on the outside, it looked like not much was happening with the investigation to Laura Owens. That was until a press conference on April 23rd, 2025. A local reporter put the Maricopa County Attorney on the spot and asked her about the status of the investigation. Rachel Mitchell's response?
Speaker 6:
[23:21] I mean, we are still actively investigating it. What I will simply say is stay tuned.
Speaker 1:
[23:27] Two weeks after that press conference, everything changed for Laura Owens.
Speaker 21:
[23:33] And we begin tonight with new developments in the paternity case involving a former Bachelor contestant.
Speaker 7:
[23:39] Breaking news at Maricopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges.
Speaker 12:
[23:45] Owens is accused of altering an ultrasound image, lying under oath and fabricating a pregnancy video as part of her alleged scheme.
Speaker 22:
[23:54] As for Echard, the battle he's been fighting for two years is now in the hands of prosecutors.
Speaker 1:
[24:10] On May 6th, 2025, the news broke that Laura Michelle Owens had been indicted on seven criminal charges.
Speaker 14:
[24:19] A Scottsdale woman who previously accused a former Bachelor contestant of impregnating her is now indicted on fraud charges.
Speaker 9:
[24:26] It was almost a year-long investigation sparked by a superior court judge presiding over this paternity case involving the former Bachelor star and a woman named Laura Owens.
Speaker 14:
[24:36] A grand jury indicted her on several felony counts, including fraud, forgery, perjury, and tampering with evidence.
Speaker 22:
[24:41] The county attorney's office says Owens went to extreme lengths to manipulate Echard.
Speaker 9:
[24:46] After a two-year legal battle, Echard is ready for prosecutors to take over.
Speaker 22:
[24:50] Owens released a statement saying she is stunned by the charges and maintains that she was, in fact, pregnant, but had a miscarriage. She believes she was only charged because of public pressure.
Speaker 9:
[25:01] Owens has her arraignment hearing set for May 29th.
Speaker 1:
[25:06] The online community who had been following this story from the beginning was freaking out. Dave Neal even went liable at a baseball game.
Speaker 7:
[25:15] Unbelievable breaking news we just found out. Laura Owens charged with fraud, seven counts, unbelievable stuff. Justice is served.
Speaker 13:
[25:25] Now for the first time, she's in trouble. She has seven felony counts against her.
Speaker 3:
[25:30] We have a seven count indictment, seven felonies for Laura Owens. If you didn't get the news, she's going down.
Speaker 1:
[25:40] For those who had been personally affected by Laura Owens, the news brought an intense wave of emotion. Here's Mike Mariccini.
Speaker 5:
[25:48] I know exactly where I was. I was on vacation with my family. We were in a hotel room. So I remember the setting. I remember seeing my daughters both on the couch watching cartoons. And I saw that she had been indicted. But I remember immediately texting both of the guys and giving my wife a big hug.
Speaker 1:
[26:13] Here's Mike's wife, Danielle.
Speaker 4:
[26:15] We were finally seen in our pain. Just the innate healing that comes from somebody telling you that they believe you, just that. Nothing else is powerful.
Speaker 5:
[26:31] It was surreal because I felt like justice was finally prevailing.
Speaker 1:
[26:39] Clayton's attorney, Greg Woodnick, also remembers the moment he heard the news.
Speaker 23:
[26:44] I was in my car on the way home from my office. I got a phone call telling me she'd been indicted. I was certainly not disappointed that she was indicted. I don't wish Laura a downfall. I don't even wish her a lengthy prison sentence. I've always wanted her to get help and acknowledge what she did, but her being charged was a big deal.
Speaker 1:
[27:07] Clayton was walking home from the gym when he got a call from a reporter at a local news station. She's the one who told him Laura had been indicted on seven felony counts, all related to his case.
Speaker 2:
[27:19] I texted the guys and they're going ballistic. And all of a sudden, I start getting more messages from other people. And then I went straight to Instagram.
Speaker 1:
[27:28] Here's what Clayton posted that day.
Speaker 2:
[27:30] Justice is finally served. I am absolutely amped to share this news with you all that today, as of like, I think, 20 minutes ago, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has announced the indictment of Laura Michelle Owens on felony charges related to the paternity scheme. One count of fraudulent schemes, a class two felony, one count of forgery, a class four felony, four counts of perjury, a class four felony, and one count of tampering with physical evidence, a class six felony. This nightmare is over. I am so ready to not have to think about this anymore. I want to say thank you to Rachel Mitchell and the investigators for serving up justice. I want to thank my lawyers. They've been incredible standing by my side. This wouldn't have gotten to this point if it wasn't for Greg Woodnick and his entire incredible team. This is just such a weight lifted off. I'm really looking at messages coming through right now from the other guys. We are so thankful and thank you all for your support. I have not been this happy. This is a weight of two years lifted off my shoulders of these guys before me, years lifted off their shoulders. It feels good.
Speaker 1:
[28:48] I asked Woodnick to explain the felony charges against Laura.
Speaker 23:
[28:52] In Arizona, we've got six levels of felony, with the class one being the highest level of felony and class six being the lowest.
Speaker 1:
[28:59] Count one against Laura is a class two felony, charging her for fraudulent schemes and artifices.
Speaker 23:
[29:06] The class two felony is a very serious felony charge.
Speaker 1:
[29:12] Then there were six more felony counts, for forgery, perjury and tampering with physical evidence. Charges like felony perjury are very rare.
Speaker 23:
[29:22] I've dealt with some challenging issues in people that have struggles telling the truth in a courtroom, but I've never seen someone go the distance that Laura did. And I certainly have never seen a case result in this sort of felony prosecution. The reason why I believe it was prosecuted is because the behavior was so egregious. I have never seen such egregious behavior.
Speaker 1:
[29:45] Laura, however, didn't see her actions as egregious. Quite the opposite. The day after the indictments were handed down, she fired back with an official press release. Here is a portion of that statement read by a voice actor.
Speaker 24:
[30:00] As someone who has never been charged with a crime in my life, I am stunned by the seven felony charges announced against me by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. These allegations appeared to be the result of coordinated harassment, misinformation, and public pressure in the aftermath of the paternity case I filed against former Bachelor star Clayton Echard. These charges appeared to be the product of intense public pressure, not impartial judgment. They reflect a system that responded to online outrage, ignored procedural protections, and moved forward based on narrative rather than fact. It is difficult not to see them as part of a broader effort to discredit me, discourage me, and make an example out of me. I intend to meet these accusations head on, and I will defend myself fully and relentlessly through every step of this process.
Speaker 1:
[31:00] The indictments against Laura are considered nonviolent, so she wasn't arrested. Instead, she was served a summons to appear in court for her arraignment on May 29th. But she chose to self-surrender two days early. This was likely a strategic move to demonstrate her cooperation to the judge and secure a release without bail until her trial. Laura was officially processed on May 27th. And once her mugshot went public, the online Reddit community had plenty to say about it.
Speaker 22:
[31:34] You know, she spent hours on her mugshot look.
Speaker 20:
[31:37] Feels like she's trying to pull off a sad face, but still comes across looking smug.
Speaker 21:
[31:43] Who plumps and glosses lips for a mugshot? WTF?
Speaker 22:
[31:48] Wow.
Speaker 24:
[31:49] Seeing this is a real sign.
Speaker 6:
[31:51] Justice and accountability will hopefully be coming.
Speaker 1:
[31:56] Two days later, Laura had her arraignment. Per usual, she appeared virtually.
Speaker 25:
[32:01] This is number one on the court's calendar, State of Arizona versus Owens, CR 2025-006-831-001. Ms. Owens, would you please state your full name and date of birth?
Speaker 17:
[32:13] Laura Michelle Owens.
Speaker 1:
[32:15] The judge had already received Laura's plea.
Speaker 25:
[32:18] This morning, court will enter pleas of not guilty on behalf of the defendant as to all counts one through seven, noting that this is the initial appearance on each of those counts.
Speaker 1:
[32:28] Then, the judge set Laura's release conditions.
Speaker 25:
[32:31] The defendant will be released on her own recognizance, ma'am. What that is, is your promise to attend all future court hearings. You don't need to post a bond at this time. However, if you fail to appear for any of your future court hearings, absent good cause, court could issue a bench warrant for your arrest and require that you post a bond if you are taken into custody before you can be released. Court will also order that you not initiate any contact with any alleged complainant or witness, you're not to leave the state, at least not without permission. Looks like you've already taken care of your fingerprints. All right, thank you. Ms. Owens, you're free to disconnect.
Speaker 1:
[33:07] After Laura disconnected, a clock started ticking. Just because she was indicted does not mean she was convicted. That's an important distinction. And as we just heard, Laura pled not guilty. So going forward, she has a few options. Either go to trial to try to prove her innocence or change her plea to guilty and admit to the crimes the state charged her with. Here's Clayton's attorney, Greg Woodnick.
Speaker 23:
[33:35] If she chooses to go to trial, I hope Laura gets the fairest criminal trial she can get. I hope she gets a wonderful jury of neutral people who want to be open-minded about the evidence and apply the law appropriately. Everyone deserves a fair jury trial, and she's entitled to that in her criminal case when she chooses to pursue that.
Speaker 1:
[33:55] Going to trial would mean dragging everything to light. The indictments only gave a few small details about each charge, like, quote, claiming that sonogram image was hers during sworn deposition. Which sonogram in particular, or the evidence the state had that it wasn't Laura's, no one knew. But some of the content creators, like Reality Steve, had guesses.
Speaker 13:
[34:19] The sonogram that we know is fake, but no one's had to ask her. Laura's never done an interview with me or Dave or anybody. Laura, we found the sonogram. You stole it from YouTube, even though when you emailed it to me, you said, Steve, this is my proof that I'm pregnant.
Speaker 1:
[34:37] About a month later, the state released its witness list, which was 64 names deep. If Laura goes to trial, these are the people who would be called to testify. As expected, the list features Clayton Echard, Michael Miraccini, and Greg Gillespie. It also includes some familiar names, like Laura's parents, Jan Black and Ron Owens, Laura's sister Sarah, attorneys Greg Woodnick and Deandra Arena, and even content creator Dave Neal. But there were some names on there that didn't make sense at the time. That was until six months later, when the state surprised everyone by releasing a public investigation report. A 118-page document detailing their investigation, explaining the evidence they'd found to support every felony count. The content creators were especially excited.
Speaker 18:
[35:31] This is wow, way weirder than I thought it was going to be.
Speaker 7:
[35:37] They were able to go into Laura's iCloud and find stuff.
Speaker 13:
[35:41] A lot of them are interviews that they have done during their investigation, a couple of them with Clayton, one with her mother.
Speaker 18:
[35:48] Jan, the mother of Laura Owens, tried to have a secret meeting with investigators.
Speaker 3:
[35:54] Let's get into it, shall we? This one, oh boy, get your tea, get your tea.
Speaker 1:
[36:02] The investigation report is like the state showing their hand. It's all the information that would be in their case at trial. It's redacted in some places, but we learned a lot. It addresses almost everything, including some mysteries. I honestly never thought I'd see an answer to. Here's journalist Megan Fox.
Speaker 3:
[36:23] Oh my goodness. There's so much. There are nuggets in here that are brand new that you really need to hear.
Speaker 1:
[36:33] We're going to go through this investigation report from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. We've had a voice actor read from the report. Just for the record, it's not an AI voice, it's actually my husband who happens to sound very official. We've also pulled in real clips of Laura herself from various court hearings. Let's start with a small revelation that you probably already saw coming. Remember that video Laura sent to Reality Steve and Clayton that shows her father Ron in a hospital bed, rubbing a woman's pregnant belly? Laura claimed it was her in the video.
Speaker 15:
[37:11] But according to the investigation report, during a sworn deposition at the office of Greg Woodnick, Clayton Echard's attorney, Laura Owens testified to a video clip of her father, Ron Owens in a hospital bed, rubbing her pregnant belly. Owens maintained that this was her and her father by stating, My dad's in the hospital and he touched my stomach. However, Owens' face was not visible. The original video was located during this investigation, and it can be seen that Owens' sister, Sarah Owens Navarro, is the subject with the pregnancy.
Speaker 1:
[37:46] We also learned from the same investigation report that the video, which had no sound, actually has an audio track. In it, investigators specify that Laura and her mother, Jan Black, can be heard talking in the background. At the June 10th trial, you'll remember that Laura Owens said she only had one ultrasound during her alleged pregnancy, which was done in California in July 2023. She admitted to altering the location, date and name on that sonogram using Adobe Acrobat. The whole time, she remained adamant that the sonogram itself was hers.
Speaker 15:
[38:27] But according to the investigation report, Laura Owens committed perjury while testifying in Maricopa County Superior Court in front of Judge Julie Mata when she testified to a sonogram image. Owens' attorney asked, Did you have a sonogram done in California? Owens responded by stating, Yes, I did. Owens admitted to changing the location, the date and placing her name on the top banner. This sonogram was altered and was initially that of her sister, Sarah Owens Navarro.
Speaker 1:
[38:58] Then there's the altered ultrasound from the Halloween meme, the one she'd used to successfully secure an order of protection against Clayton.
Speaker 15:
[39:06] On the 25th day of October 2023, Laura Owens committed perjury while testifying in a Maricopa County Superior Court when she testified regarding a sonogram that was attached to an image of herself in a spoof Halloween costume package from Reddit. Owens testified that the sonogram image she has seen holding in the overall image is a sonogram of our son that only he had possession of. Owens' attorney asked if this was a sonogram that she sent Echard or if anyone else received it. Owens stated that the ultrasound was not sent to anyone else. This sonogram image was found to have been from Owens' sister, Sarah Owens Navarro's pregnancy.
Speaker 1:
[39:51] As part of the investigation, Laura's mom, Jan Black, was interviewed. She asked to meet with the investigators without Laura's knowledge. Mostly, Jan stands by Laura's story. But there are a few lines that raise an eyebrow.
Speaker 15:
[40:08] Ms. Black Owens spoke of death threats that she had received and some additional theories connecting this to the Gilgo Beach murders in New York or the Sean Diddycombs sex trafficking case. Ms. Black Owens feels this may be part of a bigger picture and agreed that the FBI may be looking into it.
Speaker 1:
[40:26] Yes, you heard that correctly. Her mother believed that the criminal investigation into Laura was connected to the Gilgo Beach murders or the Sean Combs sex trafficking case.
Speaker 15:
[40:38] Ms. Black Owens asked how long this investigation would take. I said that I hoped that it wouldn't take too much longer.
Speaker 1:
[40:45] These next two revelations are jaw dropping. First, remember at the beginning of this story, Laura told Clayton she was certain he was the father. Because she hadn't had sex with anyone else for over a year. According to the state, that appears to have been a lie.
Speaker 15:
[41:05] Laura Owens committed perjury while testifying in Maricopa County Superior Court when she testified that there was no possibility that she could be pregnant by anyone other than Clayton Echard by stating, There's no chance they're anybody else's. And?
Speaker 17:
[41:21] No, I hadn't been intimate with anyone else since March of 2022.
Speaker 15:
[41:25] It was determined that Owens had sexual intercourse with *** on or about the fifth day of May 2023, and on or about the 27th day of May 2023.
Speaker 1:
[41:37] Just a reminder, the night Laura went to Clayton's apartment was May 20, 2023, meaning Laura had slept with another man two weeks earlier and one week later. We're not using his name for his privacy, but it seems he cooperated with investigators. Then, there's the question of how Laura could have produced a positive pregnancy test. As we've said, early detection pregnancy tests measure for a hormone called HCG. It turns out, HCG is something Laura bought.
Speaker 15:
[42:17] During a search of Owens iCloud, a series of messages were noted that indicated that Owens had gone to Med Spa and purchased HCG, and that she had the injections delivered to her home. These text exchanges also indicate that Owens did not want her family to know she was injecting HCG.
Speaker 1:
[42:37] If Laura was injecting herself with HCG, like the state alleges, that could explain how she produced a positive pregnancy test, even if she wasn't actually pregnant. The state leaned on the mountain of evidence they collected to push through a seven-count indictment against Laura Owens. By the end of the report, there's no mistaking their conclusion.
Speaker 15:
[43:01] Laura Owens, an adult female podcast host, created a scheme to elevate her notoriety and increase her commercial value by attempting to blackmail Clayton Echard, a television celebrity, into a romantic relationship by fraud, trickery, and deception. To this end, Laura Owens perjured herself in court hearings and a deposition, as well as tampering with evidence, forging documents, and material misrepresentation, deceiving the courts and the victim, Clayton Echard.
Speaker 1:
[43:44] You might think the criminal indictments were Laura's main focus during the summer of 2025. But she was gearing up to enter another legal battle, one she seemed particularly interested in. It involved her ex-boyfriend from nearly 10 years prior, a man who didn't live in the same state. Her five-year domestic violence restraining order against Mike Maraccini was set to expire on July 10, 2025. This left everyone wondering, would she renew it? Here's Mike's wife Danielle.
Speaker 4:
[44:16] We were expecting it. We kept talking, preparing ourselves for the inevitable. She's going to renew. But I do deeply think that we also were like, no way does she have the balls to do it. So while we were saying one thing, I think subconsciously we felt like there's no chance. And ultimately, when we got to the day of and nothing had hit the docket, we were like, we're free. Like we're done. She's learned her lesson. And to get the notification that afternoon that she had filed at like end of day, I think it was like 435, was devastating.
Speaker 1:
[45:08] At the last minute, Laura Owens filed once again to renew her domestic violence restraining order against Mike Maricini. This massive 101 page filing centers primarily on her June, 2024 trial involving Clayton Echard, specifically citing Mike's presence in the courtroom as a point of contention. She alleged that Mike being in the court for Clayton's trial, which again, he'd been subpoenaed for, had violated her DVRO. She also alleged that Mike had been harassing her, using the online pseudonym HonkMyMeat. Mike denies any connection to this account. He says he was busy parenting his two daughters. But Laura believed the HonkMyMeat account was Mike, anonymously harassing her. Laura argued that the extension of the restraining order was a necessary measure to ensure her ongoing safety and privacy. My first phone call with Mike was scheduled for the following day. During our call, he wanted to talk about Laura's decision to renew. Can you give us your raw reaction to Laura Owens renewing the domestic violence restraining order against you on July 10th?
Speaker 5:
[46:26] I'm incredibly frustrated. I'm angry at not just Laura for keeping this going for more than a decade, but really upset with our legal system.
Speaker 1:
[46:37] What are next steps for you?
Speaker 5:
[46:39] I have to go to a trial to hopefully fight this. Right now, it's either going to be another five-year domestic violence restraining order, it's going to be a permanent domestic violence restraining order. So I'm trying to limit the damage and hopefully get it overturned, but most likely it will either become one of those two items.
Speaker 1:
[46:57] Is there anything else you want to share about this? Maybe how it's affecting your family or you?
Speaker 5:
[47:03] It's definitely affected my family. I mean, the amount of time, energy, financial aspect that's been wasted over the last decade fighting this person has been terrible. And I don't wish this upon anybody. And I just want to thank everybody for their support, especially over the last few years with this going public.
Speaker 1:
[47:25] When Mike got the news about the renewal, you can hear in his voice how defeated he was. Fighting this again could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Speaker 5:
[47:35] I had been talking to certain attorneys beforehand, and they were kind of rattling off pricing to me, and they were like, well, it could be anywhere from 25 to 50. And if you go to trial, it's another 50 to 75. And so I just thought to myself, like, do I want to do this again?
Speaker 1:
[47:52] For Mike, that would mean dipping into his life savings, money that could be used for his daughter's futures. Mike's wife Danielle said that at first, he didn't want to fight this again.
Speaker 4:
[48:04] When he got off the phone about fighting it and the legal fees that we would incur, he goes, I can't do this, Danielle. I can't take another financial hit like this, particularly because he is our sole provider at this point. We aren't just spending money like it doesn't matter. And he's like, I can't do it. And I said, you have to do it. We have to this time. And he was like, you're right. Laying down has done nothing. I cannot go through this again. Like I can't put my family through this again.
Speaker 1:
[48:46] And then Mike got a phone call from Omar Serrato. He's a family law attorney in California and a content creator known as the Tilted Lawyer on YouTube. For the past couple of years, Omar has been doing legal commentary on Laura Owens' case.
Speaker 5:
[49:03] I remember I got a phone call from Omar and I had asked him a couple of times, like would you represent me? I'm going to spend $40,000 just trying to catch somebody up on this case. Like it would be really beneficial if I was able to just use you. I'm pessimistic already. I'm assuming I'm going to lose, but I don't want to spend all of the money upfront to lose. I'd rather have somebody that's in my corner that has like an idea of Laura and what she's tried to pull.
Speaker 1:
[49:30] At first, Omar said he appreciated Mike's honesty, but that he just wasn't going to be able to do it. But a few days later, Omar changed his mind.
Speaker 5:
[49:41] He's like, listen, I'll do it. Let's raise a GoFundMe. Whatever is raised from the GoFundMe will help out dramatically and I will do this. On top of that, I'll add Rachel Juarez. I think she wants to be in on this as well.
Speaker 1:
[49:58] Rachel Juarez is an attorney in California. She's also one of the judges on the hit TV court program Hot Bench. Like Omar, Rachel had followed the Laura Owens case closely.
Speaker 5:
[50:10] I was so happy because both of these people were informed, educated, and were true family law attorneys with tons of experience in this matter. So I just felt like the cards were with me this time.
Speaker 1:
[50:25] Mike finally had the legal support he needed to give him a real fighting chance. Here's Rachel Juarez.
Speaker 16:
[50:32] With Mike in particular, I really felt like he had been victimized. I had read a lot of the text messages that came out in the Clayton case. I really felt as though he had been a victim of abuse, that those text messages were very emotionally abusive. This was a victim that not only hadn't received help, but had been flipped into the perpetrator somehow.
Speaker 1:
[50:59] The legal support was the first step for Mike to fight the DVRO. But it wasn't going to be easy.
Speaker 16:
[51:05] The standard for domestic violence in California has been broadened to include things like disturbing the peace. In terms of a renewal in particular, if you have a restraining order against somebody, and they've been violating it, that's grounds for a renewal. And clearly, that means you still need protection. But the law in California has developed to say that if someone is not violating the restraining order, that that proves that it's working, and therefore that's another good reason to renew it. So not only do you not need evidence of a single violation, but actually the judge can consider the lack of violations, evidence that a restraining order has been successful and should continue.
Speaker 1:
[51:53] The trial for the DVRO renewal would be held in San Francisco. Ahead of their hearing, Laura had some requests for the court. First, she filed a motion to waive live testimony in favor of a written statement, citing the Americans with Disabilities Act. If this was granted, she would avoid a cross-examination at the trial. Then, citing confidential medical data and threats from the Justice for Clayton group, she also requested the motion be sealed. The filing disclosed several diagnoses, including autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, panic and generalized anxiety disorders, and anorexia nervosa. She also asked for a continuance on the hearing, meaning she wanted more time due to her medical condition and her father's recent hospitalization. The court ultimately denied all these motions. Because she's the one who initiated the renewal, they wanted her in person for the hearing, no exceptions. A two-day evidentiary hearing was set for October 21st and October 22nd in San Francisco. I got my plane ticket and was ready to go cover the trial live. But the weekend before I was supposed to leave, I got some news. It's Saturday, October 18th, and I got some interesting news last night. Something came across the docket. It is a declaration of Laura Owens in support of expedited request for reconsideration of motion to continue based on urgent health concerns and request for ruling on the papers. Now, you might be thinking, what the heck does that mean? Well, earlier, Laura tried to get a continuance on this case due to health concerns and the judge denied that continuance request. So that is why I booked my travel to San Francisco, because I thought that this trial would be happening. Now, this is an urgent health matter, which is kind of what she said earlier. However, this just got filed yesterday. The trial is supposed to happen on Tuesday. So we won't know a ruling on this until at least Monday, if the judge even looks at it. Now, I haven't seen the documents yet, so I don't know what's in them. But I think this is going to go one of two ways. Laura is not showing up. She also didn't request travel from the state of Arizona, and we know that she has a criminal proceeding there, and anytime she leaves the state, she has to have permission from the state to do so. She never filed this travel request. So in my mind, that's saying that she never had any intention of going to this in the first place. Now, again, one of two things could happen here. The first one is that she's just considered a no show, and the DVRO renewal request gets dropped right then and there, and that's it. Now, the other one is that the judge could look over these papers and grant the continuance, which means the trial will be another time. Despite not knowing what would happen, I boarded the plane to San Francisco. My flight landed the night before the trial was set to begin. I got into San Francisco at around 6 o'clock tonight and was trying to see if anyone could meet up, but I took myself to dinner. I came to Original Joe's because it looked like a San Francisco thing to do. Before I arrived, Laura appeared to have been communicating with Mike's attorney Omar. Those communications included a proposed stipulation from Laura. That's basically a list of demands. Here's what she'd asked for. An extension of the DVRO for one year. Mike would need to withdraw the filings he submitted in the 2025 DVRO, and that the 2018 and 2020 restraining orders would remain valid and on the record. If Mike complied with these demands, among others, Laura would agree to drop the DVRO after that additional year. Mike was not willing to agree to that. But the night before the hearing, Omar sent another email with a counterproposal. He wrote, Let's keep this simple. We will agree to mutually dismiss with prejudice, having both parties pay their own fees, and abide by all applicable laws. And while I was sitting there at dinner, I got a text with an update. So I'm heading over to talk to Mike and Omar right now. But this is huge. I'd never met Mike Maraccini in person, but he and his lawyer Omar invited me to the hotel room where they'd been preparing for trial. They'd just heard the news that Laura might be dropping a restraining order. Content creator Megan Fox had been in the room with them recording when they found out. It came in an email from someone in Laura's camp. Here's Mike and his lawyer Omar the moment they got the email.
Speaker 5:
[56:48] He responded to you.
Speaker 10:
[56:49] Oh, he did? She accepts these terms and will fear by his own.
Speaker 5:
[56:59] It's over.
Speaker 16:
[57:08] Fabulous. Omar, that's so fantastic.
Speaker 10:
[57:10] That's it. It's over.
Speaker 1:
[57:14] The judge in San Francisco told Laura she had to appear in person. But because of her felony indictments, she couldn't leave the state of Arizona without permission, and she hadn't filed that request yet. Everyone on Mike's team had been waiting, holding their breath to see if Laura would be showing up. Then this email came in saying she accepted their terms and would be appearing virtually. It meant the DVRO would finally be over. When I knocked on the hotel room door, Mike greeted me with a hug. He looked like he'd been crying. I got my phone out to record and asked them to explain the email they'd just received. Mike's lawyer Omar jumped in. All right, I'm recording, so tell me what just happened.
Speaker 10:
[58:02] The case is over, unofficially. We are going to show up in court tomorrow morning, 9 a.m., and we're going to tell the judge that the parties have reached a global resolution. Laura Owens is going to demist her renewal motion with prejudice. Both parties pay their own costs, attorney fees, obey all federal and state laws, and go about their merry way. That's all we're going to do.
Speaker 1:
[58:28] Mike left a few minutes later to get some rest. He still had to show up to court the next day. After he left, I asked Omar the obvious question. Do you think that this is going to stick at 9 a.m. tomorrow? Meaning, is it really over? I've been following this case long enough to know that Laura has a habit of saying one thing and doing another. And these emails seemed kind of suspicious. They weren't from her lawyer. She didn't actually have a lawyer in this matter. She was representing herself. These emails came from someone named Matthew, who was using a Gmail account. Now, he is a lawyer and Omar spoke with him on the phone. But in this matter, he called himself a friend of the Owens family and was communicating with Omar on Laura Owens' behalf as a quote, friend of the court. About 12 minutes later, Omar got an email directly from Laura Owens. Luckily, I was still recording.
Speaker 10:
[59:34] Hey, so I just got this email from Laura.
Speaker 3:
[59:37] Please say you're joking.
Speaker 10:
[59:38] I'm not. She emailed the department saying, Hi, I am looping in Dr. Green and David Gingras, who like me will be appearing via Zoom tomorrow. And also need a link. Thank you. Warmest regards. That's the email.
Speaker 1:
[59:54] They knew Laura had plans to appear by Zoom the following morning, but they were under the impression that it was just to accept the terms and drop the domestic violence restraining order against Mike. The email was cryptic. Why did she want her doctor and her former attorney on the call, if she was just going to drop the restraining order? It turns out the fight wasn't ending, because Laura wasn't done with Mike Maricini. For Mike, it felt like a power play.
Speaker 5:
[60:28] This is what she gets off on, is having power, manipulating people, manipulating the situation, utilizing the justice system. This is her foreplay.
Speaker 1:
[61:15] Thank you so much for listening. Please be sure to follow Love Trapped on Apple podcasts, the iHeart radio app, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And please leave us a review. A five-star rating helps others find this show. We're grateful for your support. If you would like to reach out to the Love Trapped team or have a similar story to share, email us at lovetrappedpod at gmail.com. That's lovetrapped, P-O-D, at gmail.com. Love Trapped is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. This show was executive produced by Nancy Glass, Andrea Gunning and Ben Federman. Written, produced and hosted by me, Stephani Young. Our story editor is Monique Laborde. Producer on this episode is Sidney Gladue. Additional production support from Todd Gans. Our production manager is Kristen Malkyrie. For iHeart Podcasts, Ali Perry was our executive producer. Audio editing and mastering by Anna McClain. Additional editing support by Tanner Robbins and Matt DelVecchio. Thank you to our voice actors, Leslie Talley, Todd Gans, Olivia Hewitt, Cooper Mall, Matt DelVecchio, and Sidney Gladue. This podcast was developed in collaboration with Danny Passman and Leb Abramoff at Crybaby Media. The Love Trapped theme is composed by Oliver Baines. Music library provided by MIBE Music. A special thanks to Carrie Lieberman, Will Pearson, Jessica Kreincheck, Ali Cantor, and the entire iHeart podcast team. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.