The short version: Laura Michelle Owens, the woman who falsely claimed she was carrying former Bachelor lead Clayton Echard’s baby, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail in an Arizona courtroom, the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday, October 26.
Bachelor Nation, this is the ending to a saga that just would not quit.
What happened
According to the LA Times, Owens, 36, faked two pregnancies, and falsely claimed Clayton was the father of one of them. She filed a paternity lawsuit against him in 2023 seeking child support, years after his season of The Bachelor aired in 2022.
She later dropped the suit after claiming a miscarriage. A judge then referred the case to prosecutors in Maricopa County, Arizona, after noting inconsistencies in her statements.
Prosecutors said Owens altered an ultrasound image, fabricated a pregnancy video and lied under oath about being pregnant. In May 2025, a grand jury indicted her on counts including fraudulent schemes, forgery and perjury in Clayton’s case. The investigation also led to a second man, Greg Gillespie, and to additional charges in his case, the Times reports.
At the sentencing hearing, prosecutors said Owens waged “psychological warfare” on both men.
What Clayton said
Clayton, now 33 and also living in Arizona, declined to comment to the Times. But he recently told the Off The Vine podcast he was caught off guard when Owens pleaded guilty in August. “We were just, like, what the hell?” he said. He also said he believes she targeted him because of his time on the show.
Owens’ attorney didn’t respond to the Times, and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined to comment.
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Sources
- Los Angeles Times, “Woman who claimed she was carrying ‘Bachelor’ star’s baby sentenced in pregnancy fraud scheme” (October 26, 2026): latimes.com
