Clayton Echard Accuser Pleads Guilty

Clayton Echard Says He Felt 'Numb and Emotionless' After Paternity Suit Accuser Pleads Guilty to 4 Felonies. Laura Owens appears in a photo provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, following her arraignment on seven felony counts of perjury, fraud, forgery and evidence tampering, stemming from her pregnancy lawsuit against Clayton Echard.

Clayton Echard; Laura Owens. Credit: Clayton Echard/Instagram; Courtesy of Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office

NEED TO KNOW

Laura Owens, who falsely accused Bachelor star Clayton Echard of fathering her unborn twins, pleaded guilty to four felonies on Friday, Aug. 28
Echard reacted to the news in an Instagram video and explained why he felt “numb and emotionless” despite it marking a “major moment” in the case
The former Bachelor star also said that he wants Owens to “heal” and does not want her to “rot in prison”

Clayton Echard has shared his feelings after Laura Owens, who falsely accused him of fathering her unborn twins, pleaded guilty to four felonies.

Owens entered a plea agreement on Friday, Aug. 28. She pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of taking the identity of another and one count of perjury, according to 12 News, Fox 10 Phoenix and The Mercury News. Owens, 36, had filed a paternity lawsuit against Echard in 2023 and claimed that he had fathered her unborn twins following a one-night stand, which Echard, 33, denied.

The former Bachelor star reacted to Owens’ pleas in a video posted to Instagram on Sunday, Aug. 30, calling it a “major moment” in the case. “It’s the first time that we’ve seen Laura take any accountability in this matter,” he said in the video.

After the court hearing, which he attended, Echard said he “felt it was anticlimactic.”

“I felt numb and emotionless. I couldn’t understand why that was,” he said. “But I woke up today, and after reflecting more, I realized the reason for it. It’s because my healing was not contingent upon what occurred yesterday. I’ve already healed.”

Owens was indicted on seven felony charges related to a “paternity scheme” in May 2025, per the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. In a press release, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that Owens had been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of perjury, one count of forgery, one count of tampering with physical evidence and one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices. She allegedly altered an ultrasound image, fabricated a pregnancy video and lied multiple times under oath, investigators found.

Read the full article at PEOPLE.