WEBVTT - The Third Man | EP 8 0:00:04.600 --> 0:00:07.720 Hey, everyone. Before we start this episode, I want to 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.320 let you know that this one includes some graphic descriptions 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:15.320 of pregnancy loss, including both abortion and miscarriage. This episode 0:00:15.360 --> 0:00:19.920 also mentioned suicide and includes allegations of sexual assault and 0:00:19.960 --> 0:00:28.440 domestic violence. When Clayton Eckered walked into the courtroom for 0:00:28.520 --> 0:00:33.879 his June tenth trial against Laura Owens, he wasn't alone. 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:37.559 The room was packed with supportive family, friends, and dedicated 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:39.360 content creators like Dave Neil. 0:00:40.080 --> 0:00:43.640 There were fifty people in the courtroom in ten thousand online. 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:47.760 Clayton says having that support actually calmed his nerves. 0:00:48.159 --> 0:00:51.000 I wasn't nervous because it's bigger than me. 0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:55.080 It was bigger than him. There were two people in 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:58.840 the courtroom that day who'd been in Clayton's shoes. They'd 0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:02.400 been subpoena to test because they'd been through something similar 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:05.959 with Laura Owens. The first Greg Gillespie. 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:07.240 Is he in the courtroom today? 0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:12.800 Yes, you already know Greg's story, but there was a 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:18.080 third man in court supporting Clayton. When Clayton got on 0:01:18.120 --> 0:01:20.800 the stand, his attorney took a moment to point out 0:01:20.840 --> 0:01:21.640 the two witnesses. 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:24.720 You're aware that she's filed orders of protection against two 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:26.920 other individuals seated in the back of the courtland correct, 0:01:26.959 --> 0:01:27.440 what's correct? 0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:30.560 Yes, they are on the left, Greg Gillespie and Michael Marantini. 0:01:31.360 --> 0:01:34.320 Time ran out before Clayton's lawyers could call either witness. 0:01:35.040 --> 0:01:36.160 But that wasn't the point. 0:01:36.480 --> 0:01:38.240 All you need to do is just acknowledge that they exist, 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:41.240 because then the judge sees it and goes these guys 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:41.920 showed up. 0:01:42.520 --> 0:01:44.679 There's three of them. This corrob rates the. 0:01:44.640 --> 0:01:47.120 Story that clearly this woman is at fault and she's 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:47.880 not going to stop. 0:01:48.800 --> 0:01:52.280 As you know, the judge sided with Clayton. She went 0:01:52.360 --> 0:01:55.040 so far as to recommend that the County Attorney's office 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:59.240 review Laura's actions to determine if they warranted criminal charges. 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:02.520 It was a win for Clayton and for both of 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:06.000 the men who'd come prepared to testify that day. One 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:08.320 of them has been working to clear his name for 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:13.000 almost a decade, and his story may be the most 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:14.040 disturbing of them all. 0:02:14.919 --> 0:02:19.840 My name is Mike Marriccini. I dated Laura for a 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:20.880 year and a half. 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:30.720 I'm Stephanie Young, and this is love trapped. 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:37.000 There's no way you'd better believe. 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:49.119 I'll be raising Holy Helmas if you ever, ever, ever, ever. 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:50.079 Trastic. 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:01.040 Six years before Laura Owens met Clay and Eckered and 0:03:01.160 --> 0:03:04.240 four years before she met Greg Gillespie, she was living 0:03:04.280 --> 0:03:07.760 in San Francisco and was swiping on dating apps, which 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:09.399 is how she met Mike Marraccini. 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:15.120 When I think back on what originally made me swipe right, 0:03:15.600 --> 0:03:19.120 there was a photo of her in like a plaid shirt, 0:03:19.880 --> 0:03:24.360 jean shorts. She looks like almost like a little country girl, 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:28.560 and she looked really cute. You didn't see a lot 0:03:28.600 --> 0:03:32.280 of that in the Bay Area. Her bio mentioned that 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:34.840 she was a big animal lover, which I've always grown 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:37.920 up around animals, and that was attractive to me. 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:41.920 So they started messaging and made plans to meet up 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:42.440 for a drink. 0:03:43.280 --> 0:03:45.880 Our first few dates were actually really fun. We had 0:03:45.880 --> 0:03:48.800 a lot in common. I actually thought, you know, maybe 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:50.800 this individual is a little on the nervous side or 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:54.280 timid side, But I gave everybody an opportunity. 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:59.080 Within a few dates, they discovered they had mutual friends. 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:03.800 Says he's not a bridge burner. He generally avoids conflict. 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:07.200 Every woman he dated he tried to leave on friendly terms. 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:10.880 With That's how I always viewed our relationship as, hey, 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:14.800 if it doesn't work out as a loving relationship, maybe 0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:17.400 we can be friendly with one another, because we did 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:18.640 have a lot of similar friend. 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:23.520 Groups back then. Mike and Laura were both in their 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:27.000 late twenties. He was dating around, hoping to find the 0:04:27.080 --> 0:04:30.120 right person to settle down with. During the early days 0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:33.400 of their relationship, Mike saw a side of Laura we 0:04:33.480 --> 0:04:34.520 haven't heard much about. 0:04:35.360 --> 0:04:41.040 She was really thoughtful. She was always picking up baked 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:45.599 goods and bringing him over. She was always just thinking about, 0:04:45.720 --> 0:04:48.200 you know, fun things to do and what we could 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:51.719 possibly do, and then really asking a lot about my family. 0:04:53.080 --> 0:04:56.560 But within a few months, that side of Laura was 0:04:56.600 --> 0:05:02.480 replaced by something else, intense control, guilt trips, broken promises, 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:04.560 and constant medical crises. 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:05.840 I know what. 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:08.440 This woman is capable of, and though she might be 0:05:08.600 --> 0:05:14.080 small and stature, she's got a pattern of behavior that 0:05:14.279 --> 0:05:16.080 is just diabolical. 0:05:18.640 --> 0:05:22.840 In this episode, we're telling Mike Marriccini's story. It's a 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:26.440 standout in this case, mostly because he dated her for 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:29.839 a year and a half. He knows Laura much better 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:34.480 than Clayton or Greg ever did. Mike says their relationship 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:39.120 left him with lifelong psychological scars. It also tells us 0:05:39.120 --> 0:05:42.359 a lot about who Laura Owens is. It answers some 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:45.560 of the big questions I've grappled with since I started reporting, 0:05:46.520 --> 0:05:50.599 like what's her endgame? Why does she do this? And 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:54.200 maybe most interesting of all, what does her family know. 0:05:56.120 --> 0:05:58.039 If you're one of the people who's been following the 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:01.240 Laura Owens story from the beginning, then you might remember 0:06:01.279 --> 0:06:04.520 that in twenty twenty five, Mike Maruccini was featured on 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:05.400 Inside Edition. 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:08.599 This man says he's been living a nightmare after the 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:11.760 woman he dated falsely accused him of fathering twins. 0:06:12.400 --> 0:06:15.080 Inside Edition was only able to tell a fraction of 0:06:15.080 --> 0:06:17.800 the story that we'll be telling, but their coverage was 0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:21.839 a turning point for Mike. He wasn't hiding anymore. He 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:24.159 wanted to tell the truth about what he'd been through 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:25.599 with Laura Owens. 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:29.039 According to Michael, after he broke up with Laura Owens, 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:31.839 he says, she came up with a news story that 0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:36.320 he had abused her. That claim totally up ended Michael's life. 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:42.400 When Mike looks back on his relationship with Laura, he 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:45.760 can now see some of the early red flags. 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:47.040 On the third day, she said that her father was 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:49.960 terminally ill and she wanted him to meet me just 0:06:50.000 --> 0:06:52.760 in case something was never happened to him. 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:57.400 When Mike was thirteen, his father passed away from lung cancer. 0:06:57.720 --> 0:06:59.880 Which she brought up to me that her father was. 0:07:00.320 --> 0:07:02.360 I said, I would give everything for just one more 0:07:02.480 --> 0:07:04.240 day with my dad, And I said that. 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:08.080 Really early on, but the idea of meeting Laura's parents 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:13.200 intimidated Mike. They were local celebrities, both well known San 0:07:13.240 --> 0:07:17.840 Francisco radio personalities. Her dad's show, The Ron Owens Report, 0:07:18.520 --> 0:07:21.000 had been on the air for over thirty years. 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:24.600 They were pretty notorious in the Bay Area. 0:07:27.960 --> 0:07:30.760 After their third date, Mike agreed to go to dinner 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:34.920 with Laura's parents. This was his introduction to the unique 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:36.160 Owen's family dynamic. 0:07:37.280 --> 0:07:40.320 When I first met her father, people were coming up 0:07:40.320 --> 0:07:44.360 to this individual NonStop. Everybody would recognize them right when 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:48.120 you would walk in, and they would get like VIP treatment. 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:52.320 Mike noticed that Ron Owens seemed to like the attention. 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:56.200 You had, like major A list celebrities approaching him, and 0:07:56.280 --> 0:07:58.120 he talked about how close he was with like Bob 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:02.360 Sagett's and George Lopez all these big names were coming 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:04.720 up to him, wanting to get a photo with him 0:08:05.280 --> 0:08:07.640 and wanting to hang out with him for the night. 0:08:07.680 --> 0:08:08.680 I come to our table. 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:13.000 After that night, Laura seemed to be much more attached. 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:16.840 Every evening she would prefer to spend with me rather 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:18.840 than do her own thing with friends. 0:08:19.520 --> 0:08:21.520 Laura started saying she was in love with him. 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:24.640 I noticed that was like the first initial red flag, 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:27.800 considering I'd only known her for a month, and she's 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:30.440 just way too into this. She's already throwing out like 0:08:30.520 --> 0:08:34.280 the love's word, and she's just way too emotionally involved, 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:36.160 and I'm just not there. 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:41.200 He started distancing himself, taking longer to reply to her texts, 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:44.640 pushing back their next date. You know, the stuff you 0:08:44.679 --> 0:08:46.640 do when you're getting ready to break up with someone. 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:51.360 Then came Mike's twenty ninth birthday. He planned to spend 0:08:51.360 --> 0:08:55.360 the weekend away with friends. That's where he was when 0:08:55.360 --> 0:08:57.480 he got the message that changed everything. 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:03.160 I get the text and just positive pregnancy tests. The 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:08.160 immediate thoughts are, oh my gosh, how is this possible? 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:10.880 Because we had really only had like protected sex. 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:13.960 It's the same thing that happened with Greg and Clayton. 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:17.600 Just as Mike began to pull away, Laura sent a 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:19.760 photo of a positive pregnancy test. 0:09:20.040 --> 0:09:23.079 I immediately thought to myself, Oh my god, my life 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:25.920 is over. Not about having a child, but who I'm 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:28.960 having a child with. She knew I was falling away. 0:09:29.160 --> 0:09:31.600 I knew that this person wasn't right for me anymore, 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:33.839 and I knew that I didn't want to have a 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:36.840 long term relationship with her. So immediately it was a 0:09:36.840 --> 0:09:38.439 pit in my stomach. I felt sick. 0:09:39.440 --> 0:09:41.840 But then he thought about how scared Laura must be 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:45.960 and decided to put his own feelings aside. The breakup 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:46.440 could wait. 0:09:46.920 --> 0:09:50.040 I wanted to support her at the time. I thought 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:51.640 she was going to be going through an abortion. It's 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:53.080 gonna be really difficult. 0:09:53.400 --> 0:09:55.520 Mike made plans to meet with Laura the next day. 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:58.760 She then has us do a meeting with her parents 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:00.640 because they want to talk to me. 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:04.079 The four of them sat down together at a restaurant. 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:06.120 Mike was on pins and needles. 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:10.160 We're at it's like a little Italian dinner, and I 0:10:10.200 --> 0:10:12.040 told her family, like, hey, this is just not the 0:10:12.120 --> 0:10:14.160 right time. Like we don't know each other well enough. 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:16.280 We've known each other for two and a half months, 0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:20.720 like it's it's just not enough time, and they said like, hey, 0:10:20.880 --> 0:10:24.040 thank you, we respect that you came forward to us. 0:10:24.679 --> 0:10:30.680 I remember jam grabbing my hand during the conversation. She 0:10:30.760 --> 0:10:32.640 put her hand over the top of mind said thank 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:36.560 you for being such a kind individual, for being stand up, 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:40.720 and we really appreciate you being by her throughout this journey. 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:43.800 Now that I think back, it's such an odd scene, 0:10:44.200 --> 0:10:47.439 but I felt like they really cared. At the time, the. 0:10:47.400 --> 0:10:51.640 Whole conversation with her parents felt like a minefield, especially 0:10:51.679 --> 0:10:54.920 because her dad was sick. Mike offered to go with 0:10:55.000 --> 0:10:58.040 Laura when she got the abortion. She said she would 0:10:58.040 --> 0:11:00.760 schedule it as soon as she could. It was settled. 0:11:01.679 --> 0:11:04.040 I felt relieved that we were on the same page, 0:11:04.559 --> 0:11:07.800 and so my expectations were that she would have an 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:11.040 abortion based off of the conversation we had with her family. 0:11:12.440 --> 0:11:16.280 Soon after, he got a text from Laura's dad. We've 0:11:16.320 --> 0:11:18.120 had that text read by a voice actor. 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:22.439 Hi, Mike. I was thinking last night that it's been 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:26.360 unexpected and wonderful to feel as if I've gained someone 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:28.720 like a son. At this point in my life, I 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:32.960 feel very blessed. Please always treat Laura, will I know 0:11:33.040 --> 0:11:34.080 she really does like you. 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:38.719 Mike thought it was a strange message, but Ron was 0:11:38.760 --> 0:11:42.400 sick with cancer. It made the impending breakup feel even 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:43.120 more difficult. 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:46.840 I was like, oh my god, I was just about 0:11:46.880 --> 0:11:50.960 to split up with her, Like, how do I do that? 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:53.840 That's when Mike made a simple, careless mistake. 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:58.720 So I screenshoted her dad's text because I wanted to 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:02.080 send it to my mom and myr and I wrote 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:05.160 under the screenshot something along the lines of how am 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:07.840 I supposed to break up with her now? But I 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:09.559 guess I was in a rush and I was rattled, 0:12:10.160 --> 0:12:14.400 and I accidentally sent that text in screenshot to Laura directly. 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:17.920 Right when I went through. I had like a pit 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:18.640 in my stomach. 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:24.239 It's nightmare fuel. He watched Laura's three dots appear, disappear, 0:12:24.800 --> 0:12:26.559 and appear again, and. 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:30.280 I'll never forget. She responded and said, is that for me? 0:12:31.600 --> 0:12:33.560 I told her that was not meant for her and 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:34.680 it was a wrong text. 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:39.320 In the moment, Laura didn't have a big reaction. She 0:12:39.400 --> 0:12:42.640 seemed to accept his explanation that it was a simple mistake. 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:44.840 I don't know how I talked to myself out of that. 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:49.680 Mike thought he pulled it off. Crisis averted feeling spared, 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:51.800 but he was very wrong. 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:55.720 Me sending the screenshot was the instance that triggered her 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:57.120 to try and lock me in. 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:06.200 On July seventh, twenty sixteen, Laura claimed the soonest her 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:10.320 doctor could provide an abortion was the following week. The 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:13.480 next day, she had a new plan an appointment for 0:13:13.600 --> 0:13:17.760 July twelfth, but the day before the procedure, Laura texted 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:21.959 Mike saying she didn't feel right. Then she sent another text, 0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:23.920 which we've had read by a voice actor. 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:28.560 I'm not feeling comfortable about tomorrow. I'm feeling very insecure 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:29.280 and embarrassed. 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:32.679 Now, she said she still wanted to go through with it, 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:35.600 but just needed a few more days to prepare herself. 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:41.320 To Mike, this sounded perfectly reasonable. Laura made an appointment 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:44.280 at Planned Parenthood for the next week. She wanted to 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:48.200 go with her mom, but after her appointment, Laura told 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:51.480 Mike the doctor couldn't perform the procedure. She'd need to 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:55.040 come back the following Friday. It's normal for people to 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:58.480 go to appointments like these and change their mind, but 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:01.640 in Laura's case, she claimed it was the doctor who 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:02.880 couldn't perform the abortion. 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:07.160 I remember her saying that she couldn't get the abortion 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:08.840 that day, and I just kind of went with it 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:12.080 because one being a man and not wanting to push 0:14:12.160 --> 0:14:14.520 her to where I was forcing her to do something 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:15.400 that she didn't want to do. 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:20.160 Two days after this appointment, Laura sent Mike a text. 0:14:20.360 --> 0:14:22.600 We've had a voice actor read it. I think it 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:24.360 speaks to Laura's motivations. 0:14:25.560 --> 0:14:28.080 I went to delete my league in bumble apps. Call 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:31.840 me sentimental, but I wanted to screenshot our conversation since 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:34.920 it had led to something special between us. So imagine 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:37.120 how I felt when I saw you had updated the 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:39.760 info section of your profile when I clicked on your name. 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:43.520 Laura must have been checking the dating app where they 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.800 met to see if Mike was active. The truth was, 0:14:47.720 --> 0:14:51.000 Mike already had one foot out the door, especially after 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:54.480 the text he'd accidentally sent Laura. He assumed she knew 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:57.920 what was coming. In his mind, he was just staying 0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:00.880 for a few weeks while she went through the abortion process. 0:15:01.560 --> 0:15:05.040 And yes, in the meantime, he dusted off his dating profile. 0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:08.560 I added a photo, a new updated photo that I 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:14.640 had just recently took and she was very upset. 0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:18.760 Mike says he wasn't meeting up with anyone, but just 0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:21.000 seeing that he was preparing to use the apps again 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:26.080 made Laura spiral. Her text continued, I don't really. 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:28.640 Even know what to think or feel. I spent my 0:15:28.720 --> 0:15:31.400 morning trying to work on seeing if I could expedite 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:34.760 the abortion process somehow, because you told me how stressed 0:15:34.760 --> 0:15:37.320 out you were feeling yesterday and I wanted to help 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:40.760 you out. I booked a consultation with a new relationship 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:43.680 therapist to work on my trust issues because I didn't 0:15:43.680 --> 0:15:46.680 feel like you deserved anything but my absolute best, and 0:15:46.720 --> 0:15:50.600 because your integrity is so important to you. My parents 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:52.920 individually called me today to tell me how well you 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:56.000 fit in our family. I'm really trying to be the 0:15:56.040 --> 0:15:58.800 best person I can be for you, and see that 0:15:58.880 --> 0:16:01.640 you're updating your profile, so I guess wanting to see 0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:05.240 if someone better is out there hurts me beyond words. 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:10.920 Mike owned up to it. He admitted he'd updated his profile, 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:13.720 explaining that it was a direct result of the issues 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:17.600 they'd been through lately. He tried to reassure her, promising 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:20.760 he wasn't actually talking to anyone else and apologized for 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:24.560 hurting her feelings. The next day, he was slow to 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:28.160 respond to her. That was until the evening when she 0:16:28.280 --> 0:16:32.040 texted saying she might be having a miscarriage. He replied 0:16:32.040 --> 0:16:34.880 to that right away and helped her triage the situation. 0:16:36.520 --> 0:16:39.520 They texted back and forth for a while before Laura 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:43.440 determined it was a false alarm. Mike, who didn't have 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:46.240 a medical background, was just trying to be there for 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:50.840 emotional support, but his energy was flagging. He was exhausted, 0:16:51.600 --> 0:16:54.200 so he told her he was signing off and asked 0:16:54.200 --> 0:16:55.920 her to please not call for the rest of the 0:16:56.000 --> 0:17:01.000 night unless it was a medical emergency. I'm sure you 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:04.400 can guess where this is going. These are Laura's text 0:17:04.480 --> 0:17:06.560 to him that night, read by a voice actor. 0:17:07.240 --> 0:17:09.199 Are you still my partner? Do you want to be 0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:13.680 with me? I genuinely love you. I hope you feel better. 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:16.400 My mom's here trying to determine if it's an emergency 0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:19.040 or if we should wait and see. I know what 0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:21.440 signs to look for if it's getting worse, but hopefully 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:25.280 no miscarriage. We're on the way to the hospital not 0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:28.200 doing well. Can you give me a quick call so 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:31.359 I can update you. It's actually super important. 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:37.159 When they connected the next morning, Laura told him the 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:41.520 pregnancy was okay after all. In fact, she'd found out 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:47.040 that she could be pregnant with twins. Through July and 0:17:47.080 --> 0:17:50.280 into August, Laura claimed she kept trying and failing to 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:50.919 get an abortion. 0:17:51.680 --> 0:17:55.000 It was always for a different reason of why we 0:17:55.080 --> 0:17:55.600 had to wait. 0:17:56.320 --> 0:17:59.879 But then on August second, she told Mike she just 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:04.200 received a surgical abortion at Planned Parenthood. She sent him 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:07.800 a document on Planned Parenthood letterhead, stating that she was 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:11.440 no longer pregnant. You might think that's the end of it, 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:16.000 but it wasn't, because a few days later, Laura claimed 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:21.359 the surgical abortion hadn't worked. It's impossible to tell this 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:24.160 part of the story in a linear or logical way, 0:18:25.119 --> 0:18:28.240 because over the next few months, Laura sent Mike a 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:33.159 barrage of contradictory, hard to believe medical information. Here are 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:35.680 some of the things she told him, with her texts 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:37.119 being read by a voice actor. 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:41.439 I left my appointment yesterday being super upset because my 0:18:41.520 --> 0:18:45.520 doctor won't confirm that the abortion was successful. I'm guessing 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:48.480 she can't from a legal standpoint until I get more 0:18:48.520 --> 0:18:51.760 tests done. It's extremely stressful on me and I just 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:57.480 need some support. I'm completely stressed. I took another at 0:18:57.520 --> 0:19:02.120 home test that was positive today. You are with me tonight, correct. 0:19:03.200 --> 0:19:06.120 I may have to take a pill. I have a tilted, 0:19:06.320 --> 0:19:10.760 retroverted uterus, which makes it complete abortion harder apparently, which 0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:15.239 is why I'm having these horrible symptoms. Not ideal to 0:19:15.240 --> 0:19:18.040 have to take mifipristone on my mom's b day. I'm 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:19.120 trying to do the right thing. 0:19:20.720 --> 0:19:24.760 Mike was overwhelmed with updates. He didn't understand how any 0:19:24.800 --> 0:19:27.359 of this could be possible, but at the same time, 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:30.400 it never crossed his mind that a person would lie 0:19:30.400 --> 0:19:31.680 about something this serious. 0:19:32.320 --> 0:19:35.760 It was very confusing for me at the time. I remember, 0:19:35.880 --> 0:19:39.080 in total, she had told me she had two pregnancies 0:19:39.160 --> 0:19:41.000 and six abortion attempts were made. 0:19:44.280 --> 0:19:47.280 In mid August, Laura told him her doctors had a 0:19:47.320 --> 0:19:48.600 new diagnosis. 0:19:49.680 --> 0:19:51.200 She says she had cancer. 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:55.480 Oh vary in cancer. Laura said the doctors wanted to 0:19:55.520 --> 0:19:56.640 operate immediately. 0:19:57.359 --> 0:19:59.679 She was going through this process of saying that she 0:19:59.720 --> 0:20:03.280 was having are over removed, so I said, like, please 0:20:03.280 --> 0:20:06.200 send me the doctor's notes. She sent me like some 0:20:06.320 --> 0:20:09.760 test results with some members saying that she had cancer, 0:20:10.280 --> 0:20:13.040 and I originally googled it and I said, like, that 0:20:13.040 --> 0:20:13.919 doesn't make sense. 0:20:14.560 --> 0:20:18.560 This began a strange three way communication between Mike, Laura, 0:20:19.280 --> 0:20:23.560 and Laura's doctor. Laura sent Mike's questions to her doctor 0:20:23.680 --> 0:20:27.240 through a platform called my Chart, and then Laura sent 0:20:27.320 --> 0:20:31.760 back the screenshots of the doctor's replies. I've seen these messages. 0:20:32.600 --> 0:20:34.320 Some of them are mind boggling. 0:20:34.960 --> 0:20:37.280 Then she had this doctor since she respond to me 0:20:37.960 --> 0:20:42.760 and say, no, you're wrong. Laura's right, she definitely has cancer. 0:20:43.480 --> 0:20:45.359 You need to be a better boyfriend. She's told me 0:20:45.400 --> 0:20:47.520 that you haven't been supportive and she's going to be 0:20:47.640 --> 0:20:49.840 needing your support. 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:54.680 This reply, allegedly from Laura's doctor, would become an exhibit 0:20:54.800 --> 0:20:57.840 in a later domestic violence restraining order case involving Mike 0:20:57.880 --> 0:21:02.280 and Laura. We'll talk about that case later, but for now, 0:21:02.800 --> 0:21:04.760 we've had a voice actor read some of the note 0:21:04.840 --> 0:21:08.320 Laura sent him, which again she claimed was written by 0:21:08.359 --> 0:21:08.840 her doctor. 0:21:11.359 --> 0:21:14.000 Thank you for your email. I am sorry you're going 0:21:14.040 --> 0:21:16.159 through such a rough time right now and will do 0:21:16.280 --> 0:21:19.000 my best to help you through it. I read the 0:21:19.040 --> 0:21:21.919 messages you sent me from your boyfriend and will answer 0:21:21.920 --> 0:21:25.600 his questions Stage one A is without a doubt, considered 0:21:25.640 --> 0:21:28.960 to be true cancer and something that we take very seriously. 0:21:29.640 --> 0:21:32.800 You were correct, Laura, that this cancer is found only 0:21:32.840 --> 0:21:36.639 in one ovary. He is incorrect in his saying that 0:21:36.680 --> 0:21:41.600 this means you just might have malignant cancer cells. Please 0:21:41.680 --> 0:21:45.040 tell him that, yes, I have diagnosed you with real 0:21:45.200 --> 0:21:49.600 ovarian cancer, not something that just may be there. I 0:21:49.640 --> 0:21:51.679 am not sure what is meant by the message you 0:21:51.760 --> 0:21:55.360 forwarded that says I would only be diagnosing it if 0:21:55.359 --> 0:21:59.080 it were something other than stage one A. That is 0:21:59.119 --> 0:22:02.600 a very real and simply means it has not spread 0:22:02.640 --> 0:22:06.600 beyond your right ovary. I recommend looking at the American 0:22:06.680 --> 0:22:11.840 Cancer Society's website page for more information. In addition, you 0:22:11.880 --> 0:22:15.080 can let him know that your diagnosis and treatment has 0:22:15.119 --> 0:22:18.320 been complicated by your pregnancy, which on its own has 0:22:18.359 --> 0:22:22.520 been extremely difficult and unusual. I would strongly encourage him 0:22:22.560 --> 0:22:25.080 to change his attitude and support you at this time. 0:22:25.640 --> 0:22:27.399 I sincerely hope things get better. 0:22:28.440 --> 0:22:30.800 This wasn't the physical proof Mike had been expecting. 0:22:32.320 --> 0:22:34.360 Why is this so worthy coming from a doctor? They're 0:22:34.359 --> 0:22:36.200 always so short with me, Like I spend no more 0:22:36.240 --> 0:22:38.720 than forty five seconds in a doctor's office, and they're kicking 0:22:38.760 --> 0:22:40.600 me out now. 0:22:40.640 --> 0:22:43.600 I need to say something here. You won't be surprised 0:22:43.600 --> 0:22:45.720 to learn that Mike was later dragged into a legal 0:22:45.760 --> 0:22:49.560