Speaker 1: On Friday, August 28th, Laura Owens appeared at the Maricopa
Speaker 1: County Superior Courthouse for a settlement conference in her criminal case.
Speaker 1: The question was, would she plead guilty or would her
Speaker 1: case go to trial?
Speaker 2: Finally, we got an answer.
Speaker 3: How do you plead to count one fraudulent schemes and arvises,
Speaker 3: a class two non-dangerous felony committed on or about May 17th,
Speaker 3: 2023 through and including June 10th of 2024? Guilty or
Speaker 3: not guilty? Guilty.
Speaker 4: Guilty.
Speaker 1: Laura pled guilty to four felony counts. Two Class 2
Speaker 1: felonies of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one Class 4 felony
Speaker 1: of perjury, and one Class 4 felony of taking the
Speaker 1: identity of another.
Speaker 3: And how do you plead to Count 10, taking the
Speaker 3: identity of another? Guilty or not guilty? Guilty.
Speaker 1: After months of uncertainty and delays, the most surprising thing
Speaker 1: we could have heard was Laura admitting guilt, not once,
Speaker 1: but four times.
Speaker 3: Is everything that was said on the record true and correct?
Speaker 5: Yes, Your Honor.
Speaker 3: Court finds defense plea is knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily made.
Speaker 3: There's a factual basis for each count in the plea.
Speaker 3: The plea is accepted and entered of record.
Speaker 1: I'm Stephanie Young, and this is a special bonus episode
Speaker 1: of Love Trapped.
Speaker 4: There's no way out.
Speaker 2: You'd better believe.
Speaker 4: I'll be raising holy hell, my love, if you ever, ever, ever,
Speaker 4: ever try to leave.
Speaker 1: I'm going to walk you through what went down in
Speaker 1: Arizona on Friday, August 28th. I was there in person
Speaker 1: for the whole thing. So let's start at the beginning.
Speaker 1: Before the hearing started, I ran into Clayton, Greg Woodnick,
Speaker 1: and Reality Steve outside the courthouse. None of us had
Speaker 1: any idea if Laura was going to take the plea
Speaker 1: deal or not. Clayton hadn't been given advance notice. Like
Speaker 1: we said in the last episode, Clayton believed she'd take
Speaker 1: this to the bitter end and bring this case to trial.
Speaker 1: The courtroom doors opened early, so I made my way
Speaker 1: inside to find a seat.
Speaker 2: Here's Woodnick.
Speaker 5: The hearing was scheduled to start at 2.30, and we
Speaker 5: went a little bit early, anticipating that the county attorney
Speaker 5: was going to want to talk to Clayton about the
Speaker 5: status of things. And there was a short meeting with
Speaker 5: the county attorney privately before the hearings. After we met
Speaker 5: with the county attorney and the investigator, Clayton and I
Speaker 5: walked into the courtroom anticipating that the hearing was gonna
Speaker 5: start at 2.30. It was delayed, not super uncommon, but
Speaker 5: this court runs on time. So I was wondering what
Speaker 5: was going on. And it dawned on me at that
Speaker 5: point that I hadn't seen Laura. Usually at these hearings,
Speaker 5: we bump into Laura and her mother or father in
Speaker 5: the hallway. That's always awkward in any case, not just
Speaker 5: this one. But I hadn't seen them. So we were
Speaker 5: wondering where she was.
Speaker 1: I took a seat in the fourth row, directly behind Clayton.
Speaker 1: There was a strict no-cellphone policy inside the courtroom. That
Speaker 1: means all the interview tape you're hearing happened after the fact.
Speaker 1: The hearing was supposed to begin at 2.30, but 2.30
Speaker 1: came and went. Laura wasn't in the room yet. Everyone
Speaker 1: began looking around anxiously. We were all wondering what was
Speaker 1: going on and if the hearing would start. The prosecutor
Speaker 1: kept coming in and out of the courtroom and having
Speaker 1: quiet conversations with Woodnick and Clayton in the front row.
Speaker 1: I was sitting next to Reality Steve, and he overheard
Speaker 1: some of what was said.
Speaker 6: I started hearing some things and rumblings that a plea
Speaker 6: deal was probably going to happen, but Laura was waffling.
Speaker 6: She was sick, throwing up. We were hearing terms like that.
Speaker 1: I couldn't see Woodnick or Clayton's faces. but I knew
Speaker 1: something big was about to happen.
Speaker 5: The county attorney let us know that Laura had signed
Speaker 5: the plea agreement, which is great, and it was a
Speaker 5: huge sigh of relief, Stephanie, because this was a big deal.
Speaker 5: She'd acknowledged in writing that she had committed these crimes.
Speaker 5: But a signed plea agreement doesn't do any good unless
Speaker 5: it's put on the record in the courtroom. And there
Speaker 5: was a comment made that she was having challenges or
Speaker 5: struggling to come into the courtroom and address what she
Speaker 5: had signed apparently on the record with the judge.
Speaker 1: I overheard a snippet of this conversation. The prosecutor saying
Speaker 1: Laura was about to sign the plea deal. But I
Speaker 1: still didn't believe that it was about to happen. Laura
Speaker 1: hadn't come into the courtroom yet, and the tensions were rising.
Speaker 5: So we waited some more, and eventually, it felt like
Speaker 5: maybe 15 minutes later, she came in very quickly and
Speaker 5: had a seat at the table with her attorney, Christian Luters,
Speaker 5: And within a few seconds, the judge came in and
Speaker 5: the hearing began.
Speaker 3: This is CR 2025-007-905, State v. Laura Owens. Time set
Speaker 3: for a settlement conference. Can I get appearances, please? Good afternoon,
Speaker 3: Your Honor. Ed Leier on behalf of State. Good afternoon, Judge.
Speaker 7: Chris Reuters on behalf of Laura Owens, who's present with
Speaker 7: me at the defense table.
Speaker 3: So, Ms. Owens, I've been handed a plea agreement that
Speaker 3: indicates you want to resolve your case by pleading guilty
Speaker 3: to count one, Fraudulent schemes and artifices, a Class 2
Speaker 3: non-dangerous felony. Count six, perjury, a Class 4 non-dangerous felony.
Speaker 3: Count nine, fraudulent schemes and artifices, a Class 2 non-dangerous felony.
Speaker 3: And then count ten, taking the identity of another, a
Speaker 3: Class 4 felony, non-dangerous. Is that what you want to
Speaker 3: do today?
Speaker 2: Yes, Your Honor.
Speaker 3: So I'm just going to ask you some questions to
Speaker 3: make sure I understand what you're doing. Have you taken
Speaker 3: any drugs, alcohol, or medication the last 24 hours? No,
Speaker 3: Your Honor. What's the last grade in school that you
Speaker 3: have finished or completed?
Speaker 2: I have my bachelor's in college.
Speaker 3: Okay, so you read and understand English, correct?
Speaker 8: Yes.
Speaker 3: Has anybody forced you or threatened you in any way
Speaker 3: to make you plead guilty?
Speaker 4: No.
Speaker 3: Has anybody promised you anything regarding your sentence that's not
Speaker 3: written in your plea agreement to get you to plead guilty?
Speaker 9: No.
Speaker 1: Because Laura is pleading guilty to felonies, it will impact
Speaker 1: her civil rights. She won't be able to vote, serve
Speaker 1: as a juror, hold public office, or possess a firearm.
Speaker 1: The judge then moved on to discuss her plea agreement
Speaker 1: with the state.
Speaker 3: Okay, so let's talk about your agreements with the state.
Speaker 3: As to count one, which is a class two felony,
Speaker 3: there are no agreements as to sentencing. If you are
Speaker 3: placed on probation, it will be supervised probation. As to
Speaker 3: counts six, nine, and ten, you'll be placed on supervised probation,
Speaker 3: no contact with the victims. The state will dismiss counts
Speaker 3: two through five, seven, and eight, and 11 through 14.
Speaker 3: Is that your understanding of your agreement with the state?
Speaker 2: Yes, Your Honor.
Speaker 1: Under the terms of the plea agreement, Laura agreed to
Speaker 1: plead guilty to four of her 14 felony counts. For
Speaker 1: three of these counts, she faces supervised probation, which may
Speaker 1: still carry mandatory jail time. Sentencing for the final felony
Speaker 1: count remains open to the judge's discretion at sentencing. That
Speaker 1: carries a potential penalty ranging from supervised probation to up
Speaker 1: to 12 and a half years in prison. In exchange
Speaker 1: for her guilty plea, the state agreed to dismiss the
Speaker 1: remaining 10 charges. From there, the judge handled a few
Speaker 1: more administrative details, informing Laura she was officially giving up
Speaker 1: her right to a trial and couldn't appeal the guilty plea.
Speaker 3: In order to take advantage of the plea agreement, you've
Speaker 3: got to waive your trial rights because you're not having
Speaker 3: a trial since you're entering into a plea of guilty.
Speaker 3: I'm going to cover those rights with you. You'll be
Speaker 3: giving up the presumption of innocence. You'll be giving up
Speaker 3: the right to remain silent. You'll be giving up the
Speaker 3: right to have a jury determine guilt and aggravating factors.
Speaker 3: You'll be giving up the right to confront and cross-examine
Speaker 3: the witnesses who are called to testify against you. You'll
Speaker 3: be giving up the right to present evidence in your defense.
Speaker 3: You'll be giving up the right to testify yourself. And
Speaker 3: you'll be giving up the right to file a direct appeal,
Speaker 3: but you would have the right to file a petition
Speaker 3: for post-conviction relief. Do you understand all those rights?
Speaker 10: Yes, Your Honor.
Speaker 3: And do you want to waive those rights so you
Speaker 3: can take advantage of this plea agreement?
Speaker 2: Yes, Your Honor.
Speaker 1: Then, we got to the part where Laura had to
Speaker 1: respond to each charge. As I looked around the courtroom,
Speaker 1: everyone seemed to be stunned. Her mother, Jan Black... was
Speaker 1: sitting across the aisle on the other side of the courtroom.
Speaker 2: But I could see her face.
Speaker 1: She was completely deadpan and emotionless, watching her daughter plead guilty.
Speaker 5: Guilty.
Speaker 8: Guilty. Guilty.
Speaker 3: And how do you plead to count 10, taking the
Speaker 3: identity of another guilty or not guilty?
Speaker 6: Guilty.
Speaker 2: Laura admitted guilt on four felony charges.
Speaker 1: There was a charge for every listed victim. Then she
Speaker 1: had to provide a factual basis for each count. That
Speaker 1: means she had to admit the facts of what happened
Speaker 1: so the judge could confirm that a crime was actually committed.
Speaker 1: Laura's attorney read them on her behalf.
Speaker 3: Factual basis, please.
Speaker 7: Your Honor, as to count one, on or about May 17th,
Speaker 7: 2023 and through June 10th, 2024, within Maricopa County and
Speaker 7: this court's jurisdiction, Laura Michelle Owens, pursuant to a scheme
Speaker 7: or artifice to defraud, knowingly did obtain a benefit from
Speaker 7: Clayton Ray Eckard by means of fraudulent pretenses, representation, promises,
Speaker 7: or material omissions.
Speaker 3: As to count six... Within Maricopa County, this court's jurisdiction,
Speaker 3: on or about.
Speaker 7: June 10th, 2024, Laura Michelle Owens, in regard to a
Speaker 7: material issue and believing it to be false, did make
Speaker 7: a false sworn statement to wit, claiming, that's me showing
Speaker 7: my pregnant son. Count nine again in Maricopa County, in
Speaker 7: this court's jurisdiction, on or between July 1st, 2021 and
Speaker 7: August 17th, 2022, Laura Michelle Owens, again, pursuant to a
Speaker 7: scheme where artist or fraud knowingly did obtain a benefit
Speaker 7: from Gregory Gillespie by means of fraudulent pretenses, representation, promises,
Speaker 7: and material omissions. And finally, on count 10, in Maricopa County,
Speaker 7: within this course jurisdiction, on or about August 6, 2021,
Speaker 7: Laura Michelle Owens knowingly did take, purchase, manufacture, record, possess,
Speaker 7: or use any personal identifying information or entity identifying information
Speaker 7: of Stormy Lynn Mitchell without consent with the intent to
Speaker 7: obtain or use the identity for any unlawful purpose or
Speaker 7: to cause loss to a person or with the intent
Speaker 7: to obtain or continue employment.
Speaker 3: Is everything that was said on the record true and correct?
Speaker 9: Yes, Your Honor.
Speaker 3: Court finds defense plea is knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily made.
Speaker 3: There's a factual basis for each count in the plea.
Speaker 3: The plea is accepted and entered of record.
Speaker 1: After that, the judge moved on to scheduling the sentencing hearing.
Speaker 3: I'm good with the 23rd. You're good with the 23rd?
Speaker 3: All right, Mr. Leonard, 23rd? October 23rd works for both
Speaker 3: victims and the state.
Speaker 1: Sentencing was set for October 23rd. That's where we'll find
Speaker 1: out if Laura will face prison or jail time for
Speaker 1: her crimes.
Speaker 3: Anything else from the state?
Speaker 8: No, we are.
Speaker 3: All right, thank you. Anything from the defense? No, thank you.
Speaker 3: Thank you.
Speaker 6: All right.
Speaker 1: The hearing only lasted 16 minutes, and I felt like
Speaker 1: I was holding my breath the whole time. I was
Speaker 1: told Laura left through a side door. The rest of
Speaker 1: us filed out into the hallway. Clayton came right up
Speaker 1: to me and gave me a big hug. During the proceedings,
Speaker 1: we'd all been keeping our emotions in check. But when
Speaker 1: we got outside, they all came rushing in.
Speaker 2: I started recording.
Speaker 1: I want to hear in your words what happened.
Speaker 10: Laura accepted the plea. She took a minute to come
Speaker 10: in there. We were told that she signed off on
Speaker 10: the plea, but that she had to walk in and
Speaker 10: accept the crimes. And she did. That's a big moment.
Speaker 10: I want to say, like, Laura, I am proud of
Speaker 10: you for taking the first step towards accountability. That's genuinely
Speaker 10: how I feel. I don't want Laura to have a
Speaker 10: lifetime of suffering. I have become stronger through this. I've
Speaker 10: become more resilient. I wanted to be held accountable. We
Speaker 10: still have a sentencing. I'm still going to look to
Speaker 10: have her put in prison for some time because I
Speaker 10: believe that's how you begin the healing process with Laura
Speaker 10: to make her a better person. But this is a
Speaker 10: huge step today. She took accountability. And that's something we
Speaker 10: have not seen since I first met Laura.
Speaker 2: When did it finally hit you that this was real
Speaker 2: and that this was, like, over?
Speaker 10: For me, it's, like, once she accepted the charges, we
Speaker 10: then went into a side room and kind of shook
Speaker 10: hands and thanked the prosecution and talked about next steps.
Speaker 10: But then when we walked out of the courtroom and
Speaker 10: I saw you, yeah, I saw you, I felt, like,
Speaker 10: a wave of emotion overcoming. I felt, like, on the
Speaker 10: verge of tears. Because, like, this really truly is.
Speaker 10: Finally feeling like the beginning to the end. We are
Speaker 10: on the right step towards full justice, and obviously we
Speaker 10: still need to have sentencing, but it's not lost upon
Speaker 10: me that her being a convicted felon is huge. Now
Speaker 10: it's up to me and the prosecutor to look to
Speaker 10: get jail time or prison time tacked on to that.
Speaker 10: To me, that's now my responsibility, partly, and if it's
Speaker 10: meant to be, we'll get that outcome. But I was
Speaker 10: okay with the plea being agreed upon. And we got that.
Speaker 10: So that's a win. And I can thank the court
Speaker 10: for that and say they've done a great job.
Speaker 1: I got in my car and finally looked at my phone.
Speaker 1: I had dozens of missed calls and text messages. I
Speaker 1: thought I was going to drive away, but I was
Speaker 1: feeling an unexpected rush of emotions myself. So I recorded
Speaker 1: this voice note. I just left the Maricopa County Superior
Speaker 1: Courthouse after the settlement conference on August 28th, 2026. where
Speaker 1: Laura Owens accepted a plea deal in her criminal case
Speaker 1: in Arizona.
Speaker 2: It was extremely surreal to be in the courtroom.
Speaker 1: She had to say that she was guilty to all
Speaker 1: four counts that she pled guilty to. And I have
Speaker 1: to be honest, after following this case, it was emotional
Speaker 1: to hear her say that for me. And it's because
Speaker 1: I've lived all of the moments with these men for
Speaker 1: the last 15 months of them recounting their stories and
Speaker 1: telling me what happened and to see that there was
Speaker 1: accountability taken today was emotional.
Speaker 2: And when Clayton walked out of.
Speaker 1: The courtroom, I was already in the hallway and I
Speaker 1: locked eyes with him and immediately gave him a hug.
Speaker 1: and just told him congratulations and that I was proud
Speaker 1: of him for sticking with this and continuing the fight.
Speaker 1: And he told me in that moment that that's the
Speaker 1: first time it kind of sank into him and he
Speaker 1: got a little bit emotional. And that was also a
Speaker 1: really powerful moment for me. I know I haven't followed
Speaker 1: the story from the very beginning. I started in June
Speaker 1: of 2025 after his family court case.
Speaker 2: Had already been adjudicated.
Speaker 1: But I've been in this immersed in this for the
Speaker 1: last 15 months. And to see him finally get justice
Speaker 1: today and all of the other victims listed in this
Speaker 1: criminal case was extremely impactful.
Speaker 2: And I am grateful that I was here for that today.
Speaker 1: After the hearing, I caught up with Greg Woodnick. He
Speaker 1: didn't have to be at the courthouse, but he spent
Speaker 1: almost five years in litigation with Laura, and he's personally invested.
Speaker 1: So we sat in the front row right next to Clayton.
Speaker 5: Hearing Laura say the word guilty four times was a
Speaker 5: little bit surreal. I remember thinking to myself, holy shit,
Speaker 5: that just happened, and this has been a long road.
Speaker 5: And I remember kind of nudging Clayton on the leg.
Speaker 5: I mean, that was like the moment that it was over.
Speaker 5: He knew it when he heard it as well.
Speaker 3: It was a big deal.
Speaker 5: It was a really big deal.
Speaker 1: If you remember from our last episode, Woodnick predicted that
Speaker 1: Laura would take the plea deal. He credits her legal counsel.
Speaker 5: Listen, I'm so glad she chose to do the right
Speaker 5: thing and plead guilty. I tried to think about it
Speaker 5: in terms of if I were representing Laura, and I
Speaker 5: am grateful I am not. I think her current attorney,
Speaker 5: has done a great job representing her. I think Christian
Speaker 5: Luters just saved Laura from Laura. And entering this plea
Speaker 5: agreement gives her an opportunity to not spend a significant
Speaker 5: amount of time in prison. And someone as committed to
Speaker 5: their craft of lying as Laura was, it's probably hard
Speaker 5: to convince them that this is the best outcome for them.
Speaker 5: Laura may have thought up until that moment that she
Speaker 5: said guilty four times, that she could go to trial
Speaker 5: and lie her way out of this. That didn't happen.
Speaker 5: And that, I think, was the sigh of relief I
Speaker 5: had when I heard her say guilty four times.
Speaker 1: Knowing what I know about Laura, I asked Woodnick if
Speaker 1: there was a possibility Laura could change her mind. Can
Speaker 1: someone backtrack on their guilty plea?
Speaker 5: People back out of plea agreements. I don't want to
Speaker 5: say all the time, but there's a way to get
Speaker 5: out of the plea agreements. I don't anticipate that's going
Speaker 5: to happen here. I think Laura got really good legal
Speaker 5: advice from her attorney.
Speaker 1: Laura's decision to plead guilty means there will be no trial.
Speaker 1: We won't see all the evidence the state has been
Speaker 1: collecting for the past two years.
Speaker 5: I know there's a lot of people that wanted this
Speaker 5: trial to go forward. And I think the people wanted
Speaker 5: the trial to go forward to find out the depths
Speaker 5: of the fraud that Laura has committed over these years.
Speaker 5: And of course, there's a part of me that would
Speaker 5: have liked to see all of that exposed. I know
Speaker 5: a lot more than the public does, having been involved
Speaker 5: in this for a long time. And I can appreciate
Speaker 5: why people would want that all aired publicly. But I've
Speaker 5: always thought the right result here was for her to
Speaker 5: acknowledge her guilt so that people could move on and
Speaker 5: she could be appropriately consequenced and healing could begin.
Speaker 1: I've had so many people ask me if I think
Speaker 1: she's going to get jail time.
Speaker 2: The truth is, I don't know.
Speaker 1: It will be up to the judge at the sentencing
Speaker 1: hearing on October 23rd. Woodnick plans to be there, and
Speaker 1: I asked him to make one more prediction about her consequences.
Speaker 5: I think incarceration is going to be part of her sentence.
Speaker 5: A lot of it is going to depend on how
Speaker 5: Laura presents at sentencing. How she approaches her culpability at
Speaker 5: sentencing is a bigger deal. Really saying she's guilty and
Speaker 5: fully acknowledging that guilt and what she's going to do
Speaker 5: to make sure this never happens again is really a
Speaker 5: conversation for October 23rd. That's when we're going to hear
Speaker 5: and see what Laura really meant by the words guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty.
Speaker 1: A lot of the content creators who've been following this
Speaker 1: case from the very beginning weren't in attendance. no one
Speaker 1: knew what to expect and no one really expected that
Speaker 1: she'd plead guilty but reality steve was there and i
Speaker 1: caught up with him after the hearing.
Speaker 6: I was still in amazement that the word guilty came
Speaker 6: out of this woman's mouth four times After three plus
Speaker 6: years of covering this woman, it was just bizarre to
Speaker 6: hear the woman admit it. And I hope she sticks
Speaker 6: by it.
Speaker 2: I asked Steve if there was anything that I missed
Speaker 2: that day.
Speaker 6: One of the things that we were hearing in the
Speaker 6: courtroom that day, and I didn't hear it with my
Speaker 6: own two ears, but there were rumblings that, quote unquote,
Speaker 6: Laura just wanted to sign this and move on with
Speaker 6: her life. Which is basically what we've been saying for
Speaker 6: three years. The only reason people keep talking about this,
Speaker 6: which in turn upsets her, is because she kept it going.
Speaker 6: And so when I heard that, I was like, great.
Speaker 6: But actions speak louder than words. And if you admit
Speaker 6: to four guilty counts, stand by it. Stand on all
Speaker 6: ten toes and say, yes, this is what I believed.
Speaker 6: I did wrong. Here's why. She doesn't owe us anything.
Speaker 6: I think all of us that have covered it are
Speaker 6: still curious as to the whys behind a lot of
Speaker 6: this stuff. Maybe we'll get it from her someday.
Speaker 3: Maybe we won't.
Speaker 1: As someone who's been following Clayton since the rose ceremony
Speaker 1: from hell, Steve's been impressed by how Clayton handled the
Speaker 1: whole situation.
Speaker 6: When we were standing there and Clayton came out, he
Speaker 6: gave you a hug and I think you asked him
Speaker 6: how he felt. I just remember him taking a good
Speaker 6: probably 10 or 15 seconds Before he can answer, because
Speaker 6: I think he was a little emotional about it. And
Speaker 6: when he finally said like, Hey, it's just amazing that
Speaker 6: this is the first time she's ever taken accountability. This
Speaker 6: is the step in the right direction. I do not
Speaker 6: want to see this woman suffer. I want her to
Speaker 6: be able to have a life and not end up
Speaker 6: as a statistic essentially. And I thought that was really
Speaker 6: empathetic for a guy who's literally been tortured by this
Speaker 6: woman for the last three years. It shows you what
Speaker 6: kind of guy that Clayton is.
Speaker 1: There were two more people I wanted to talk with
Speaker 1: to hear the reaction to the news. Mike and Danielle Maricini.
Speaker 8: I was not shocked. I mean, the evidence was overwhelmingly
Speaker 8: against her. I think it was the only logical choice
Speaker 8: for her to do was to plead guilty, but I
Speaker 8: was not shocked that she took it.
Speaker 9: I was shocked. I was the opposite of Mike. I
Speaker 9: really thought one, it was fake news and I had
Speaker 9: to like double check with handful of people to figure
Speaker 9: out that it was real. And two, it felt like
Speaker 9: a cop-out to me, frankly. Because again, she's doubled down
Speaker 9: so hard on these narratives for so long.
Speaker 8: I've had mixed emotions about it because part of me
Speaker 8: feels relief that she did take accountability. The other part
Speaker 8: of me is that I want her to face the
Speaker 8: maximum sentencing. And I don't know what the sentencing is
Speaker 8: obviously going to be, but when you take a plea,
Speaker 8: it's usually a much lighter sentence than actually going to trial.
Speaker 1: The next day, My phone started blowing up. In a
Speaker 1: group text with Mike and Danielle, they delivered some big news.
Speaker 1: News Danielle got while away on a quick trip with
Speaker 1: their daughters.
Speaker 9: I was actually in Disneyland with my two kids on
Speaker 9: a rogue best friend trip. And I was laying in
Speaker 9: our hotel room in the pitch black because my kids
Speaker 9: were napping. And I got two texts from him that
Speaker 9: just were Danielle, Danielle in all caps. and a screenshot
Speaker 9: of the TEDx website, and then below it, the caption said,
Speaker 9: it's gone.
Speaker 5: The video is gone.
Speaker 1: Laura's TEDx video about Mike Maricini was finally taken down.
Speaker 9: I was laying there in the dark, and my daughter
Speaker 9: was laying next to me, and I just started crying, like, silently,
Speaker 9: because it was such a relief that it's finally gone.
Speaker 9: I mean, people... have watched it and told me about
Speaker 9: it and have said, oh, I don't believe it. But
Speaker 9: I think in the back of everybody's mind, there was
Speaker 9: like doubt of whether or not it was true or not.
Speaker 9: And so the moment that I found out, it was just,
Speaker 9: we were ecstatic.
Speaker 8: It was unbelievable to see that actually happen. I feel
Speaker 8: like it was the biggest win to date. Because this
Speaker 8: video has been up for years and it's such a
Speaker 8: heinous video. And I'm just so angry that TEDx actually
Speaker 8: kept it up for this long. I felt immense relief
Speaker 8: when the video was taken down and I broke down.
Speaker 8: And I know I say that quite a bit, but
Speaker 8: it's something where I always felt like people had watched
Speaker 8: the video before talking with me. And so now knowing
Speaker 8: that that isn't the case anymore is truly just such
Speaker 8: a great feeling.
Speaker 1: Laura's sentencing in Arizona is currently scheduled for October 23rd.
Speaker 1: We'll be back with another episode then. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: Mike and Danielle are still waiting to see if Laura
Speaker 1: continues to pursue her appeal and her domestic violence restraining
Speaker 1: order case in California. In light of Laura's guilty plea,
Speaker 1: I asked Danielle if she thinks Laura will back down
Speaker 1: from pursuing her appeal or filing a new DVRO against Mike.
Speaker 9: I don't think she's actually remorseful is what it comes
Speaker 9: down to. I think she was caught red-handed in the
Speaker 9: act and she was forced into a corner. I don't
Speaker 9: actually believe that she thinks she was in the wrong.
Speaker 9: She's trying to do what's in her best interest. And
Speaker 9: I think that's the worst part of her pleading guilty
Speaker 9: is because I know she's not sorry. We've known she's
Speaker 9: not sorry this whole time while she was filing appeals
Speaker 9: in California with 14 felonies against her. She didn't care.
Speaker 9: She's had no mercy on any of us. And now
Speaker 9: she's asking for mercy?
Speaker 3: Get out of here.
Speaker 4: Thank you so much for listening.
Speaker 1: Please be sure to follow Love Trapped on Apple Podcasts,
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Speaker 1: Trapped is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of
Speaker 1: Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. This show
Speaker 1: was executive produced by Nancy Glass, Andrea Gunning, and Ben Fetterman. Written, produced,
Speaker 1: and hosted by me, Stephanie Young. Our story editor is
Speaker 1: Monique Laborde. Producer on this episode is Sydney Gladue. Additional
Speaker 1: production support from Todd Gans. Our production manager is Kristen Malkiri.
Speaker 1: For iHeart Podcasts, Allie Perry was our executive producer. Audio
Speaker 1: editing and mastering by Anna McClain. Additional editing support by
Speaker 1: Tanner Robbins and Matt DelVecchio. This podcast was developed in
Speaker 1: collaboration with Danny Passman and Leb Abramoff at Crybaby Media.
Speaker 1: The Love Trapped theme is composed by Oliver Baines. Music
Speaker 1: library provided by Mibe Music. A special thanks to Carrie Lieberman,
Speaker 1: Will Pearson, Jessica Kreincheck, Allie Cantor, and the entire iHeart
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