These are Yes or No Questions | EP 7

Stephani Young (0:05)

Hey everyone, before we start this episode I want to let you know that this one includes some graphic descriptions of pregnancy loss, as well as allegations of sexual assault.

On June 10, 2024, the Laura Owens and Clayton Echard paternity case finally went to trial. This was the definitive legal showdown everyone had been waiting for. But before Clayton's attorney, Greg Woodnick, could even walk into the courtroom, he was met with a surprise.

Greg Woodnick (0:38)

We walked into the courthouse, and my team was walking through security. I turned to my right, and kind of right up next to me is Laura's attorney. And he says something to the extent is, we need to talk now. I'm calling the police now.

Stephani Young (0:55)

At first, Woodnick didn't understand what was going on. It appeared that Laura's attorney was calling the police.

Greg Woodnick (1:03)

I felt my blood pressure racing that he was suggesting he was calling the police in a courthouse.

Stephani Young (1:09)

There were plenty of police and security guards already present. It was a courthouse. But today seemed to be different. Maybe it's because their trial involved a high-profile person, or maybe something else was going on. Woodnick watched in confusion as Laura's attorney began to unravel right in front of him.

Greg Woodnick (1:29)

He was like running back and forth. I remember seeing him go from the security station towards the courtroom, and it was kind of frantic. And we were just like standing there like, what the fuck? This is weird.

Stephani Young (1:41)

Woodnick stepped away from his team to investigate. It turned out Laura had a problem with someone who'd been subpoenaed to testify.

Greg Woodnick (1:50)

If I recall correctly, her attorney said, I'm not sure if she's even going to go into the courtroom, because she's so scared, and I think that he'd called 911

Stephani Young (1:59)

Laura said she was too scared to enter the courtroom. She had a protective order against both Clayton and Greg Gillespie, who were already there. But her panic on the morning of the trial was about someone else, another man she had a restraining order against, someone she'd known for years before Clayton or Greg.

Greg Woodnick (2:20)

I was confused. I said, what the hell are you talking about? They are subpoenaed. Judge Monta already granted their permission to testify.

Stephani Young (2:28)

Maybe Laura didn't actually expect this man to show up. But Woodnick had subpoenaed him for a reason.

Greg Woodnick (2:34)

I think Laura had a problem with anyone coming in and sharing the fact that there were multiple prior victims who had very similar situations happen to him. I think she's doing everything she could to avoid the court hearing testimony from these individuals.

Stephani Young (2:54)

I'm Stephani Young, and this is Love Trapped. On the morning of Clayton's paternity trial, Laura claimed she was too scared of one of the witnesses to go into the courtroom. She had her attorney call 911, but after a quick meeting in the judge's chambers, it was decided that the trial would move ahead. The energy in the courthouse was tense. Clayton felt it as soon as he arrived.

Clayton Echard (3:46)

I had been to this court a couple of times because Laura would bring me there for prior hearings. And this time I drive in and there's armed guards right when I'm driving in. And then I get out of my car and I see a couple more of them. And I'm thinking, what is going on? Like, this feels too high-profile.

Stephani Young (4:08)

That morning, the parking lot was buzzing. Many of the online detectives who had been following every twist of this case had descended upon the courthouse in Phoenix, Arizona.

Clayton Echard (4:19)

As far as people that had been covering the case, there was Dave Neal, there was Megan Fox. There was probably 50 people that were part of the Justice for Clayton community that were there. And that's when it hit me that I was like, wow, I have a tremendous amount of support.

Stephani Young (4:39)

The virtual community had suddenly become an in-person one. Many of them had been in the parking lot since 6 a.m., preparing for the trial day. It was basically a tailgate. Content creator Megan Fox is one of the many people who flew in.

Megan Fox (4:55)

We got up very early in the morning. I think it started at 8 and we needed to be there to set up our equipment, the camera and everything in the courtroom. Dave beat me there. He was already there.

Stephani Young (5:08)

Dave Neal was the unofficial leader of Clayton's supporters. He'd been following the story since the beginning.