The 11th Hour in Laura Owens' Criminal Case

On May 20th, host Stephanie Young returned to the Maricopa County Superior Courthouse in Phoenix for another hearing in the criminal case against Laura Owens. In the hallway before the hearing, she watched an awkward confrontation: Laura's mother, Jan Black, walked up to Clayton Eckard's attorney Greg Woodnick and asked why he was staring at her. Woodnick later described the encounter as "a little confrontational and a little bit uncomfortable." The moment captured the tension surrounding a case that had drawn national attention since the podcast aired.

The Plea Deal That Won't Die

The central question hanging over the case was whether Laura would accept a plea deal—and what that deal actually contained. After the last episode aired, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell gave a radio interview suggesting the case was headed to trial. "Yeah, that's the next step," she said when asked if the case would go to trial. The news spread rapidly across Reddit and social media.

But within days, a new headline replaced the old one: the plea deadline had been extended. At the May 20th hearing, the state confirmed that the new expiration date was June 26th. Laura's third attorney, Christian Luters, told the judge they would have an answer by then. The hearing lasted about four minutes.

What Laura's Attorney Is Actually Doing