Laura Sloan Freeland (Vanessa Parise) is a hidden villainess from "The House on Barry Avenue," the final segment from episode 2.05 of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (airdate February 27, 1998).
Laura Sloan's backstory revealed that at the age of seven, she started a fire that killed several people, and she was later charged with criminal arson. She spent her childhood as a ward of the court until the age of 18, when she was released from court custody. In the time that passed since her release, Laura married Stuart Freeland.
In the events of the segment, a fire struck the Freelands' home on Barry Avenue--a home that (according to Stuart) the couple just moved into. After firefighters put out the flames, the couple called an electrician--believing that bad wiring caused the fire, but later that day, another fire started on an armchair and was put out by Stuart. The Freelands called Dr. Lloyd Cameron, a paranormal expert, who concluded that the fire and its energy was connected to either Stuart or Laura. At that moment, Stuart revealed that when he was nine, he and his brother set a fire that destroyed a wooded area, and their father said to them that the culprit would be followed by fire. All the while, Laura (the actual villainous child arsonist) allowed Stuart to believe that his actions were the reason for the mysterious fires.
Despite Stuart's confession, the fires continued and the house was ordered destroyed. It was during the destruction that Laura's villainous reveal occurred, as Detective Harold Peters, who was on the case of the house fires, was handed a scrapbook that featured photos and newspaper clippings that revealed Laura's criminal actions. The reveal also confirmed that the psychic energy was connected to Laura all along, and it was stated that Laura and Stuart moved to another town.
Trivia[]
- This story was revealed as fact at the end of the episode.
