Texas Woman Sentenced to Death After Killing Pregnant Woman in Attempt to Take Her Unborn Baby

A Texas woman has been handed the death penalty for killing a pregnant woman in an attempt to take her unborn child.

Taylor Parker, 29, was given the death penalty on Nov. 9 by a Texas jury after a deliberation that took over an hour, according to the Texarkana Gazette.

Parker was found guilty of killing Reagan Hancock, 21, and cutting out her unborn baby, later resulting in the child's death, the Texarkana Gazette reported. 

The attempt to steal the child was planned to help Parker fake her pregnancy to keep her boyfriend, according to prosecutors. Parker also made herself look pregnant, faked the ultrasounds, and hosted a gender-reveal party, according to CBS News. 

Parker's attorney, Jeff Harrelson, told jury members in his closing argument that Parker was let down by loved ones that didn’t challenge her about her pregnancy, CBS News reported. 

"There was no safety net when everyone saw the wheels were off," said Harrelson, according to CBS News.

The sentencing proceeding went on for 25 days, starting on Oct. 12, and included 142 witnesses that the jury heard from, according to KTRE.

“We are just glad justice has been served, not only for our family, our friends, the prosecution team, our community,” said Jessica Brooks, Hancock’s mother, according to KTRE.

Related Stories