“Take Her to Death Row”: Texas Woman Sentenced to Death for Killing Woman, Cutting Unborn Baby from Womb
Above: Taylor Parker in court (Credit |Texarkana Gazette)
NEW BOSTON, Texas — Taylor Parker, the woman convicted of killing a pregnant mother and cutting her unborn baby from the womb, has been sentenced to death.
A Bowie County jury reportedly deliberated for just over an hour before returning a death sentence against Parker, 29, who had been convicted of capital murder by the same jury in 2020.
The victim is identified as 21-year-old Reagan Simmons-Hancock. Her body was found at her home in New Boston on October 9, 2020. Simmons-Hancock’s three-year-old daughter had also been at the home when her mother was killed, according to reports.
Prosecutors also highlighted during the trial that Simmons-Hancock had been savagely beaten and slashed, in addition to having her baby torn from her body.
After leaving the crime scene, Parker was reportedly pulled over for driving erratically and allegedly told the state trooper that she’d just given birth. The baby, Braxlynn Sage Hancock, was still alive at the time but ultimately passed away.
Investigators testified at trial that Parker, who was acquainted with Simmons-Hancock and her husband, had faked a pregnancy in an attempt to keep her relationship with her boyfriend, going as far as doing extensive research on how to fake a pregnancy and even researching the expected physical condition of an infant delivered 35 weeks early.
Parker reportedly also went to great lengths to fake an active pregnancy, including falsifying ultrasounds and holding a gender-reveal party.
The Texarkana Gazette reported that, following the verdict and after hearing impact statements from Simmons-Hancock’s family, Judge John Tidwell said to the bailiff, “Take her to death row.”
