Woman Sentenced To Death For Killing Pregnant Woman, Removing Victim’s Baby From Womb In U.S

A woman convicted of killing a pregnant woman and then taking her unborn baby, who also died, has been sentenced to death by a Texas jury.

Taylor Parker who was found guilty of killing Reagan Hancock and removing her unborn child was sentenced to death on Wednesday after a 25-day hearing.

During closing arguments, the district attorney said they believe Parker is not going to change and will disregard any individual but herself, KSLA reported.They mentioned this was the most heinous case the county has seen.

“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.

The defence argued that Parker’s family failed to address her traumatic issues. They asked why there was no intervention, not to place blame, but to give jurors a total picture.

A photo was shown in the courtroom Wednesday of Hancock’s body at the crime scene.

The prosecution said they want to remember her as a mother who died fighting for her baby. Earlier in the trial, Hancock’s fingernails were found in the placenta.

According to KSLA, the last order given by Judge John Tidwell was, “Take her to death row.

According to CNN, the same Bowie County jury convicted Parker on October 3 of capital murder in the 2020 slaying of 21-year-old Reagan Simmons-Hancock, whose baby was cut from her womb and did not survive.

In a statement to the court, Simmons-Hancock’s mother addressed Parker as an “evil piece of flesh demon.”

“My baby was alive still fighting for her babies when you tore her open and ripped her baby from her stomach,” Jessica Brooks said.

Simmons-Hancock’s body was found on October 9, 2020, at her home in New Boston, a city of about 4,600 people that’s 160 miles northeast of Dallas. Her three-year-old daughter was at home when her mother was killed.

Later that morning, Parker claimed she’d just given birth after being pulled over by a state trooper for speeding and driving erratically. The baby, Braxlynn Sage Hancock, was taken to a hospital in Oklahoma, where she was pronounced dead.

Prosecutors have said that in an attempt to keep her boyfriend, Parker made herself look pregnant, faked ultrasounds and even had a gender-reveal party.

According to the report, Homer Hancock, Simmons-Hancock’s husband, testified that Parker and his wife were “somewhat friends,” and that Parker had taken their engagement and wedding photos.

Prosecutor Kelley Crisp, in closing statements, showed jurors a crime scene photo of Simmons-Hancock soaked in blood on the floor.

She told jurors that Parker needed to be sentenced to death because she’s a danger. She said that in addition to having her baby ripped from her womb, Simmons-Hancock was “slashed” hundreds of times and beaten.

Parker’s attorney, Jeff Harrelson, told jurors in closing statements that “words can be used to dehumanize,” and said that there are “layers” and “shades of gray” to people’s lives.

“She is a human,” he said.Harrelson also said Parker was let down by her friends and family, who didn’t confront her about the fake pregnancy.

“There was no safety net when everyone saw the wheels were off,” he said.