Texas woman who was pregnant was killed; death penalty sought

A Texas jury was requested to execute a defendant on Wednesday for the murder of a pregnant lady and the theft of her unborn child from her womb.

The appeal was filed as the punishment phase of Taylor Parker’s capital murder trial began. Parker is accused of killing Reagan Simmons-Hancock in October 2020 and stealing her unborn child. Parker was previously found guilty of capital murder by a Bowie County jury.

Prior to killing Simmons-Hancock, 21, at her New Boston home on October 9, 2020, to obtain the child she claimed to be carrying, Parker, 29, fabricated a pregnancy and lied numerous times, according to the prosecution’s Kelley Crisp. Baby also passed away.

The goal of Parker’s defense team is to convince the jury to spare her life and sentence her to life in prison without the chance of release. They would demonstrate that Parker had a mental illness, according to defense attorney Jeff Harrelson.