A woman in Texas who was convicted of capital murder for killing an expectant mother in an attempt to steal her unborn baby was sentenced to death Wednesday.
Taylor Parker, 29, was convicted for the murder of 21-year-old Reagan Simmons-Hancock and the kidnapping of her newborn, who failed to survive the incident.
The attack occurred on Oct. 9, 2020, after Parker entered Simmons-Hancock’s New Boston residence and lunged at her with a scalpel, authorities said.
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The expecting mother was 34 weeks pregnant and suffered over 100 stab wounds, including a slice wound from hip to hip.
Along with the wounds to her abdomen, Simmons-Hancock was stabbed, her skull was fractured, and she was reportedly beaten with a 4-pound jar of sand she was given at her wedding.
Parker was caught driving away from the scene with the newborn on her lap, authorities said.
Parker attempted to claim that the child was her own and that she had given birth on the road.
The newborn was then rushed to a local hospital, where the child was declared dead.
During the trial, the attorneys for Parker attempted to argue that the newborn was never alive, and they wanted to dismiss the kidnapping charge.
However, the prosecution maintained that the child had a heartbeat and cited medical professionals in the case.
Sentencing proceedings for Parker lasted 25 days and saw at least 142 witnesses inform the jury.
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“We are just glad justice has been served, not only for our family, our friends, the prosecution team, our community,” the victim’s mother said after the sentencing.
