Woman Sentenced to Death for Grisly Murder of Pregnant Friend
A 32-year-old woman, Taylor Rene Parker, has been sentenced to death in Texas for the brutal murder of her pregnant friend, Reagan Simmons-Hancock, and the abduction of her unborn baby.
Background and Motive
Parker, who had undergone a hysterectomy and was unable to conceive, couldn’t bring herself to tell her boyfriend, Wade Griffin, the truth.
Instead, she concocted an elaborate scheme to obtain a baby, offering $100,000 to acquaintances to act as surrogates.
When that failed, she turned her attention to Simmons-Hancock, a 21-year-old pregnant woman she had befriended.
The Crime and Investigation
In October 2020, Parker brutally attacked Simmons-Hancock, beating her over the head and stabbing her multiple times before cutting open her abdomen and removing the unborn baby, Braxlynn Sage.
The horrific act was committed in front of Simmons-Hancock’s three-year-old daughter.
Parker then stole the placenta, placed it in her trousers, and drove away with the baby, who unfortunately did not survive.
Initially, authorities believed Parker’s false claims of having given birth, but her lies unraveled during questioning at the hospital.
Despite her attempts to deceive police, they discovered the truth, including the fact that she had undergone a hysterectomy.
Trial and Sentencing
Prosecutors described Parker as an “actress of the highest order,” citing the extensive nature of her fraud and deception.
During her trial, Parker pleaded not guilty but has since taken responsibility for her actions, stating that she was in “denial” until reality hit her in the courtroom.
Parker sits on death row in Texas, appealing her sentence.
Her actions have been met with outrage and grief from Simmons-Hancock’s family, including her mother, Jessica Brooks, who labeled Parker an “evil piece of flesh demon.”
In a statement, Parker expressed her remorse, saying, “Every word spoken by the family I took with me that day.
They were true words of pain and grief and love that I needed to hear to start my road to redemption.”
Despite this, she has no desire to leave prison, believing her place is behind bars.