Woman found guilty of capital murder after killing expectant mother, cutting out unborn baby

NEW BOSTON, Texas (KSLA/Gray News) - Taylor Parker was found guilty of capital murder after killing expectant mother Reagan Hancock, 21, and cutting her unborn child out of her body.

The jury reached a guilty verdict after less than an hour of deliberations, KSLA reports.

Parker was also found guilty of kidnapping.

“We all hoped that it was coming to that. We were not sure, but we hoped that it was coming to that,” said Hancock’s aunt, Jamie Mason.

Mason was in the courtroom when the verdict was read. Speaking for the family, she praised the job the attorneys did in prosecuting the three-week long case.

“I know sentencing doesn’t start until Oct. 12. Just pray for the family, because it is still hard time until we know for sure what she is going to get,” Mason said.

During the sentencing, the judge will have two options: life in prison without parole or the death sentence.

In October 2020, Parker went to Hancock’s home, killed her and then cut her unborn child out of her body. While holding the newborn in her lap, Parker was stopped by the police and told them the baby was hers.

Police later arrested Parker at an Oklahoma hospital after she arrived with the deceased infant.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors said Parker pretended to be pregnant for 10 months, all in an effort to keep her boyfriend.

In closing arguments, prosecutors described Parker as a liar, manipulator and actress during her months of claiming to be pregnant.

The state is seeking the death sentence.

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