Once envisioning a blissful future with her boyfriend Wade Griffin, Taylor Parker now faces the grim reality of a death sentence. Parker’s obsession with achieving her own version of a fairy tale ending led her down a dark path. She fabricated a pregnancy and, in a tragic turn of events, assaulted 21-year-old Reagan Simmons Hancock, a pregnant mother, in a desperate attempt to take the baby as her own. This shocking crime, as detailed in a Texas Court of Criminal Appeals opinion, resulted in Parker’s conviction.
The case has drawn renewed attention through Netflix’s documentary, Maternal Instinct, which explores Parker’s actions and the subsequent legal proceedings. Even while in custody awaiting trial, prosecutors argued that Parker continued to weave a web of deceit.
Back in January 2020, Parker announced her supposed pregnancy, just a few months after meeting Griffin at a Texas rodeo. Griffin, who worked as a roofing company supervisor and hog farmer, became the unwitting focus of Parker’s elaborate and ultimately tragic deception.
Here’s everything to know about Taylor Parker’s life today following her murder conviction:
Taylor Parker Killed Reagan Simmons Hancock in Pregnancy Con
Parker announced she was pregnant in January of 2020, just months after meeting Griffin, a roofing company supervisor and hog farmer, at a Texas rodeo, according to the court records.
She falsely claimed to be on the verge of inheriting millions from a wealthy grandmother, promising to buy Griffin a multi-million ranch in Oklahoma, forging official-looking documents and checks in a misguided attempt to carry out the ruse, according to Griffin’s court testimony recounted by KTAL.
During the relationship, Parker also claimed to be pregnant—even though she had a hysterectomy in 2015. The mom of two used a silicone belly and customized ultrasound to pull off the con, according to the court records, selecting a name for her baby and holding a gender reveal party.
But after her so-called due date came and went without a baby, Parker went to the home of Hancock, one of her bridal photography clients, on Oct. 9, 2020 and attacked her, inflicting more than 100 sharp force injuries, per the court records. After killing Hancock, she cut the baby from her womb and then attempted to claim the infant as her own during a traffic stop less than half an hour later, authorities said. The baby later died at the hospital.
The deception was uncovered after a doctor examined Parker and determined she had not just given birth, according to the documentary.
Prosecutors Alleged Taylor Parker Continued Deceptive Behavior in Jail
Parker was arrested at the hospital that same day and taken to jail to await trial—where prosecutors alleged that her manipulations continued.
In court documents filed by the Bowie County District Attorney’s Office, obtained by WDBJ, prosecutors alleged Parker “repeatedly and continuously engaged in criminal behavior, violations of jail policy, and has continued her fraudulent pattern of lying and misrepresenting almost all aspects of her medical history and medical status.”
The documents, also obtained by KTAL, noted she “has repeatedly and continuously engaged in criminal behavior, including a massive fraudulent scheme directed at fabricating evidence, tampering with witnesses and ultimately attempting to frame a mentally fragile inmate” for the crime. As part of the scheme, she allegedly penned two confession letters that she hoped would look like they were written by the fragile inmate, the outlet reported.
Prosecutors also accused Parker of altering her jail clothing to make it more revealing as she pursued romantic relationships with fellow inmates, WDBJ reported.
“The defendant has been incarcerated at the Bowie County jail and has continuously and repeatedly caused chaos and confusion,” they noted in documents, according to KTAL, “and has disrupted jail operations by fabricating grievances, medical conditions and issues with other inmates and correctional officers.”
Prosecutors also accused Parker of threatening to file lawsuits against various members of the jail staff and offering multiple versions of what happened the day Hancock died. In one account, KTAL reported that she claimed to a girlfriend that she had been framed for the murder because of her alleged wealth.
“I don’t want to be a hero because I wasn’t that day. Reagan refused to show those SOBs any weakness,” Parker allegedly wrote. “As I begged pleaded cried screamed. She told me to say nothing. I will never unsee the worst day of my life.”
Bowie County First Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp called the claims in the documents “wild lies.”
Parker’s attorney Jeff Harrelson argued in the opening statements of the sentencing portion of her trial that the mom of two suffered from mental health issues that may have compromised her decision making.
“If you make a terrible decision, are you defined by that decision?” he told the jury, according to KTAL. “There were times that she was a good mom until certain events affected that. She’s also human. We submit to you an unwell, flawed human, but a human being, nonetheless. We want to show you how life events shaped who she became.”
A jury ultimately convicted Parker of murder and sentenced her to death after a 25-day sentencing hearing, KSLA reported.
Where is Taylor Parker Now?
Parker, 33, is currently incarcerated at the Patrick L. O’Daniel unit in Gatesville, Texas according to Texas Department of Corrections records reviewed by Oxygen.
She is one of just seven women serving on Texas’ death row.
Just last month, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal after her attorneys asked the nation’s highest court to review her case, KTAL reported.
Her attorneys contended that she didn’t receive a fair trial and argued she should not have been convicted of kidnapping Hancock’s baby.
No execution date has been set.