A six man, six woman jury heard opening statements and testimony from multiple state witnesses on Monday in the capital murder trial of Taylor Renee Parker. Parker is accused of murdering her pregnant friend Reagan Hancock on October 9, 2020 and removing her unborn fetus from her body.
Bowie County ADA Kelley Crisp was matter- of-fact in her opening statement, painting Parker as a cunning liar and superb actress, and claiming she was “obsessed” and “besotted” with her then-boyfriend, whose child she had been claiming to carry for more than ten months before allegedly committing the crime for which she is now standing trial.
Defense attorney Jeff Harrelson instructed jurors that while it was understandable if “something makes you sad or angry,” he urged them to listen to the evidence, follow the law, and be fair. Morning session saw the testimony, cross examination, and re-direct of Dr. Christopher Mason of Northeast Texas Women’s Health in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Parker was a patient at his clinic until 2015, and worked there for an undetermined period of time as a front desk receptionist. During that time, Parker delivered two healthy children before seeking permanent sterilization in the form of tubal ligation in early 2014. The tubal ligation failed (occurring in around 1% of permanent sterilization procedures) and nineteen months later, complications from endometriosis and an ectopic pregnancy led to an emergency hysterectomy, leaving Parker medically unable to bear children. Dr. Mason was questioned thoroughly by both prosecution and defense on the counseling procedures in place before a permanent sterilization procedure and the state produced documentation signed by Parker acknowledging her desire to go through with the surgery. Dr. Mason testified that in 2020 his office was informed that Parker was claiming to be pregnant and that she would deliver at Titus Regional Medical Center. He testified that while HIPPA laws prevented him from taking action against what he knew to be false claims, he did put the hospital on alert that the safety and security of infants born during that time was to be high priority.
