Taylor Parker case: Woman convicted of killing pregnant mom sentenced to death
11/09/2022 4:08 pm PST
NEW BOSTON, Texas (TCD) -- A 29-year-old woman was recently sentenced to death for the October 2020 murder of a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
On Oct. 3, Taylor Parker was found guilty of capital murder in the death of Reagan Hancock, who was found "on the ground, in the living room of the house face down with a large abundance of what appeared to be blood throughout the house." Parker stabbed and strangled the victim to death before cutting Reagan’s unborn baby, Braxlynn Sage Hancock, out.
Reagan, who was found with a scalpel in her neck, had been stabbed over 100 times, including 39 times on her scalp.
The victim’s 3-year-old daughter was reportedly home during the murder.
That same day, Parker was pulled over and found "holding a newborn infant in her lap" while she was driving. Braxlynn’s umbilical cord was reportedly coming out of Parker’s pants, and she was performing CPR on the child.
Parker and the baby were transported to a hospital, where staff determined that Parker did not give birth to Braxlynn.
On Wednesday, Nov. 9, Parker was sentenced to death, KTAL-TV reports. It reportedly took the jury approximately 90 minutes to return the verdict.
According to KTBS-TV, during the sentencing, Reagan’s mother told Parker, "We all know you think this is all about you, but it’s not! It’s about Reagan and Braxlynn Sage, and the light they were while here."
Parker will be transported to death row at the Mountain View Correctional Unit in Gatesville, Texas.
Prior to killing the victims, Parker reportedly faked a pregnancy and even purchased a fake baby belly online. She could not physically have children due to a tubal ligation and a partial hysterectomy. To prevent her boyfriend from leaving her, Parker allegedly bought fake sonograms as well.
To hear more about the case, listen to the True Crime Daily: The Podcast episode below.
MORE:
TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page for podcasts, exclusive videos, and more, and don’t forget to follow us on TikTok.