A Bowie County judge ordered a woman accused of killing a pregnant New Boston, Texas, woman so she could steal her unborn baby girl will be held without bail.
Taylor Rene Parker, aka Taylor Morton, 28, was in court Friday morning for a hearing before 202nd District Judge John Tidwell. Parker’s lead defense attorney, Jeff Harrelson of Texarkana, entered a not guilty plea to an indictment charging Parker with capital murder in the death of the baby. Harrelson previously entered pleas of not guilty to capital murder involving the death of the mother and a kidnapping charge.
The state is seeking the death penalty for Parker.
First Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp said her office intends to go to trial first on the capital murder charge involving the death of the mother, Reagan Hancock. Crisp asked Tidwell to revoke bails totaling $5 million and enter an order holding Parker without bail. Tidwell agreed.
Crisp also asked Tidwell to set the case for trial. Tidwell said he expects the case will be set for jury selection in the middle of 2022 and asked Crisp and Harrelson to discuss possible dates between May and October of next year.
Parker did not speak at the hearing.
Parker allegedly attacked Reagan Hancock at her home in New Boston on the morning of Oct. 9. Parker was stopped by a Texas state trooper near DeKalb, Texas, at 9:37 a.m., according to a probable cause affidavit.
Parker was allegedly attempting to perform CPR on the infant in her lap and allegedly claimed she gave birth to the baby on the side of the road. Parker and the infant were transported by ambulance to a hospital in Idabel, Oklahoma. The baby was pronounced dead and doctors there determined Parker had not given birth.
Parker was arrested in Oklahoma after Hancock’s mother discovered her body and paramedics determined the baby had been cut from the mother’s body.
Parker had allegedly been faking a pregnancy and was a friend of Hancock’s. Parker’s boyfriend told investigators he and Parker had a gender reveal party and that he believed she was pregnant with his child. The boyfriend said he expected to meet Parker at the Idabel hospital that day at “about lunch time” for an induced delivery.
Parker allegedly confessed to the phony pregnancy and admitted to using a small scalpel to remove the unborn infant from Hancock’s body. The scalpel was found lodged in Hancock’s neck during an autopsy performed at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas.
If found guilty of capital murder Parker faces death or life without parole. If found guilty of kidnapping she faces two to 10 years in prison.
