A woman has been sentenced to death for killing a pregnant mother she knew and cutting off her child to be her own.
Tyler Parker, 29, is Convicted last month Or murder Reagan Simmons-Hancock, jury Wednesday Texas gave her the death penalty.
She killed the 21-year-old girl in October 2020, beating her in the head and cutting her, before “cutting her abdomen from hip to hip” to remove the baby.
Prosecutors said Ms Simmons-Hancock, who was 35 weeks pregnant, was still alive after the attack – which took place at her home where her 3-year-old daughter was at the time.
The unborn child did not survive.
In a statement to the court, Ms Simmons-Hancock’s mother Jessica Brooks called Parker an “evil flesh demon”.
She told her: “My baby was alive and fighting for her baby when you ripped open her belly and ripped her baby out of it.”
The murders took place in New Boston, 160 miles (258 kilometers) northeast of Dallas.
Parker was pulled over for speeding and erratic driving the same morning.
The baby was found on her lap with the umbilical cord appearing to come out of her pants in an attempt to make it look like she just had a baby.
It wasn’t until they were all taken to the hospital that the horrific reality began to emerge.
Before the murders, prosecutors said, Parker made herself look pregnant, faked ultrasounds and threw a gender reveal party.
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The victim’s husband, Homer Hancock, said his wife and her killer were “kind of friends” and that Parker took pictures of their wedding and engagement.
Defense attorneys said she was disappointed that Parker’s family and friends did not challenge her about the fake pregnancy.
“There’s no safety net when everyone sees the wheels come off,” defenseman Jeff Harrison said.
In closing statements Wednesday, prosecutors showed the Bowie County jury a crime scene photo of Ms. Simmons-Hancock’s bloodied body.
They could have sentenced Parker to life without parole, but she is now on death row. Her lawyers said they intend to appeal.