Has Taylor Parker’s execution date been set? What we know about Netflix’s ‘Maternal Instinct’ killer on death row
Taylor Parker's life has become the center of attention since the release of 'Maternal Instinct' on Netflix. It features events in Parker's life that led to her being apprehended by police on October 9, 2020. The true crime documentary reveals how, for nearly nine months, the Texan woman pretended to be pregnant to deceive her boyfriend, Wade Griffin. To keep the ruse going, she killed a pregnant Reagan Simmons-Hancock and stole her unborn child. Her actions terrified the public and authorities, and she became the youngest woman on death row in Texas. Since 2020, she has remained behind bars and is currently awaiting execution at the Patrick L. O'Daniel Unit in Gatesville. As per the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, her execution date is yet to be determined.
Parker appealed her conviction back in 2022, according to PEOPLE. However, after three years of proceedings, the court upheld her conviction. In May 2026, the US Supreme Court announced that her case would not be reviewed. Parker once told Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lawrence Wright that she initially did not believe the charges against her were true. "I told myself, 'You didn't do what they said. It's lies,'" she shared, as per New Yorker. "My realization came when I had to face the autopsy photos." The interview took place in 2025, and then, she was at peace with staying in prison. "It's the hardest thing to admit, but I do not believe in going home for myself. My place is here," she said. "I stand firm on the belief you do not deserve to have something you took from another. That's part of the acknowledgment and acceptance process on the road to redemption," she added.
21-year-old Simmons-Hancock was an expecting mother who interacted professionally with Parker, a photographer. To keep her lie from falling apart, Parker took an unimaginable step, and half an hour after the crime, her lie unraveled. She was stopped by the authorities at a traffic stop for erratic driving and lied to them about having just given birth. The officials took her to a hospital, where doctors declared she was never pregnant after a check-up. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Chad Dansby and New Boston officers eventually made her confess to everything and took her into custody. Simmons-Hancock's daughter died after a few hours in the hospital. During the hearing, the Bowie County District Attorney's Office accused her of causing "chaos" and "confusion" in the facility, as per KTAL. Parker also apparently shared with her fellow inmate that she is being accused because of her massive wealth. Bowie County First Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp labeled the claims "wild lies."
The exact reasoning behind her crimes remains a mystery. The pregnancy was not the only lie she told to her boyfriend Griffin, a roofing company supervisor and hog farmer. She also lied to him about inheriting millions from a wealthy grandmother. She promised to buy him a ranch in Oklahoma through that inheritance. To make this inheritance story look more authentic, she forged official-looking documents and checks. In 2020, Parker requested her ex-husband Tommy Wacasey to take back custody of their daughter, fearing that Griffin would break up with her. It is possible that all her lies were to keep Griffin tied to her. 'Maternal Instinct' is currently streaming on Netflix.
