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A Texas lawyer was sentenced to 180 days in jail after he pleaded guilty to slipping an abortion-inducing drug into his pregnant wife’s drinks.
As part of a plea deal, Mason Herring, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts: injury to a child and assault of a pregnant person. However, in 2022, he had initially been charged with felony assault to induce abortion — reportedly the first ever to have been accused of such a crime in the state of Texas.
He was accused of putting Cyrux in his wife’s water — a drug that contains misoprostol, a pill that’s often used in combination with mifepristone to induce an abortion, according to Planned Parenthood.
His wife is now seeking a divorce and the couple have been estranged since early 2022, according to KTRK.
Speaking to the court, Catherine Herring disapproved of her soon-to-be ex’s sentence, the outlet reported: “I do not believe that 180 days is justice for attempting to kill your child seven separate times.”
She continued, “For two years, my husband has overtly denied this assault, and I’m grateful today that he has finally admitted to his guilt.”
The pair’s child was born 10 weeks prematurely, weighing just three pounds, the outlet said. She told the New York Times that she “absolutely” believes that the poisoning contributed to their daughter’s premature birth.
Herring’s attorney, Dan Codgell, called the plea agreement and sentence reasonable: “It’s a sad situation and Mason has accepted his responsibility.”
The outlet noted that a private lab confirmed the drug in Ms Herring’s beverage and that she offered to proe eence of him mixing a powder into her water.
At the time Herring was charged in 2022, assistant district attorney of Harris County Anthony Osso, said, “On the morning of March 17, the defendant, Mr. Herring, goes by the house to bring breakfast and asks if he can bring her water in bed.”
The husband is reportedly telling her she needs to stay hydrated. “She thought it was odd,” Mr Osso said. “She thought the water was cloudy. She questioned him a little bit, but, nonetheless, did drink the water, and then he leaves and takes that cup.”
The pregnant woman suddenly became ill and was taken to urgent care as doctors tried to figure out what had caused her to become sick.
Suspicious, Ms Herring reportedly set up cameras around their home, although her husband had moved out. Come April, she found Cyrux in the garbage can. Days later, cameras caught Herring putting powder into her glass, Mr Osso explained, prompting her to contact police.
Herring was ordered to begin his sentence on 1 March.
