Inside Taylor Parker’s day-to-day life on death row as she spends 22 hours locked up in her cell

Taylor Parker is currently sitting on death row in Texas after being convicted of one of the most shocking crimes in recent US history, so here’s what her day-to-day life looks like now.

Netflix’s Maternal Instinct has introduced loads of viewers to the case of the former wedding photographer, who prosecutors said spent months pretending to be pregnant before murdering her friend Reagan Simmons Hancock and cutting her unborn daughter, Braxlynn Sage, from her womb.

Taylor was convicted of capital murder in 2022 and sentenced to death. But despite the sentence, she is not expected to be executed anytime soon. So, here’s what Taylor Parker’s life on death row is actually like now.

Where is Taylor Parker now?

via Netflix

Taylor Parker, now 33, is being held at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas, which houses all women on death row in the state. She was transferred there after being sentenced to death in November 2022. Before that, she spent around two years in the Bowie County jail system while awaiting trial.

Although she has been sentenced to death, Taylor still has legal appeals available. Under Texas law, an execution date cannot be set until all state and federal appeals have been exhausted.

So for now, she remains on death row while her case continues through the courts.

One of the most surprising things Taylor has said since arriving on death row is that she does not believe she should ever leave prison. Speaking to The New Yorker, she said, “Thinking of the free world brings anxiety and fear of my past. It reminds me of those things that controlled me for so long.”

Then she added, “It’s the hardest thing to admit, but I do not believe in going home for myself. My place is here.”

Taylor continued, “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 spends 22 hours a day inside a tiny cell

via Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Like the other women on Texas death row, Taylor spends most of her day alone. According to The US Sun, her cell measures around 6 ft by 14 ft and contains only the basics, including a bed, a toilet, a sink, and a small barred window.

She is generally confined to the cell for around 22 hours a day and only leaves for showers, recreation and approved activities. Taylor compared her current conditions to the county jail where she was previously held.

Pointing around the unit, she said, “This is the Hilton compared to the county jail.”

She also described some of the inmates she lived near before arriving on death row. “I was with inmates who ate faeces and blood,” she said.

There are six other women awaiting execution in Texas, but Taylor is the youngest. Because of that, she said that other inmates have given her a nickname. “Everyone calls me the baby”.

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So, what does she do all day?

Life on death row is extremely restricted, but Taylor does have access to some activities. Women at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit can volunteer for prison work programmes, including sewing, knitting, crocheting and braille transcription projects.

They can also borrow books from the prison library and buy approved items from the commissary if they have money in their accounts.

Death row inmates are allowed limited recreation outside their cells in secure exercise areas surrounded by fencing.

Meals are also eaten alone inside their cells rather than in a communal dining hall.

Taylor found religion behind bars

As we saw in Netflix’s Maternal Instinct, Taylor spent a long time denying responsibility for what happened. But she claimed her thinking changed during her trial when she was confronted with evidence from the case.

Describing the experience, Taylor said it felt as though “Jesus hit me straight on, flesh to flesh”.

She also claimed she heard a voice telling her to “open my eyes and see reality.”

Taylor said arriving on death row was unexpectedly emotional. After being transported to Gatesville, she described entering her cell shortly after midnight as “the most grateful moment of my life” because “Christ was right there beside me.”

Does she still speak to her family?

via Netflix

Taylor is allowed to send letters, make monitored phone calls and receive approved visitors. But public records suggest she currently has no ongoing visitation or contact with her two biological children.

She has a daughter named Emersyn and a son named Trey. Court records show Taylor voluntarily gave Trey’s father custody following their divorce. Meanwhile, her mother, Shona Prior, eventually took custody of Emersyn following Taylor’s conviction.

During her trial, jurors also heard recorded jail calls that revealed a strained relationship between Taylor and her mother.

It is not publicly known whether the two remain in contact today.

Maternal Instinct is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.