Texas lawyer's sentence for spiking wife's drinks with abortion drug was 'profound injustice,' she says
The wife of a Texas lawyer accused of spiking her drinks with an abortion drug isn’t satisfied with the sentence that he received last week following his guilty plea. (Image from Shutterstock)
The wife of a Texas lawyer accused of spiking her drinks with an abortion drug isn’t satisfied with the sentence that he received last week following his guilty plea.
Houston lawyer Mason Herring, 39, was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation after pleading guilty to injury of a child and assault of a pregnant person, report Houston Public Media, KTRK, the New York Times and the Associated Press.
A charge of assault to induce abortion was dropped as part of a plea agreement.
Herring’s wife, Catherine Herring, told the New York Times that she thought that the sentence was “a flagrant and profound injustice” for his “wicked act of deception.”
Catherine Herring said her husband had encouraged her to drink more water and told her to drink the entire cup that he gave her March 17, 2022. After she began drinking, she noticed that the water was cloudy, but Mason Herring said it was likely because of a dirty cup or bad pipes, she said. She became ill with cramping, diarrhea and bleeding 30 minutes later.
Catherine Herring and Mason Herring were separated at the time that he stopped by her home with the water and breakfast.
The baby was later born 10 weeks prematurely and had to spend 117 days in the hospital. The child, now 18 months old, has developmental delays. Catherine Herring thinks that the abortion drug was at fault, according to the New York Times.
Catherine Herring did not drink other beverages brought to her by her husband. Testing showed at least two of them had the abortion drug misoprostol, prosecutors have said. She later found packaging in the trash outside her home for a medication called Cyrux, an abortion drug sold in Mexico, according to allegations in the case.
Catherine Herring told police that she was in couples counseling with her husband when she told him that she was pregnant. Mason Herring allegedly had a negative reaction.
A lawyer for Mason Herring, Dan Cogdell, told Houston Public Media that the matter is serious, and he isn’t unsympathetic to Catherine Herring’s reaction to the sentence.
“But this is a third-degree felony,” Cogdell told Houston Public Media. “This is not a capital murder. No lives were lost. No permanent injuries have occurred. That young child will go forward and I think be fine. His ex-wife will move forward and I hope be fine. And Mason will go forward and I hope be fine.”
