Texas attorney sentenced to 6 months in alleged abortion attempt of wife's baby

A Houston attorney who pleaded guilty in the poisoning of his pregnant wife in an alleged attempt to induce an abortion has been sentenced to six months in jail, a term she criticized as not enough.

Mason Herring, 39, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to injuring a child and the assault of a pregnant person, according to the Harris County District Clerk's Office. Under terms of a plea agreement, a more serious charge of felony assault to induce abortion was dropped.

Herring's wife, Catherine Herring, told the court that the couple's now 1-year-old daughter − their third child − has developmental delays, needs to go to therapy eight times a week and was born 10 weeks premature, according to the Associate Press.

She said his jail sentence is not enough.

“I do not believe that 180 days is justice for attempting to kill your child seven separate times,” she said, AP reported.

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Timeline of events

Mason Herring began slipping abortion pills into his wife's drinks in March 2022, according to a police report Catherine Herring filed the following month. The pills were identified as being Cyrux, which are sold in Mexico.

At the time the couple were vacationing in west Texas and working on their marriage but Mason Herring was allegedly involved romantically with a co-worker and wasn't happy his wife was pregnant, according to a complaint filed against Mason Herring that USA TODAY obtained on Thursday.

At one point during the trip, Catherine Herring reported that her husband repeatedly told her she needed to drink more water, handed her a glass of water and wouldn't leave until she drank all of it, the complaint said.

"Catherine Herring stated that she drank out of the cup and stopped to take a breath, noticing that the water inside the cup appeared to be cloudy," according to the complaint.

When Catherine Herring asked her husband about why the water was cloudy, he said either the cup or the water pipes were dirty, the complaint said.

Catherine Herring told police that she drank the water but became ill afterward and began bleeding almost as if she were having her period. She said her husband tried to give her more contaminated beverages the following two months.

What does Mason Herring say?

Catherine Herring set up hidden cameras in her home and captured the moment her husband mixed a substance into one of her drinks, handing the video over to police, the complaint said.

While Catherine Herring said the punishment for her former husband was inadequate, Mason Herring's defense attorney, Dan Cogdell, said the plea agreement and sentence were reasonable, according to AP.

“It’s a sad situation and Mason has accepted his responsibility,” he said.