Mason Herring (Harris County Sheriff’s Office), Catherine Herring (KTRK screenshot), and the drug he secretly gave her to induce an abortion (AFP News screenshot)
A 39-year-old attorney in Texas will spend less than six months behind bars after admitting to sneaking abortion-inducing drugs into his soon-to-be ex-wife’s beverages for weeks after learning about her pregnancy. Harris County District Court Judge Andrea Ball on Wednesday ordered Mason Herring to serve a sentence of 180 days in jail and an additional 10 years of probation, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Mason Herring had previously pleaded guilty to one count of assault of a pregnant person and one count of injury to a child under age 15. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office dismissed one count of assault — forcing an individual to have an abortion.
The victim, Catherine Herring, appeared at her husband’s sentencing hearing where she addressed the court and expressed her disappointment with the sentence.
“I do not believe that 180 days is justice for attempting to kill your child seven separate times,” she told the court, Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported. “For two years, my husband has overly denied this assault, and I’m grateful today that he has finally admitted to his guilt.”
Catherine Herring reportedly told the court that her husband’s actions caused her to give birth to their daughter 10 weeks premature. The newborn spent months eating through a feeding tube. She also said that Mason Herring had financially cut off her and the three children they share since the incident.
Mason Herring was ordered to report to the Harris County Jail on March 1 to begin serving his sentence.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Catherine Herring on April 27, 2022, filed a police report claiming that her husband had been surreptitiously slipping abortion pills into her beverages.
Mason Herring and his wife had been separated for approximately two weeks at the time and were in couples counseling on March 8, 2022, when she told him that she was pregnant with their third child. Mason Herring, who was allegedly romantically involved with a female subordinate from work at the time, had a “negative reaction” to the news and later told his wife that the pregnancy “would ruin his plans and make him look like a jerk,” a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime states.
At the counselor’s suggestion, the couple spent spring break together with their kids in West Texas. That week, Mason Herring “began talking to her about her hydration, stating that she needed to drink more water,” Catherine Herring told investigators.
Herring on the morning of March 17, 2022, made breakfast for Catherine Herring and brought it to her along with a “full cup of water.”
“[Catherine Herring] stated that [Mason Herring] presented the cup of water and told her that she needed to drink more and that he would not leave until she drank the whole cup,” the affidavit states. “[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. [Catherine Herring] stated that she questioned [Mason Herring] about this and he stated that perhaps the cup was dirty or the pipes were dirty. [Catherine Herring] stated that [Herring] then took the cup and left.”
Catherine Herring told investigators that approximately 30 minutes later she became violently ill with diarrhea, even soiling herself before she could make it to the bathroom.
“She stated that she then began to suspect that something had been placed in her drink and that perhaps it was some kind of abortion drug due to her symptoms and [Mason Herring’s] reaction to finding out that she was pregnant,” the affidavit states. “[Catherine Herring] stated that she had two more bouts of diarrhea and on the final time, she discovered that she was bleeding. [Catherine Herring] stated that it was a large amount of blood, much like having her period.”
The bleeding continued and Catherine Herring went to the emergency room where doctors took a urine sample. The following day, Mason Herring allegedly gave her “another beverage in an orange sports bottle,” but instead of drinking it, she saved the liquid. Catherine Herring said her husband attempted to give her beverages containing “an unknown substance” on March 21, March 22, April 20, and April 21. The beverages included a bottle of orange juice with a broken seal and a fountain drink from Sonic that Catherine Herring said had a substance floating in it.
“[Catherine Herring] stated that this was out of character for [Mason Herring] as he does not do chores around the house. [Catherine Herring] stated that when [Mason Herring] left the residence, she went to the trash can to see what was inside,” the affidavit states. “[Catherine Herring] stated that she then found opened blister packs labeled as ‘Cyrux,’ which she discovered was a Mexican pharmacy version of the American drug Cytotec and the main ingredient of which is Misoprostol, a drug that [Catherine Herring] knows is used to cause abortion.”
Mason Herring was also caught on a video from Catherine Herring’s kitchen preparing a drink then “taking a Ziplock bag out of his pocket and emptying the contents into the drink” before giving it to his wife, documents said.
An OB-GYN allegedly told investigators that Misoprostol could be used to terminate a pregnancy, but can also cause heart, liver, and renal necrosis, saying that “giving someone the drug in an unknown amount is an assault.”
