Texas wife reveals how she caught her husband POISONING her with abortion pills that he disguised with breakfast in bed - as she shares heartbreaking pictures of them in happier times

A Texas woman suspected that her husband was poisoning her after the breakfast in bed he made left her bleeding - so she spent weeks collecting evidence of him planting abortion-inducing drugs in her drinks.

Catherine Herring, 39, began to grow wary of her former spouse Mason in February 2022, when he confronted her after nearly a decade of marriage and said he wanted to split up.

Herring had recently caught him texting a former female colleague with whom he swore to have cut contact, but when she confronted him, he told her needed to work on himself and moved out.

'He just started acting really weird and wouldn’t tell me what was going on,' Herring told the Daily Beast.

The couple shared two children together and had a third on the way, though Mason had previously expressed his unhappiness about the pregnancy.

Catherine Herring, 39, spent weeks collecting evidence against her husband, Mason, after beginning to suspect him when he suddenly asked that they separate 

The mother of three and private investigator John Moritz installed hidden cameras throughout the couple's home

Mason, also 39, was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years parole after pleading guilty to one count of injury to a child under 15

The Houston-based lawyer agreed to spend spring break with the rest of the family. One morning, he brought Herring a biscuit and a glass of water as she lay in bed, imploring her to finish it before he left for the office.

'He starts urging me, like, "Chug it, I need to go," and he kind of had anger in his voice,' Herring explained in an interview with the Daily Beast.

That was when she looked into the water and saw that it was cloudy.

An indictment describes the events that followed. Around 30 minutes after Mason left for work, Herring began experiencing painful stomach cramps and explosive diarrhea.

Upon realizing that her vagina was bleeding profusely, the 39-year-old rushed to the hospital. She kept bleeding even after she was discharged.

'I just wanted desperately to be wrong,' she said. 'I wanted there to be another explanation, because this is your husband who you love and adore and have children with.

'But my instinct was, "Something’s wrong, I need to protect myself." And I just need to make sure he doesn’t know I’m onto him. Because I really felt like that was the only way I could collect evidence.'

When Herring returned home, Mason continued to supply her with drinks, each containing an 'unknown substance,' according to court documents.

Herring quickly grew suspicious that Mason was poisoning her after he served her a biscuit and glass of water in bed and she began bleeding profusely from her vagina

While Herring knew that her husband was not happy with the pregnancy, she was not sure why he wanted to separate after nearly a decade together and hired a private investigator

When she returned home from the hospital, Mason continued to supply her with drinks, each containing an 'unknown substance'

Herring meticulously gathered samples of the drinks her husband supplied. Six were sent to a lab for testing and two were found to contain misoprostol, an abortion-inducing agent

On March 21, Herring paid a visit to John Moritz, a private investigator she had hired in hopes of figuring out why her husband had suddenly requested a separation.

Herring had meticulously collected samples of the liquid, six of which Moritz sent to a lab for testing.

At least two of the samples were shown to contain misoprostol, which is commonly used to induce abortion.

Moritz proceeded to teach the 39-year-old about methods of evidence collection. The duo installed cameras throughout the house, with Moritz urging her not to be left alone with Mason if possible.

One day in April, Catherine called two friends over after suspecting she had been drugged. Both friends saw a material floating in a drink provided to her by her husband, according to an affidavit. 

On April 24, Mason cleaned out his truck and brought the trash bags to the curb - a habit that struck Herring as unusual.

'[Catherine Herring] stated that this was out of character for [Mason Herring] as he does not do chores around the house,' the affidavit alleged. 

When Mason left the residence, Herring wandered over to the trash to see what was inside.

She found 'opened blister packs' labeled as 'Cyrux,' according to the affidavit.

Herring learned that these packets contained a 'Mexican pharmacy version of the American drug Cytotec,' which is used to prevent stomach ulcers but contains misoprostol as the active ingredient.

Days later, hidden cameras recorded Mason emptying a plastic baggie full of white powder into a glass of cranberry juice, which he then encouraged Herring to drink.

She had a friend with her at the time. 'But he just stood in the kitchen, had a whole conversation with us, and then left for the night as if nothing had gone on,' Herring explained.

The following day, she went to the Houston Police Department.

Herring was surprised to see Mason bringing trash bags to the curb, as he didn't usually do chores. When she searched them, she found opened blister packs for misoprostol-containing medication

The couple's youngest daughter was born three months after Mason's arrest and suffers developmental delays, still eating out of a feeding tube

Nearly a month passed before Mason's arrest. He was charged with assault to induce abortion and assault on a pregnant person.

In late 2023, the district attorney's office called to say they were considering a plea deal with significantly reduced charges.

Herring pushed back as much as she could, but the office insisted that it was the best they could do.

Mason accepted the deal on February 7 of this year, pleading guilty only to one count of injury to a child under 15.

The judge sentenced him to 180 days in jail and 10 years parole - a measly sentence considering the state's legal onslaught against abortion.

A 2021 Texas law allows anyone in the state to sue someone they suspect of performing an abortion after six weeks’ gestation. Performing an abortion is a felony punishable by life in prison.

'It’s very apparent that the state of Texas is treating men and women differently in this situation,' Herring said.

'One hundred and eighty days - it’s less than 26 days per attempt that he will serve in jail.'

Mason was barred from contacting her or their youngest daughter, who was born in August, three months after his arrest.

The little girl was 10 weeks premature and suffers developmental delays. She eats through a feeding tube and meets with physical, occupational and speech therapists every week.

Catherine appeared at her husband's trial, where she railed against the lenient sentencing.

'I do not believe that 180 days is justice for attempting to kill your child seven separate times,' she said, addressing the court.

'For two years, my husband has overtly denied this assault, and I'm grateful today that he has finally admitted to his guilt.'