Texas woman drugged by lawyer husband with abortion pills when she was pregnant says 180 days jail term is 'not justice' for him repeatedly trying to force her to miscarry

A Texas woman whose lawyer husband drugged her repeatedly with abortion pills when she was pregnant hoping she would miscarry claims his 180 day sentence was 'not justice.'

Catherine Herring, 39, was seven weeks pregnant with their third child when her husband of eleven years, Mason Herring, 39, started spiking her beverages with the abortion-inducting narcotic misoprostol. 

Catherine suspected her husband, a Houston attorney who specializes in oil and gas litigation, was having an affair with a co-worker. A week before the pair learned they were expecting their third, her husband had asked for a separation.

Over a two-month period Mason took steps to abort their unborn child. 

In March 2022, Catherine became gravely ill, and when doctors were not able to pinpoint the issue, she grew suspicious, and began collecting the drinks her husband prepared for her, as evidence. She also set up cameras inside and outside their home.

The artist and owner of the stationary store, Old Southern Charm, went to Houston police to pursue charges against her husband for a 'suspected poisoning'.  He was initially charged with felony assault to induce abortion- a charge that had never been used before in Harris County, Texas. 

In February, he accepted a plea agreement to charges of injury to a child and assault of a pregnant person. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation, People reported. 

The family during happier times. Catherine is currently in divorce proceedings 

Mason Herring is being charged with forced induction to have an abortion - a charge that's never been used before in the Harris County, Texas

Catherine and Mason Herring, were married for eleven years, and had two children, before Catherine learned she was expecting her third child, and the alleged poisoning began 

Catherine found empty Cyrux packaging, which she later found out was a Mexican version of the American drug Cytotec which contains misoprostol (pictured in tablet form)

Anthony Osso, the assistant district attorney in the domestic violence division assigned to the case, called it 'manipulative.' 

'It's pre-meditated. What we are alleging Mr. Herring did, which we believe the evidence supports, is a pretty heinous act. To do that to someone who trusts you, it's taking advantage of that trust.' 

The couple, who were married for eleven years, and already had two children, are in divorce proceedings, as per the news outlet.

She balked at her ex-partner's sentence. 'I don't think 180 days is justice for attempting to kill your child seven separate times.'

'This was intentional, it was knowingly done. This wasn't a crime of passion, or something like that. This was over the course of two months, and seven rounds of attempted murder.'

'If you divide it up, he's serving less than 26 days per attempt to kill my child.'

Their daughter, Josephine, was born 10 weeks premature in August 2022, and spent three months in the hospital, before she was able to go home.

Before the alleged poisonings, the couple had moved into a new home in the Houston area but, despite having some rough patches in their marriage.

A month prior, she had suspected her husband of having an affair with a woman he had hired at his law firm, and believed he was lying when she confronted him about it.

Catherine pictured with one of her custom stationary has a successful online business Old Southern Charm. She said she was distraught that her partner and father of her children would do such a heinous act she said after viewing the video: 'There was a lot of emotion. To actually see him doing it was shocking'

Soon after that confrontation, he asked her for a separation, but according to a probable cause affidavit by the Houston Police Department the pair sought couple's therapy.

She said, in part: 'He was open to marriage counseling and was telling me everything was fine. He was like, 'Don't worry, don't be upset. I need to work on myself, and everything will be fine,' she said.

Catherine claimed to have told Mason about her pregnancy - news to which he responded negatively, at one of their counseling sessions.

Shortly after, the couple planned a family trip together and spent Spring break in West Texas.

 It was during that time, when Catherine claimed her spouse began talking about the importance of drinking water and staying hydrated.

She alleged that on March 17, he came to her house in Houston with breakfast and a glass of water. 

'He was like, 'I noticed during spring break that you don't drink enough water, and I think you should start every day with a big glass. It'll make you feel better,' she recalled.

A photo of one of her custom invitations 

Catherine said that after taking a small sip from the glass she immediately noticed the water was 'cloudy' and mentioned it to Mason, who suggested it could have been due to a dirty glass or water pipes. 

Catherine, an artist who makes custom invitation and stationery, says that after the first poisoning on March 17, doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. 

Suspicious, she began collecting the drinks he was preparing for her as evidence, and she set up cameras outside the home.

After seeing him on surveillance footage putting out the trash, she checked the garbage and discovered a package for a drug that induces abortions. 

A private investigator she hired installed cameras in the air conditioning vent in the kitchen, and they captured Mason on- camera in the act.

He was reportedly pouring juice into a pink plastic cup, and pulling out a Ziploc bag out of his pocket containing crushed-up pills, which he dumped into the cup.

Catherine, said 'the amount that he was using was just shocking. You could see it, half an inch to an inch, on each drink.'

After the deed, she recalled, he 'just casually walked [the drink] up and left it on my bedside table.'

Distraught that her partner and father of her children would do such a heinous act she said after viewing the video: 'There was a lot of emotion. To actually see him doing it was shocking.'

She added: 'I desperately wanted to be wrong.'