Mason Herring Houston attorney charged with slipping wife abortion drug in her drink after becoming pregnant with their third child. Attempted to drug her numerous times.
A Houston, Texas lawyer faces felony charges after allegedly slipping abortion-inducing drugs into his separated wife’s drinks after learning about her third pregnancy — which he told her ‘would ruin his plans and make him look like a jerk.’
Mason Herring, 38, was indicted by a Harris County grand jury on two felony counts, including assault of a pregnant person, KTRK reported.
The lawyer, founder and managing partner of the Herring Law Firm, was also booked with a count of ‘assault – forced induced to have an abortion,’ according to court records.
Herring and wife, Catherine Herring, separated earlier this year but had been working on their marriage and were attending marriage counseling when she told him she was pregnant with their third child.
‘My understanding is that it wasn’t well-received by (Herring),’ Assistant District Attorney Anthony Osso told KTRK. ‘That came out through marriage counseling, as well as through text messages later on.’
Husband soon began pushing spiked drinks to wife
Herring, who was romantically involved with a co-worker by then, told her the pregnancy ‘would ruin his plans and make him look like a jerk,’ according to an affidavit cited by Law and Crime.
At the counselor’s suggestion, the couple spent spring break with their children in West Texas, where Catherine said he ‘began talking to her about her hydration’ and said she needed to drink more.
Yes kids, you know where this is going…
On March 17, Mason stopped by the house to bring Catherine breakfast and asked if he could bring her some water in bed, Osso said.
‘He says, ‘If you don’t do so, I’m not leaving.’ She thought it was odd. She thought the water was cloudy. She questioned him a little bit, but, nonetheless, did drink the water, and then he leaves and takes that cup,’ he told KTRK.
Mason allegedly told her the discoloration was the result of the cup or water pipes being dirty.
Catherine then became severely ill, experiencing cramps and severe bleeding, and ended up in a hospital, according to Osso, who said doctors could not figure out what was wrong.
Wife became suspicious
After Herring’s wife returned home from the emergency room, he allegedly gave her four more drinks over the next week.
The estranged wife became suspicious and began refusing Herring’s other drinks, including three that had ‘an unknown substance’ and a bottle of orange juice with a broken seal, the Washington Post reported.
And then she hatched on her on plan…
Soon after, Catherine set up a camera in the home, where Mason was no longer living.
On April 20, she invited two people over as ‘witnesses’ to Mason’s visit, during which he allegedly tried to give her a drink even though she already had two beverages.
Catherine told investigators that she and her guests saw ‘an unknown substance’ floating in the drink he gave her.
Caught on video
The following day, she also noticed a substance in a drink he brought from a fast-food joint, according to the affidavit.
‘(On April 24), she checks the garbage cans and finds in the garbage can a pharmaceutical called Cyrux, which contains Misoprostol, which is a drug used to induce abortions,’ Osso told KTRK.
Two days later, surveillance video captured Mason putting a powdered substance into a glass as he prepared another drink, he said.
Catherine contacted police, who arrested Mason on a warrant at the airport after he arrived from Las Vegas. He was charged with assaulting a pregnant person and assault-force induction to have an abortion.
The second charge came into play after abortions were outlawed in TexasIt carries a sentence of two to 10 years behind bars and a fine of up to $10,000.
Texas has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, allowing abortions only when a pregnant person’s life is at serious risk, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The law not only makes it a felony to perform an abortion procedure – it also gives civilians the ability to sue any person who helps a person get an abortion.
At least two of six water samples Catherine saved were shown to include Misoprostol, according to Osso.
‘It’s manipulative. It’s premeditated. What we are alleging Mr. Herring did, which we believe the evidence supports, is a pretty heinous act,’ Osso said.
‘To do that to someone who trusts you, it’s taking advantage of that trust,’ Osso added.
Mason’s attorney Dan Cogdell told KTRK in a statement: ‘We are aware that the Grand Jury has returned these charges. That said, we very much look forward to our day in court and are thoroughly convinced that we will prevail in a Court of law when our time comes to defend these allegations.’
Mason who remains out on $30,000 bond is due back in court on Dec. 2.
