Houston man who slipped abortion drug to wife gets prison time

A Houston man who originally received a light sentence after drugging his wife in an attempt to force an abortion has now been sentenced to eight years in prison for violating his probation.

Key Takeaways:

• In 2022, Mason Herring spiked his wife's drink with misoprostol, one of two drugs in the abortion pill regimen.

• Herring intended to cause the death of his preborn child, but the little girl survived.

• He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in prison and 10 years probation as part of his plea deal.

• He has now been sentenced to eight years in prison for violating the terms of his probation.

The Backstory:

In 2022, Texas lawyer Mason Herring spiked his wife’s water and sports drink with misoprostol, one of the two drugs used in the abortion pill regimen. His wife was suspicious of the cloudy nature of her drink, but Herring reportedly encouraged her to "stay hydrated" and drink the concoction, which she was unaware contained drugs meant to kill their child.

Though Herring's (now-ex) wife, Catherine Herring, unknowingly consumed the drugs, their daughter Josephine survived the attempt on her life.

In 2024, Mason Herring accepted a plea deal in which he admitted to spiking Catherine's drink with misoprostol. Shockingly, he was sentenced to just six months in prison with 10 years probation, on charges of injury to a child under 15, bodily injury, and assault of a pregnant person — a sentence which many considered to be comparatively light; for instance, in 2022 a Wisconsin man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempting to kill his preborn child in a similar manner.

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The Details:

ABC 13 reports that Herring has now been charged with violating a protective order on two separate occasions within 12 months. The violations occurred during supervised visits with his three children, including Josephine. As a result, he has now been sentenced to serve eight years in prison.

A news report from May indicates that Herring twice called Catherine Herring, who had taken out a civil protection order against him. Mason Herring had been ordered to stay at least 500 feet away from her, which he also reportedly violated while on the supervised visits with his children.

ABC 13 reported:

As one of the visits at his apartment was wrapping up, on Feb.22, police say he lingered in the lobby until Catherine Herring arrived to pick up the children. Police say he even looked out of the window and told the children she was there.

On March 23, police say he pulled up "nearby" in a vehicle while his ex-wife was dropping the children off.

Prosecutors allege Mason Herring knew full well when Catherine Herring would be arriving to drop off the children.

The Bottom Line:

Though Catherine Herring has not commented publicly on her ex-husband's new jail time, she previously remarked that his six-month stint in prison was far too short for the crime of drugging her in an attempt to kill their daughter.

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