Taylor Parker, convicted in the murder of Reagan Simmons-Hancock, wrote a handwritten death-row letter to Wade Griffin’s father, Jimmy Griffin, asking for forgiveness, describing the bond she had with him, and admitting she still doesn’t understand how things
On death row, Taylor Parker still addressed the person she says holds a piece of her past.
In a handwritten letter obtained by MISRYOUM, Parker, 33, expressed remorse for the murder of Reagan Simmons-Hancock and asked for forgiveness from her former boyfriend’s father, Jimmy Griffin. The note was directed to Jimmy by name and written after Parker was convicted in the killing.
Parker acknowledged she might not deserve forgiveness, but she insisted she had sought it anyway. “I’ve asked God for forgiveness and I believe He has showed me it,” she wrote in the emotional message. She also touched on her faith, her family, and her relationship with Jimmy and Wade.
She thanked Jimmy for the role he played in her life, saying he “created a bond” with her and that she will “forever cherish” their relationship. Parker called Jimmy a wise man and said he taught her valuable lessons, including “the importance of forgiveness.”
The letter also carried a plea for patience. Parker urged Jimmy to be patient with Wade and said she believed her ex wanted to make him proud. “Wade is an amazing, strong, intelligent, loving man. He just struggles to show it,” she wrote.
Even as she asked for forgiveness, Parker said she was still left with gaps she couldn’t fill. She told Jimmy she felt lost after her conviction and that she had many unanswered questions. “I don’t understand how this happened or why. But I miss my kids and family. But I’m okay. I’ve prayed,” she wrote.
Parker closed by asking again for forgiveness and reaffirming how much she cared about both Jimmy and Wade. “I loved you like a dad Mr. Jimmy. Please know that I truly loved Wade as well,” she wrote.
She ended the letter with another detail she wanted Jimmy to handle carefully: Parker said she also wrote a letter to Wade but had not sent it yet, and asked Jimmy not to tell Wade about it.
The case behind the letter has its own timeline of shock. Parker met Wade Griffin in 2019 and they quickly began a whirlwind romance. In January 2020. she falsely claimed she was pregnant with their child. but concerns grew when her due date came and went without any later pregnancy. Weeks after an alleged September 22, 2020, due date, she killed her pregnant friend Simmons-Hancock on October 9, 2020.
After strangling and stabbing Simmons-Hancock, Parker performed a C-section to remove the unborn child and fled the scene with the newborn, umbilical cord and placenta. She later called 911 from a highway and claimed she had given birth on the side of the road.
Parker was then transported to McCurtain Memorial Hospital, where doctors concluded she had not given birth. She was interviewed by an officer and arrested the same day after she was connected to Simmons-Hancock and her daughter’s deaths.
Parker was found guilty of capital murder and kidnapping in October 2022 and later sentenced to death. Her story gained national attention after the crime was featured in Netflix’s documentary Maternal Instinct.
The death-row letter to Jimmy Griffin adds one more layer to a case that already drew nationwide attention—this time, not just about what happened, but about what Parker says she still can’t explain and what she says she’s asking to be forgiven for.
Taylor Parker Jimmy Griffin Wade Griffin death row letter Reagan Simmons-Hancock Maternal Instinct Netflix documentary capital murder kidnapping MISRYOUM
So she wrote a letter… cool? Still doesn’t bring anybody back.
Wait I thought the letter was to the victim’s family? Or is Jimmy Griffin like the judge or something? The wording is confusing.
She says she doesn’t understand how it happened, but she literally knows she did it. Forgiveness from the dad is like??? I’m not buying it. Also “asked God” like that makes it okay. Prison should be the forgiveness, not handwriting.
Idk, people acting like letters are nothing but still, if she really feels bad… I guess? But then she says gaps she can’t fill and “Wade struggles to show it” like this is some love story. Death row + praying doesn’t erase the details, just saying. Also why is the article called forgiveness like it’s a good ending?