A Texas woman suspected that her husband was harming her after the breakfast in bed he made caused her to bleed – so she spent weeks gathering evidence of him putting harmful drugs in her drinks.
Catherine Herring, 39, started to feel uneasy about her ex-partner Mason in February 2022, when he approached her following almost ten years of marriage, expressing his desire to end the relationship.
Herring discovered that he was communicating with a former female colleague despite promising to end contact. When she confronted him, he explained that he needed to focus on self-improvement and decided to move out.
Herring informed the Daily Beast that he suddenly began behaving strangely and refused to disclose any information.
The couple had two children together and were expecting a third, although Mason had previously voiced his discontent about the pregnancy.
The attorney from Houston agreed to spend spring break with the rest of the family. One morning, he delivered a biscuit and a glass of water to Herring while she was in bed, urging her to finish it before he headed to work.
Herring described the situation in an interview with the Daily Beast, recalling how he was pressured to finish his drink quickly. At that moment, she gazed into the water and noticed its cloudy appearance.
An indictment details the events that ensued. About half an hour after Mason departed for work, Herring started to suffer from severe stomach cramps and sudden diarrhea.
Upon discovering significant bleeding, the 39-year-old quickly went to the hospital. She continued to bleed even after being discharged.
After Herring returned home, Mason kept giving her drinks with an ‘unknown substance,’ as per court records.
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On March 21, Herring visited John Moritz, a private investigator she had hired to uncover the reason behind her husband’s unexpected request for a separation.
Herring had carefully gathered samples of the liquid, six of which Moritz sent to a lab for testing.
Two of the samples tested positive for misoprostol, a common medication for inducing abortion.
Moritz proceeded to educate the 39-year-old about methods of evidence collection. The pair set up cameras all over the house, with Moritz advising her to avoid being alone with Mason whenever she could.
One day in April, Catherine invited two friends over after suspecting she had been drugged. Both individuals noticed a substance floating in a beverage given to her by her spouse, as stated in a legal document.
On April 24, Mason tidied up his truck and took the trash bags to the curb – a behavior that caught Herring’s attention.
According to the affidavit, Catherine Herring claimed that Mason Herring’s behavior was unusual because he does not typically do chores around the house.
After Mason departed the residence, Herring strolled over to the trash to inspect its contents.
She discovered ‘opened blister packs’ identified as ‘Cyrux,’ as stated in the affidavit.
It was discovered 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.
After some time, security cameras captured Mason pouring a bag of white powder into a glass of cranberry juice and persuading Herring to consume it. The next day, she visited the Houston Police Department.
It took almost a month for Mason to be arrested. He faced charges related to inducing abortion and assaulting a pregnant individual.