When does a crime become so heinous that we stop using the word ‘crazy’ and start calling it what it really is? That’s the powerful question Reagan Simmons-Hancock’s mother, Jessica Brookes, is forcing us all to confront in a jaw-dropping interview that’ll make your blood run cold.
Nearly six years after Taylor Parker murdered her pregnant best friend Reagan and her unborn daughter Braxlynn Sage in one of the most disturbing cases to ever grace true crime headlines, Jessica Brookes sat down with NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo to set the record straight. And honey, she was NOT here for the narrative that Parker was simply ‘mentally unstable.’ Oh no. Jessica made it crystal clear: this wasn’t about insanity. This was about pure, unadulterated evil.
Joined by her sister Emily Shirley, Brookes reflected on the unimaginable loss of her daughter and granddaughter with the kind of raw, unfiltered pain that only a mother who’s lost everything can express. The interview was a masterclass in calling out the excuses we make for the inexcusable. While society loves to soften horrible acts with psychiatric terminology, Jessica Brookes refused to let that narrative stick.
The distinction she made is absolutely chilling and profoundly important. ‘Crazy’ implies a lack of control, a mental health crisis beyond one’s understanding. But ‘evil’? That’s intentional. That’s a choice. That’s someone looking into the eyes of their pregnant best friend and deciding to do the unthinkable anyway. The mother’s fierce determination to reframe how we talk about this crime is sparking serious conversations across social media, with true crime enthusiasts and casual observers alike grappling with the weight of her words.
This interview comes as a stark reminder that sometimes the most dangerous people aren’t the ones struggling with their mental health—they’re the ones who know exactly what they’re doing and simply don’t care. Jessica Brookes’ unflinching stance is forcing America to look in the mirror and acknowledge that not every tragedy deserves our sympathy or our understanding.
The Simmons-Hancock family continues to honor Reagan and Braxlynn’s memory while fighting against narratives that would diminish the deliberate nature of what happened to them.
What do you think? A) Jessica Brookes is right—we should stop excusing evil as ‘crazy’ B) Mental health and evil can coexist, and the conversation is more nuanced than that