Justin Banta (Parker County Sheriff’s Office).
A U.S. Department of Justice employee who works in the IT department slipped an abortion drug into his girlfriend’s drink, causing her to lose the baby, Texas authorities say.
Justin Anthony Banta, 38, stands accused of capital murder and tampering with evidence, according to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies say Banta’s girlfriend informed him in September that she was carrying his baby. Banta allegedly suggested she have an abortion and said he would buy her the Plan C drug to terminate the pregnancy. But the victim told him that she wanted to keep the baby, authorities said.
On Oct. 17, the victim, who was about six weeks pregnant, went to a doctor’s appointment where a sonogram showed the baby had a strong heartbeat and was in overall good health. Later that day, she met with Banta at a coffee shop in Tarrant County. Cops believe Banta slipped an abortion drug into her drink when the victim wasn’t looking.
The next day, she began to suffer from “extreme fatigue and heavy bleeding,” authorities say. She went to the emergency room and later had a miscarriage, according to deputies.
Detectives interviewed Banta and confiscated his phone to review it for any potential evidence. Cops allege he accessed the phone remotely and conducted a factory reset on the phone, thereby deleting any potential proof that he bought the abortion drug or conducted any incriminating searches.
Parker County Sheriff’s deputies obtained an arrest warrant for tampering with evidence. Texas Rangers arrested Banta for capital murder in Tarrant County. Cops arrested Banta on Friday and took him to the Parker County Jail, where he has since bonded out. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer.
Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier credited the coffee shop owners for their “full cooperation,” which helped lead to Banta’s arrest.
A spokesperson for the DOJ did not immediately respond to Law&Crime’s message seeking Banta’s current job status.
