A Department of Justice employee in Texas faces capital murder charges after allegedly slipping abortion pills into his pregnant girlfriend’s drink at a coffee shop, causing the death of their unborn child who had a healthy heartbeat. The woman, who was 6 weeks pregnant and wanted to keep the baby, suffered extreme bleeding and miscarried two days after the meeting. Justin Banta allegedly ordered abortion pills online after telling his wife about the pregnancy and expressing a desire for his girlfriend to have an abortion.
The Incident and Investigation
Justin Banta, a 38-year-old Department of Justice employee, has been charged with capital murder in Texas after allegedly administering abortion-inducing drugs to his pregnant girlfriend without her consent. According to investigators, the incident occurred on October 17 when Banta met his girlfriend at a coffee shop. The woman, who was approximately six weeks pregnant, had just received confirmation from her doctor that the baby was healthy with a strong heartbeat. During their meeting, she explicitly expressed her desire to continue the pregnancy.
Surveillance footage from the coffee shop reportedly captured Banta pouring an unknown substance into a drink and stirring it before giving it to the woman, along with cookies. The following day, the victim experienced extreme fatigue and heavy bleeding, which prompted her to seek emergency medical care. By October 19, she had lost the baby. Medical testing later confirmed the presence of the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol in the cookies she consumed during their meeting.
A Justice Department employee in north Texas has been charged with murder for allegedly spiking his pregnant girlfriend's drink with an abortion drug.
Justin Anthony Banta, a 38-year-old I.T. worker at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, was arrested on Friday after a months-long… pic.twitter.com/8ncBazEblW
— Qᴀɢɢ.ɴᴇᴡꜱ (@qaggnews) June 10, 2025
Criminal Charges and Evidence
Following a months-long investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Parker County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers, and FBI, Banta was arrested on June 6. He faces charges of capital murder under Texas law, which has strict abortion prohibitions with serious legal consequences. Additionally, Banta is charged with tampering with physical evidence after allegedly remotely accessing his phone to delete information after it was confiscated by police.
“Sheriff’s investigators obtained a felony arrest warrant for Banta, who was booked into the Parker County Jail Friday on a charge from the PCSO for tampering with physical evidence and a charge from the Texas Rangers for capital murder, which has been filed in Tarrant County” – press release
Investigators discovered that Banta had reportedly informed his wife about his girlfriend’s pregnancy and expressed a desire for the girlfriend to have an abortion. Records indicate that he ordered abortion-inducing medications online before the meeting at the coffee shop. The victim reported to police that she suspected Banta had secretly added abortion pills to her drink without her knowledge or permission on the day they met.
A Texas man was arrested and accused of spiking a romantic partner's drink with abortion-inducing medication and ending her pregnancy without consent, officials said Wednesday.
Justin Anthony Banta, 38, was booked into custody on Friday last week on suspicion of tampering with… pic.twitter.com/CAM4Li4p62
— 𓂀 𝕋𝔼𝔸ℍ 𓂀 (@TeahCartel) June 11, 2025
Legal Defense and Current Status
Banta’s attorney, Michael Heiskell, has firmly denied the allegations against his client. “These charges that have been alleged by the investigative agencies and the officers are purely fictional at this point,” Heiskell stated, suggesting the situation stems from a relationship that ended poorly. Despite the serious nature of the charges, reports indicate that Banta was released on bond the same day he was arrested and maintains his innocence.
The Department of Justice has not issued any public statements regarding the case or Banta’s employment status. The case remains active and ongoing, according to police officials. This incident comes against the backdrop of Texas’s stringent abortion laws, which ban most abortions except in dire medical circumstances. Laws introduced in 2021 and 2022 impose both civil and criminal penalties for performing abortions in the state.