Prosecutors allege that a man from Texas covertly administered abortion pills to his girlfriend by adding them to her beverage, resulting in the loss of a pregnancy she intended to carry to term.
Jon Demeter has been indicted on charges of performance of an abortion and injury to a child, both first-degree felonies, according to a May 20 press conference held by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
Initially, Demeter faced charges of aggravated assault involving a deadly weapon, although this charge has since been withdrawn.
The status of the 25-year-old’s plea remains undisclosed, and when queried, a representative from his attorney’s office chose not to provide any comments.
Authorities were alerted on February 21 when deputies went to a hospital in The Woodlands after a patient reported a miscarriage with suspicious circumstances, as detailed in a statement from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman, who was 14 weeks into her pregnancy, reportedly informed the police that she suspected the father of her unborn child had secretly given her a drug to terminate the pregnancy without her knowledge or consent.
Tragically, she later delivered a stillborn baby, named Presley Mae, who weighed just under two ounces, according to official reports.
The investigation revealed that Demeter had repeatedly tried to convince the woman to undergo an abortion and offered to pay for her travel if she had the procedure out of state, since abortion is almost entirely banned in Texas.
When those efforts failed, Demeter allegedly ordered medication online and had it shipped to his residence, according to authorities.
“He covertly crushed that medication and mixed it in a water bottle with a Liquid I.V. packet,” Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said during the press conference. “This was done with a specific intent to cause the death of the child.”
Demeter was arrested on Feb. 23 and booked into the Montgomery County Jail, where he is currently held.
“This case is unusual for a number of reasons,” District Attorney Mike Holley said in the press conference. “Although the legality of abortion has changed…it has never been lawful for someone to perform an abortion in the manner against a woman and against her consent…it has always been illegal.”
If convicted on all charges, Demeter faces a potential prison sentence of anywhere from five to 99 years in prison, plus a $10,000 fine.
