Justin Banta (Parker County Sheriff’s Office).
A U.S. Department of Justice IT department staffer is accused by Texas authorities of secretly administering an abortion pill to his girlfriend, leading her to miscarry.
Justin Anthony Banta, aged 38, faces charges of capital murder and evidence tampering, as reported by the Parker County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators say Banta’s girlfriend revealed in September that she was pregnant with his child. Banta reportedly advised her to terminate the pregnancy and offered to provide the Plan C pill. Despite his insistence, the woman expressed her desire to keep the baby, according to the officials.
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On October 17, the woman, approximately six weeks into her pregnancy, attended a medical check-up, where an ultrasound confirmed the baby’s heart was beating strongly and developing healthily. That same day, she met with Banta at a coffeehouse in Tarrant County. Law enforcement suggests Banta used the opportunity to adulterate her drink with an abortion pill when she was distracted.
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.
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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.
