A 38-year-old man is facing capital murder and tampering with evidence charges in connection with accusations he terminated his girlfriend’s pregnancy without her consent or knowledge, investigators announced earlier this week.
The alleged incident, according to a news release from the Parker County Sheriff’s Department in Texas, an area about 35 miles west of Fort Worth, occurred in October 2024.
An unidentified woman who was reportedly dating the suspect, identified as Justin Anthony Banta, a Texas resident and employee of the United States Department of Justice, told sheriff’s investigators that she’d informed the 38-year-old that she was pregnant in September 2024.
Banta, according to the woman, told her he would cover the cost of an abortion and suggested they order the abortion-inducing medication Plan C online.
“The victim informed Banta of her desire to keep the baby,” investigators said.
On Oct. 17, 2024, at approximately six weeks pregnant, the woman received a sonogram from her doctor who reported a healthy pregnancy with strong vital signs and heartbeat.
Later the same day, Banta met the woman at a coffee shop where the victim believes he “added abortion-inducing pills to her drink without her knowledge or permission.”
The following day, the victim reported exhaustion and bleeding so heavy that she went to the emergency room. On Oct. 19, according to sheriff’s investigators, the woman lost the pregnancy.
During an investigation, the 38-year-old’s cellphone was confiscated as evidence.
Sheriff’s investigators believe that Banta, who works in the DOJ’s IT department, remotely accessed the device and performed a reset, “thereby deleting crucial evidence related to the case.”
On June 6, authorities arrested Banta for tampering with physical evidence and a charge from the Texas Rangers for capital murder. The 38-year-old later posted $500,000 bail and was released.
The federal IT worker, who is separated from his wife, NBC News reported, and his lawyer are denying the allegations, saying Banta only met the alleged victim four times.
Michael Heiskell, Banta’s attorney, told the outlet that his client has cooperated with investigators since last fall when his relationship with the woman ended and that, so far, law enforcement has shown Banta no evidence that the woman was in fact pregnant.
“There were discussions about her being pregnant, but that was never confirmed by her to him. And yes, he did research Plan C,” Heiskell told NBC News, while adding that his client did not put the drug into the woman’s drink.
The Parker County Sheriff’s Department expressed its gratitude to the owners and staff of the coffee shop for their cooperation with the investigation, though they did not say if there was potential video evidence linked to the case.
Nearly all abortions are banned in Texas, and abortion-inducing medication cannot be accessed through doctors or pharmacists in the state. Residents can, however, get the drugs through online providers.
