After allegedly secretly giving his pregnant girlfriend abortion-inducing drugs, a Texas Department of Justice employee is charged with capital murder for allegedly ending his unborn child. Days after his girlfriend declared her intention to keep their child, which had a healthy heartbeat verified by a doctor’s sonogram, Justin Banta, 38, allegedly tampered with her drink at a coffee shop.
DOJ Worker Charged with Murder of Unborn Child
Surveillance footage captured Banta pouring something into his girlfriend’s drink and stirring it before giving it to her, along with cookies that later tested positive for abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol. The woman, who was six weeks pregnant, experienced extreme fatigue and heavy bleeding the next day, ultimately leading to a miscarriage on October 19, 2024.
DOJ worker charged with capital murder in Texas for spiking pregnent girlfriend's drink with abortion pillhttps://t.co/QxiQM7l07m
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 11, 2025
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Parker County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers, and the FBI, collaborate on this disturbing investigation. Banta allegedly informed his wife about the pregnancy and expressed his desire for his girlfriend to have an abortion, subsequently ordering abortion drugs online.
Evidence Tampering Compounds Serious Charges
Authorities reported that Banta remotely accessed his phone to erase information after it was confiscated by police. This action led to additional charges of tampering with physical evidence, as investigators believe he was attempting to destroy crucial evidence related to the case.
DOJ worker charged with capital murder in Texas for spiking girlfriend's drink with abortion pillhttps://t.co/CIlV59Mbgu
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 10, 2025
The sheriff’s office stated that the victim met Banta at a coffee shop where she expressed her suspicion that he had secretly added abortion-inducing pills to her drink without her knowledge or permission. Medical records confirmed the miscarriage, which occurred just two days after the meeting at the coffee shop where the alleged drugging took place.
Legal Proceedings Begin Amid Strict Texas Abortion Laws
Banta was arrested on June 6 following a months-long investigation and booked into Parker County Jail. He was released on bond the same day, and his attorney, Michael Heiskell, claimed the charges were unfounded.
“These charges that have been alleged by the investigative agencies and the officers are purely fictional at this point,” said Banta’s attorney, Michael Heiskell.
The case holds particular significance in Texas, which has implemented some of the strictest abortion laws in the nation. These laws, introduced in 2021 and 2022, ban most abortions except in dire medical circumstances and impose both civil and criminal penalties for performing abortions.
The Department of Justice has yet to comment on the charges against their employee. The case remains active and ongoing according to law enforcement officials, with the capital murder charge filed in Tarrant County while the evidence tampering charge originated from Parker County.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0r1enk0x0eo