DOJ worker accused of drugging girlfriend to abort her child, officials say
An information technology employee for the U.S. Department of Justice has been charged in connection to a capital murder case in Texas after authorities said he slipped abortion drugs into a woman's drink, causing her to miscarry.
Justin Banta, 38, was booked into the Parker County Jail on June 6 in connection to the death of a child he was expecting with his then-girlfriend in October 2024. According to authorities, Banta allegedly put an abortion drug in the woman's drink without her knowledge, leading to the loss of their baby.
Banta was released on bond that same day, June 6, per online court records.
Banta is facing a charge of tampering with physical evidence out of Parker County, as well as a charge out of Tarrant County for capital murder, authorities said in a press release.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment on June 11. As of Wednesday afternoon, June 11, information about Banta's legal representation was not immediately clear.
Here's what we know so far about the case against Banta.
What is the victim saying?
The victim was expecting a child with Banta, her then-boyfriend, in September 2024, the Parker County Sheriff's Office said in the press release. When she told Banta she was pregnant, he offered to cover the cost of terminating the pregnancy, the victim told authorities.
She told Banta she wanted to keep the baby, authorities said. On Oct. 17, 2024, when she was six weeks pregnant, she went to a doctor's appointment and found out her child had a strong heartbeat and good vital signs.
That same day, she met Banta at a coffee shop in Tarrant County, 37 miles west of Dallas. The victim told investigators she thinks Banta put 'Plan C,' commonly known as an abortion drug, into her drink.
The next day, she was extremely fatigued and suffered heavy bleeding, so she went to the emergency room. By Oct. 19, she'd lost her baby, 'which she believed was a result of the drugs Banta had previously placed in her drink at the coffee shop without her permission,' the Parker County Sheriff's Office said.
Authorities: Suspect and IT worker remotely wiped his phone
Authorities interviewed Banta and collected his cell phone as evidence, Parker County authorities said.
'Sheriff's investigators believe Banta, who works at the IT Department of the U.S. Department of Justice, later accessed the phone remotely and performed a 'reset,' thereby deleting crucial evidence related to the case,' the Parker County Sheriff's Office said.
The office's Criminal Investigations Division arrested Banta on June 6 in connection to the death of the woman's baby. Authorities referred to the baby's death as a 'capital murder investigation.'
According to Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier, Banta's cases are awaiting prosecution.
Authier said multiple agencies worked the cases, including the Texas Rangers, Benbrook Police, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Digital Forensic and Technical Services, the U.S. Secret Service, the Regional Organized Crime Information Center, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
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