DOJ worker charged with capital murder in Texas for spiking girlfriend’s drink with abortion pill

According to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office, 38-year-old Justin Anthony Banta, who works in the DOJ’s IT department, was arrested on June 6 after a months-long investigation. He was booked into the Parker County Jail.

The victim said in September 2024 that she and Banta, who was then her boyfriend, were in a romantic relationship and she discovered she was pregnant. The victim informed Banta of the pregnancy, and Banta offered to cover the cost of an abortion and suggested that they order "Plan C," an abortion-inducing drug, online.

The victim told Banta that she wanted to keep the baby. She went to the doctor for a sonogram on October 17, 2024, when the victim was around six weeks pregnant, and learned that the baby had good vital signs, including a heartbeat, and the doctor said the baby was healthy.

She met Banta at a coffee shop in Tarrant County later that same day, and expressed concerns to investigators that Banta had spiked her drink with abortion-inducing pills. Texas law prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around five weeks of gestation, with exceptions made if the mother’s life is at risk.

The following day, the victim began suffering from extreme fatigue and heavy bleeding, which prompted her to go to the emergency room. She lost her baby on October 19, and believed that it was a result of Banta spiking her drink.

Banta was interviewed by authorities and his cell phone was collected as evidence. Investigators believe that Banta remotely accessed his phone and performed a reset, which deleted crucial evidence related to the case, the Sheriff’s Office stated.

The Parker County Sheriff’s Office charged him with one count of tampering with physical evidence, while the Texas Rangers filed a capital murder charge in Tarrant County.