Justin Anthony Banta, a 38-year-old IT worker at the US Department of Justice, has been charged with capital murder in Parker County, Texas, for allegedly secretly adding abortion-inducing pills (“Plan C”) to his pregnant girlfriend’s coffee without her consent. The incident occurred in October 2024 after the couple discovered the pregnancy in September.
Banta had offered to pay for an abortion, but his girlfriend refused, expressing her desire to keep the baby. On October 17, while about six weeks pregnant and with a confirmed healthy fetal heartbeat, she met Banta at a coffee shop where she suspects he spiked her drink. The following day, she experienced severe bleeding and miscarried.
Authorities also charged Banta with tampering with physical evidence after he allegedly remotely reset his phone to erase crucial data during the investigation. He was arrested on June 6, 2025, and released on bond. The case remains under investigation, and Banta faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted of capital murder.
The Department of Justice has not commented on the case. Banta’s lawyer has described the charges as stemming from a troubled romantic relationship.
