According to authorities, a Texas man was detained on suspicion of illegally ending a romantic partner’s pregnancy by adding abortion-inducing drugs to her drink.
According to Parker County authorities, 38-year-old Justin Anthony Banta was arrested on Friday on accusations of capital murder and evidence tampering. He was then released after posting a $500,000 bond.
According to a statement from the sheriff’s department, a woman claimed to have been seeing Banta and informed him in September that she was expecting his child.
The suspect allegedly “secretly added abortion-inducing pills to her drink without her knowledge or permission,” according to the sheriff, after the lady met Banta at a coffee shop in neighbouring Tarrant County.
“The victim reported she lost her baby on Oct. 19, which she believed was a result of the drugs she said Banta placed in her drink at the coffee shop without her permission,” according to the sheriff.
During the investigation, Banta, a U.S. Justice Department information technology specialist, also “reset” his mobile, “thereby deleting crucial evidence related to the case,” the sheriff said.
Banta, who is not with his wife, claimed to have seen her four times. He disputed that Banta had tampered with any drinks, as did defence lawyer Michael Heiskell.
“He’s innocent of these charges,” Heiskell stated. “He has cooperated with the investigators since last fall when all of this brouhaha arose after his relationship ended with this woman. He is not guilty.”
Heiskell stated that the law enforcement officials have not presented Banta with any evidence to establish that the woman is pregnant.
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Although there were rumours that she was pregnant, she never confirmed it to him. “There were discussions about her being pregnant. Even while he disputed that his client had put the drug in the woman’s drink, Heiskell stated that his client did conduct research on Plan C.
Due to the fact that the law in Texas prohibits almost all abortions, it is not possible to purchase abortion-inducing drugs from medical professionals or chemists in the state.
On the other hand, individuals are frequently still able to acquire the drug through a significant number of internet vendors.
