A Justice Department employee in north Texas has been charged with murder for allegedly spiking his pregnant girlfriend’s drink with an abortion drug.
Justin Anthony Banta, a 38-year-old I.T. worker at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, was arrested on Friday after a months-long investigation by sheriffs in Parker County, part of the Fort Worth metro area.
Authorities said Banta’s then-girlfriend had accused him of putting crushed-up abortion pills in her drink last October after she refused to terminate her pregnancy, leading to the death of her six-week-old fetus two days later.
When questioned by police, Banta allegedly surrendered his phone to investigators only to later log in remotely and wipe it of all evidence.
Prosecutors have charged Banta with tampering with evidence and capital murder, meaning he could face the death penalty if convicted. He was released on Friday on a total bond of $520,000.
“I will use every authority, every tool and every ounce of influence I have to ensure those individuals are held accountable, and will do so publicly to send a clear message: if you dishonor the uniform, you will be held accountable. Full stop,” Bureau of Prisons Director William Marshall III told the The Dallas Morning News.
But Banta’s lawyer Michael Heiskell disputed the charges, describing them as the result of a romantic relationship that “went awry”.
“He is innocent of these accusations,” Heiskell told the Morning News. “We intend to litigate this in court, and at the end of the day we expect him to be exonerated of these charges and lies against him.”
According to a news release by the Parker County Sheriff’s Office, and arrest documents reported by local media, the unnamed woman had been dating Banta for about a month when she discovered she was pregnant in September 2024.
Banta “encouraged” her to get an abortion, authorities said, and bought abortion pills online to give to her, but the woman said she wanted to keep the pregnancy.
The two then arranged to meet at a coffee shop in Burleson, a southern suburb of Fort Worth, to discuss the issue further. Authorities allege that Banta had already bought her a drink when she arrived.
“The next day, the victim stated she began to suffer from extreme fatigue and heavy bleeding, prompting her to visit the emergency room,” the Parker County Sheriff’s Office said.
“The victim reported she lost her baby on October 19, which she believed was a result of the drugs Banta had previously placed in her drink at the coffee shop without her permission.”
Investigators then interviewed Banta and confiscated his phone. His lawyer said he had “fully cooperated” with the officers.
But authorities claim a forensic computer analysis found “irregularities” in the phone’s activity that suggested its data had been tampered with, although they did not find evidence of a remote wipe command.
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on the case, but told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram that it always “thoroughly investigates” any incidents of criminal activity inside Bureau facilities.
