A North Texas man faces capital murder and evidence tampering charges after allegedly causing his girlfriend’s miscarriage by secretly administering abortion-inducing drugs, authorities said.
Justin Anthony Banta, 38, a U.S. Department of Justice IT employee, was arrested Friday and booked into the Parker County Jail following a months-long investigation, according to a press release from the Parker County Sheriff’s Office. The Texas Rangers filed a capital murder charge in Tarrant County, and the Sheriff’s Office charged Banta with tampering with physical evidence.
The victim, Banta’s then-girlfriend, whose identity has not been disclosed, informed Banta of her pregnancy in September 2024. According to an arrest affidavit, she “intended on keeping the baby,” despite Banta encouraging her to get an abortion and offering to cover the cost of “Plan C” pills ordered online, NBC 5 DFW reported.
On October 17, the victim, who was about six weeks pregnant, underwent a sonogram that showed her unborn child had a strong heartbeat and good vital signs, indicating a healthy pregnancy. Later that day, she met Banta at a coffee shop in Benbrook, Tarrant County, where she consumed a “drink he purchased prior to her arrival,” the affidavit states, per NBC 5.
The next day, the victim experienced extreme fatigue, pain, and heavy bleeding. She sought emergency medical care and miscarried on October 19 at her Parker County home. She filed a police report, stating she “believed Banta placed the abortion medications in her consumables he provided.”
During an interview with the Parker County Sheriff’s Office, Banta admitted to purchasing “Plan C” pills online using his cell phone and consented to a search of the device. However, investigators allege that Banta, leveraging his IT expertise, remotely accessed and reset the phone, deleting crucial evidence.
“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 Sheriff’s Office stated.
Sheriff Russ Authier praised the collaborative efforts of multiple agencies, including the coffee shop’s owners and staff, 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 FBI.
“Sheriff Authier expressed his gratitude to the owners and staff of the coffee shop … for their full cooperation, along with the efforts of [these agencies] for their support and resources throughout this extensive investigation,” the press release said.
Jorge Vela, a former federal and state prosecutor unconnected to the case, commented on its complexity: “The fact that Mr. Banta worked in the Department of Justice as an IT Specialist is extremely relevant. Did Mr. Banta actually put some kind of ‘Plan C’ in the alleged victim’s drink?
“I think that’s going to be a very difficult thing to prove without clear surveillance footage of that coffee shop where they met or some other type of incriminating declarations by Mr. Banta, and based off the probable cause affidavit, it seems like those are lacking,” he told NBC 5
Banta’s attorney, Michael Heiskell, defended his client in a statement: “The charges against Justin will result in a vigorous defense. He maintains his innocence as he did so when he fully cooperated and met with the investigating officers. This cooperation included him voluntarily consenting to his phone being seized by said investigators.
“I remind the public that these are only allegations and that Justin looks forward to clearing his good name in court. In that vein, we ask that his privacy and the due process our law provides him and the rest of us be honored and protected,” he said, per NBC 5.
Banta was released on bond the same day as his arrest. The case remains active and is awaiting prosecution, with no further details released due to the ongoing investigation.