Texas – In a shocking case in Texas, a 38-year-old man, identified as J. Banta, is facing charges of capital murder and evidence tampering after slipping a Plan C pill into his pregnant girlfriend’s drink, leading to the death of her unborn child. Banta was taken into custody on Friday, June 6, following a months-long investigation.
According to the sheriff’s office, Banta’s then-girlfriend told investigators she became pregnant in September 2024, just a month after beginning a romantic relationship with him. While Banta allegedly suggested abortion and offered to purchase the drug “Plan C”, his girlfriend made it clear that she wanted to keep the baby. In October 2024, when the woman was approximately six weeks pregnant, she went to a doctor’s appointment, where a sonogram confirmed a strong fetal heartbeat and healthy vitals. Later that same day, the woman met Banta at a coffee shop to further discuss her pregnancy.
Unbeknownst to her, Banta allegedly arrived early and bought her a drink, into which he secretly mixed the Plan C pill — whose active ingredient is known to medically terminate early pregnancies. The woman drank it without suspecting foul play. The following day, she began experiencing extreme fatigue and heavy bleeding, which led her to visit an emergency room, where she suffered a miscarriage. She later told authorities that she believed Banta had something to do with her loss , especially after their prior disagreement over whether to continue the pregnancy.
After reporting the incident, law enforcement launched a comprehensive investigation. Banta was interviewed by detectives, and his cellphone was seized as evidence. But according to the sheriff’s office, Banta remotely accessed the device and performed a factory reset, potentially erasing critical information, including communications, search history, and transaction receipts. According to reports, Banta was employed in the IT department of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Investigators believe this was a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence, which led to a charge of tampering with physical evidence. Experts suggested that additional supporting proof, such as coffee shop surveillance footage, receipts, text messages, and medical records, helped build a case against Banta. The Texas Rangers joined the investigation and filed a capital murder charge, while county authorities obtained a separate warrant for the evidence tampering charge.
On June 6, Banta was arrested and booked into the county jail but was later released on $520,000 bond. If convicted of capital murder, Banta could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty under Texas law. Banta’s defense has strongly denied the accusations, characterizing the charges as stemming from a “romantic relationship that went awry.” They firmly maintained his client’s innocence, adding they plan to fight the accusations through the legal system. Banta’s defense expressed confidence that, once the case is heard in court, the truth will come out and their client will be cleared of what they called false allegations.
Authorities praised the coffee shop staff for their cooperation during the investigation, suggesting that surveillance footage and employee statements may have played a crucial role in securing Banta’s arrest. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to inquiries about Banta’s employment status, leaving it unclear whether he remains employed by the federal agency.
The charges against Banta are expected to move forward, and prosecutors are preparing for what may be a high-profile trial. The girlfriend, whose identity has not been publicly released, is receiving continued support as she recovers physically and emotionally from the loss. As the case heads to court, the central question remains: will justice be served for a child who never had the chance to be born — and a woman who never had the chance to choose?
