An Army captain secretly slipped an abortion drug into a pregnant soldier’s drink, killing their unborn child — and a military judge just handed him the maximum sentence allowed.
Quick Take
- Captain Brandon Jones-Adams, 34, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison for secretly giving the abortion drug mifepristone to a junior enlisted soldier he had impregnated.
- Jones-Adams used a fake name to order the drug online, then put it in the soldier’s drink without her knowledge. She miscarried at 13 weeks.
- He also pleaded guilty to domestic violence, fraternization, and conduct unbecoming an officer — and was dismissed from the Army, the equivalent of a dishonorable discharge for officers.
- This is believed to be the first successful prosecution under the military law that covers the intentional killing of an unborn child using this type of drug.
What Jones-Adams Did — and How He Got Caught
One morning, the soldier was at Jones-Adams’ home in Puyallup, Washington. He made her a drink. She noticed a residue in her cup and suspected something was wrong. She soon felt intense cramping and went to the emergency room at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Washington state. While there, she miscarried at 13 weeks of pregnancy. Army investigators were called in right away.
Investigators found that Jones-Adams had used a fake name to order mifepristone from an online pharmacy. Mifepristone works by blocking the hormone progesterone, which is needed to maintain a pregnancy. A forensic review of his cell phone showed he had tried to get the drug from multiple sources. He later admitted to Army investigators that he had placed the pill in the soldier’s drink. He pleaded guilty to all charges at a court-martial held at the Cascade Court Complex at JBLM.
The Sentence and What It Means
The military judge sentenced Jones-Adams to the maximum allowed under his plea agreement — 12 years in prison. He also lost all pay and was dismissed from the Army. For officers, a dismissal carries the same weight as a dishonorable discharge for enlisted soldiers. He will serve his sentence at the Northwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility at JBLM. Circuit Chief Lieutenant Colonel Tyler Heimann called the actions “deliberate, calculated, and malicious.”
Jones-Adams was assigned to the 23rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, part of the 7th Infantry Division based at JBLM. The additional charges — domestic violence, fraternization, and conduct unbecoming an officer — reflect a wider pattern of abuse of rank and trust. Fraternization rules exist to protect junior service members from exactly this kind of exploitation by officers who hold power over their careers.
A First-of-Its-Kind Case With Broader Questions
Legal observers note this appears to be the first successful prosecution under Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 119a — intentional killing of an unborn child — where the weapon was mifepristone rather than a physical act of violence. That makes this case a landmark, regardless of where anyone stands on the broader abortion debate. The drug was used here not as medicine, but as a weapon — administered without consent to end a pregnancy the woman was carrying.
Army captain got 12 years for secretly slipping the abortion drug mifepristone to a pregnant soldier, killing her unborn child. #ProLife #Mifepristone #AbortionPill #Justice #ChristianPost
🔗 https://t.co/AaKKo3m5Cn https://t.co/AzPQutmPiG pic.twitter.com/NZCPUxCvws— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) July 2, 2026
The case also raises a question that cuts across political lines: how easy is it to order powerful prescription drugs online under a fake name? Jones-Adams reportedly did exactly that, with little apparent difficulty. Whether you believe mifepristone should be widely available or tightly restricted, most Americans can agree that a system allowing someone to secretly poison another person with a prescription drug — and kill an unborn child in the process — has a serious gap that needs to be addressed. This case puts that gap in sharp focus.
Sources:
military.com, facebook.com, stripes.com, militarytimes.com
