MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – A Montgomery County man accused of secretly giving a pregnant woman an abortion pill that killed their unborn baby, has been officially indicted by a grand jury.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Jon Rueben Demeter was indicted Thursday on an abortion charge and injury to a child. The abortion charge is a first-degree felony carrying a punishment of five years to life in prison.
KPRC 2 News reporter Corley Peel obtained a search warrant revealing new details about how Demeter allegedly administered the drug without the woman’s knowledge or consent.
According to the warrant, the woman told detectives she was at Demeter’s home when he gave her a bottle containing a white milky substance. He told her it was an electrolyte drink and claimed it had helped the mother of his other children during pregnancy.
Later that night, the woman began feeling ill. Once at the hospital, she gave birth at 14 weeks. Her baby girl did not survive. The woman told detectives she did not want to end her pregnancy, but Demeter did.
The warrant shows Demeter had previously told the woman he could obtain abortion medication online and offered to pay her $1,000 to terminate the pregnancy. She refused.
While searching Demeter’s home, investigators found a glass bowl containing white powder residue and evidence of a crushed white pill.
According to the warrant, Demeter admitted he ordered abortion medication online and gave the woman the drink, but denied the bottle contained the abortion pills, telling investigators he had given the pills away.
Demeter was initially arrested on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. The grand jury’s indictment replaces that charge with the more specific abortion and injury to a child charges, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office is holding a news conference Friday afternoon, where detectives will share additional details about the case.