Wisconsin man sentenced for trying to induce girlfriend to abortion

Madison, Wis., Oct 11, 2018 / 04:01 am (CNA).- A Wisconsin man was sentenced to 22 years in prison Oct. 9 for spiking his pregnant girlfriend’s drink with an abortion-inducing drug, in an attempt to induce a miscarriage. His girlfriend reportedly never drank the concoction, but miscarried weeks later.

Manishkumar Patel, 45, and his girlfriend had gone out for ice cream when his girlfriend noticed an unusual powder in her smoothie. Two lab reports confirmed that the powder was the abortion-inducing drug mifepristone.

Patel was reportedly charged for the crime in 2007 but went on the run to India for a decade, before being finally arrested in New York in 2017, according to local media.

“I have had plenty of time to think about what I did,” Patel said during the sentencing as reported by the Post Crescent. “I have no excuse or explanation for my actions.”

Patel also said he didn’t want another child because he and his then-girlfriend already had a son with a debilitating medical condition.

“I was convinced my unborn child would suffer the same fate,” he said. “This did not excuse what I did.”

County Judge John Des Jardins, who handed down Patel’s sentence, said he had to consider the severity of the crime and the impact it had on the victims, including the unborn child. The judge also sentenced Patel to four years extended supervision following the 22 years in jail.

In Wisconsin the attempted homicide charge carries a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.