A U.S. Army officer who secretly gave abortion medication to a pregnant junior enlisted soldier, causing the loss of her unborn child, was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty at a court-martial.
Capt. Brandon Jones-Adams, 34, pleaded guilty to intentionally killing an unborn child, domestic violence, fraternization and conduct unbecoming of an officer during a military trial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, according to a Thursday statement from Michelle McCaskill, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
Jones-Adams secretly administered Mifepristone to the soldier — who was carrying the pair’s child — resulting in an abortion.
“Capt. Jones-Adams’ actions were deliberate, calculated, and malicious. By committing these crimes, he inflicted profound harm on his victim and betrayed the trust place[d] in him as an Army officer,” said Circuit Chief Lt. Col. Tyler Heimann, Sixth Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel in a statement.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, a judge could have sentenced Jones-Adams to between four and 12 years in prison. The officer, assigned to the 23rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, Multi-Domain Command Pacific, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and dismissal from the Army, which is the dishonorable discharge equivalent for officers.
Jones-Adams will start his sentence at the Northwestern Joint Correctional Facility, according to McCaskill.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.