Robert Kawada is accused of deceiving his pregnant ex-girlfriend into believing he was taking iron vitamins when in fact it was an abortion pill. (WBTS/YouTube)
Authorities in Massachusetts have arrested a man on suspicion of giving his pregnant ex-girlfriend abortion pills, telling her they were iron and vitamin supplements, causing her to have a miscarriage.
The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office charged Robert Kawada, 43, of Brookline, with poisoning by poisonous substance, assault with a dangerous weapon on a pregnant woman, and domestic or family assault. According to an affidavit of indictment obtained by Law & Crime, Kawada and the woman met on a dating app in January and began dating. The two went on several dates and engaged in unprotected sex at Kawada’s home.
In March, Kawada ended the relationship. However, shortly after, she found out she was pregnant. She told him she was carrying his child, and the two began meeting to discuss plans. Kawada claimed he knew about the pregnancy because his ex-wife had a child and the father was an obstetrician-gynecologist. According to police documents, Kawada once gave her some homemade raspberry leaf cookies. The cookies are considered dangerous to eat in the early stages of pregnancy because they are believed to induce labor and may cause miscarriage.
The suspect noted she looked pale and asked about her iron levels. According to the affidavit, Kawada handed her several pills, which he said were iron supplements. He allegedly placed the pills between her cheeks and instructed her to let them dissolve rather than swallowing them. He also reportedly instructed her how often to take the pills. The woman told Watertown Police Department detectives that Kawada was pulling on her cheeks to make sure she was swallowing the pills.
One time, she went to the bathroom and spat out the pills, storing the other pills in a plastic bag. Kawada reportedly became furious when she told him she had swallowed the pills. Over the course of several weeks, taking the pills caused her to experience multiple bouts of painful abdominal pain and bleeding. Kawada allegedly assured her there was nothing wrong. She went to see her obstetrician-gynaecologist, who told her the baby’s heartbeat was strong and everything looked normal.
Shortly before her and Kawada’s final meeting, the woman told detectives she received a call from someone claiming to be a nurse telling her to take more iron. Kawada showed up and said he had iron supplements, which she took, according to police records. The nurse called again later that day and told her to take more iron supplements, according to the affidavit.
Kawada also allegedly claimed his mother died because she was upset about the pregnancy. Kawada then told his mother he wanted her to have an abortion, the affidavit states. But the mother told Kawada she wanted to have the baby and raise it herself.
That night, she woke up with severe abdominal pain and a discharge. She told detectives she felt as if she had had a miscarriage. After learning the nurse who called was not a nurse and was calling from an internet number, she notified her family about the situation. The family told her to call Watertown police on May 2. Medical personnel took her to the hospital, where a doctor confirmed the miscarriage, the affidavit states.
The victim provided police with one of the pills Kawada allegedly provided, as well as Kawada’s name and phone number. When police contacted Kawada, he allegedly claimed to have provided iron and vitamin supplements. However, police determined the pill Kawada allegedly provided was misoprostol, which is used in combination with mifepristone to terminate pregnancies. Detectives allegedly found internet searches on Kawada’s cell phone for misoprostol, “pictures of 9-week aborted fetuses,” and “voice changers for phones.” Detectives also found Kawada had ordered the abortion pills from an online pharmacy, according to the affidavit.
Police sent Kawada to jail on Friday on $100,000 bail.
Kawada’s lawyer, Dmitry Lev, told Boston NBC affiliate WBTS that he looks forward to investigating the case and presenting the findings to a jury.
