Army Captain gets 12 years for drugging partner, killing unborn child

An Army officer pleaded guilty last week to intentionally killing his unborn child, along with domestic violence, fraternization, and conduct unbecoming of an officer.

Capt. Brandon Jones-Adams, 34, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, must forfeit all pay and allowances, and will be dismissed from the Army, the U.S. Army announced.

His dismissal is a punitive discharge for military commissioned officers, which is equivalent to a dishonorable discharge for enlisted members of the service.

The U.S. Army noted he could have been sentenced anywhere between four and 12 years in prison based on the terms of his plea agreement.

Relationship began at JBLM and continued through a rotation in South Korea

Jones-Adams first met the victim in November 2024, when she was assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) as a junior enlisted soldier.

The two began a consensual relationship that continued while they were assigned to the same battalion at JBLM and during a nine-month rotation in South Korea.

In May 2025, the victim became pregnant with Jones-Adams’ child, and the two redeployed to JBLM in June and July of 2025.

On the morning of August 21, 2025, the victim was at Jones-Adams’ house in Puyallup when he poured her a drink. After the victim consumed it, she noticed a residue in the cup and suspected that Jones-Adams had slipped a drug into her drink.

Shortly after, the victim began to experience severe cramping and went to the emergency room at JBLM, where she informed hospital staff of her suspicions. While at the hospital, she miscarried in her 13th week of pregnancy, killing the unborn child.

The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) was notified of the incident, and an investigation was opened.

Forensic phone search revealed his repeated attempts to obtain the drug

Investigators found that Jones-Adams used a fake name to purchase Mifepristone from an online website. The drug blocks progesterone, which is an essential hormone required to sustain a pregnancy.

A forensic examination of Jones-Adams’ cellphone also revealed that he made multiple attempts to acquire the drug from various other sources.

When Jones-Adams was confronted during an interview with Army CID agents, he admitted to placing a pill in the victim’s drink.

“What Mr. Jones-Adams did was a disgusting act that killed an unborn child and violated the victim’s trust and autonomy in the most personal way,” said Special Agent in Charge Michele Starostka of Army CID’s Western Field Office. “When someone crosses that line, we will throw every resource we have into the investigation and make sure they face full accountability.”

Jones-Adams will begin his confinement at the Northwestern Joint Regional Correctional Facility at JBLM and be transferred to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Jones-Adams is an Adjutant General’s Corps Officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 23rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, Multi-Domain Command-Pacific, JBLM.

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