Editor’s note. My family and I will be on our vacation through September 7. I will occasionally add new items but for the most part we will repost “the best of the best” — the stories our readers have told us they especially liked.
The case of Manishkumar M. Patel, who attempted to slip his unsuspecting girlfriend an abortifacient, has finally come to a conclusion, almost 11 years later.
On Wednesday Patel was convicted of attempted first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child. “The attempted homicide charge carries a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison,” according to Alison Dirr. “Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 9.”
Patel’s girlfriend did not ingest the drink but miscarried weeks later,
This was one of the very early cases of a boyfriend slipping his pregnant girlfriend an abortifacient. As we reported previously, Darshana Patel was suspicious and did not drink the smoothie that was laced with RU-486.
This took place in November 2007. A bench warrant was issued the following January for Patel (who was not related to the woman) on multiple charges, including attempted first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child. He jumped a $750,000 cash bond, which he forfeited.
Patel’s list of criminal charges had included “second-degree recklessly endangering safety, placing foreign objects in edibles, possession with intent to deliver prescriptions, stalking, burglary, possession of burglary tools, and two counts of violating a harassment restraining order,” according to Dirr of USA Today
According to a 2008 Associated News story, the couple had a long-standing relationship, which resulted in a son in 2004. A subsequent pregnancy ended in a miscarriage in 2006 (Manish Patel denied that child was his.)
In August 2007 Darshana Patel said she became pregnant again. But this time (citing a criminal complaint) Dirr reported, “she noticed how attentive Manish became. He even prepared meals for her on occasion.”
Darshana noticed Manish stirring a smoothie at an ice cream store and grew suspicious, Dirr reported. “When he offered it to her, she noticed powder on the cup’s rim, and the pregnant woman feigned illness and didn’t drink it.”
According to the criminal complaint
A short time later, her doctor detected problems in her hormone levels, and she contacted the lab to test the substance in the cup. While waiting for a kit to test the substance, she miscarried. The lab test later confirmed the presence of the abortion pill.
A bench warrant was issued for Patel on Jan. 31, 2008. He was not located and arrested (in Malone, New York) until January 2017.
The Sheriff’s department sent out a press release, explaining how Patel was apprehended.
At 1:15 a.m. on Friday, the U.S. Border Patrol stopped a vehicle in Malone, N.Y. that was suspected to be involved in possible criminal activity and agents identified Patel as a passenger.
He had a fraudulent passport that expired in December 2016. The agents took Patel and the driver to the Border Patrol office and asked them to be fingerprinted. He took agents aside and said he was not who his travel documents indicated he was.
A records check showed Patel was wanted by Outagamie County.
“A host of other charges in the case and two other cases — one felony case and one misdemeanor case — were dismissed as part of a plea agreement,” Dirr reported.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
