Man Indicted for Allegedly Misleading a Woman into Taking Medication to End Pregnancy

WATERTOWN - Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Watertown Chief of Police Justin Hanrahan have confirmed that Robert Kawada, 43, of Brookline has been indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on charges of poisoning, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a pregnant person and assault and battery on a household or family member. The allegation is that Kawada misled a woman, who was known to him, into taking medication to end her pregnancy.

The investigation suggests that the defendant and the victim were in a dating relationship and that the victim became pregnant.  Upon learning of the pregnancy,  the defendant allegedly ordered the medications, Misoprostol and Mifepristone, online.  In placing that order he is alleged t have used the identity of another female who was known to him.

To allegedly trick the victim into taking the pills, the defendant began encouraging her to take iron pills during her pregnancy. While the victim was initially reluctant to take the pills, she trusted the defendant especially because his father was an Obstetrics and Gynecology doctor. In a continued effort to deceive the victim, the defendant allegedly arranged for a person, who identified themself as a nurse from the victim’s medical facility,  to call the victim and further encourage her to take a supplement citing low iron in recent test results.

The defendant subsequently showed up at the victim’s home where they discussed the phone call from the nurse. The defendant said he had those type of pills with him and gave them to the victim who took them. That medication was actually intended to end the pregnancy. After the victim had been given the pills, she suffered a miscarriage. The victim was later able to provide a description of the pill, which she had ingested, that was consistent with one of the drugs that induced the miscarriage.

The investigation revealed that, prior to the calls to the victim from the alleged nurse, the defendant had called that same phone number, which was not affiliated with any medical facility. 

Kawada will be arraigned Middlesex Superior Court at a later date.

Prosecutors assigned to the case are Jacob McCrindle and Kailey Verni. The Victim Witness Advocate is Arianne Dubina.