A St. Peters, Missouri, man who kidnapped his pregnant girlfriend at gunpoint before driving her to an Illinois clinic to force her to get an abortion, was sentenced last month.
Federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois announced Kevin L. Smith, 42, abducted the woman where she works in St. Charles, on Dec. 7, 2022, and drove her to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Fairview Heights, Illinois.
Victim Sent Smith a Photo of a Positive Pregnancy Test with the Caption 'Bae, Im Pregnant' a Day Before the Incident
According to court documents, It all started on Dec. 6, 2022, when the woman sent a photo of a positive pregnancy test to Smith along with the words, "Bae im pregnant." They spoke that night and agreed that she would have an abortion, but the following morning, she had a change of heart, telling Smith she wanted to keep the child.
"I'm going to kill you, b****," Smith responded. The following day Smith "kidnapped his pregnant girlfriend" from her gas station cleaning job in St. Charles, Missouri, and drove her about 35 miles east to a Planned Parenthood location in Fairview Heights, Illinois. His reasoning for doing so was evident, according to authorities: He wanted "to force her to obtain an abortion."
Victim Managed to Alert Her Family During the Drive to the Abortion Clinic
During the drive to Illinois, investigators learned the victim sent a series of text messages to her family describing the kidnapping as it was happening. "[H]e got a gun on me cause I'm pregnant," she wrote in one of the messages, adding that hewas going to kill her if she didn't get an abortion.
A relative, who was tracking her location, drove to the Planned Parenthood parking lot and called 911. When police arrived, officers said Smith tried to drive away before stopping. The victim directed them to where Smith had thrown the loaded handgun from the vehicle.
'It's My Son's Birthday'
As they drove to the police station, body-camera footage reportedly captured Smith saying, "It's my son's birthday and I'm trying to prevent having another kid." He was originally charged in St. Clair County, Illinois, with two counts of aggravated kidnapping-armed with a firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and aggravated unlawful restraint.
Smith pleaded to one count of kidnapping. He was sentenced Oct. 1 to 188 months in prison, and three years of supervised release. Prosecutors say that Smith received a stricter sentencing because he continued to threaten and harass the victim even when he was in jail.
