WATERTOWN — On Thursday, May 2, 2024, Watertown Police Detectives were informed of a report of a potential poisoning incident that resulted in the miscarriage of a pregnancy.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Detective Jennifer Connors of the Watertown Police Department.)
The victim – whose name was redacted from the report – told detectives that she met a man, later identified as Robert Kawada, on a dating app in January 2024.
According to police, Robert Kawada, 43, resides at 197 Fuller Street in Brookline. His LinkedIn profile indicates that he is the Director of Marketing and Communications at CT3 Education, an organization which trains teachers in underserved communities. He is also the founder/managing director of English Gang, an organization that provides online English language learning courses.
Kawada, a cellist who has performed at the Brookline Teen Center to raise money for the center, also mentions on his profile that he is a music therapist at Newton Wellesley Hospital and is passionate about causes related to children.
“She initially communicated with Kawada on the dating application and then began texting each other on their personal cell phones. Kawada provided the victim with his personal cell phone number and they proceeded to have several in-person dates thereafter,” Det. Connors said. “The victim stated she and Kawada engaged in consensual unprotected sex on these dates while at Kawada’s residence in Brookline, MA. The victim stated that in early March 2024, Kawada ended their relationship.”
After Kawada ended their relationship, the victim found out that she was pregnant and informed Kawada. After several message exchanges, the two met in person to discuss the pregnancy. Several additional meetings took place over the course of about six weeks from that point forward.
“Kawada also informed the victim that his mother had died during this timeframe,” Det. Connors said. Kawada’s mother passed away on April 6, 2024. “During these meetings the victim would provide updates regarding the pregnancy. Kawada would provide assurances, including experiences regarding his ex-wife’s pregnancy and the fact that his father was an OB-GYN doctor. On one occasion, Kawada provided the victim with homemade raspberry leaf cookies and the victim ate one which would later cause the victim to feel unwell and experience cramps in her stomach.”
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Detective Connors stated that through their investigation, detectives discovered that raspberry leaf, commonly consumed as raspberry leaf tea, is often used to soften a woman’s cervix and initiate labor. Consequently, raspberry leaf is considered potentially dangerous during the first trimester as it could lead to a miscarriage.
The victim reported that Kawada also asked about her iron levels, noting her pale appearance and mentioning that his ex-wife had experienced anemia during her pregnancy. Kawada then explained the benefits of iron pills and provided instructions on how to take them.
“On multiple occasions, Kawada provided the victim with pills that he informed the victim were iron pills or other vitamins,” Det. Connors recounted. “Kawada would instruct the victim on how to take the pills in a particular manner, specifically to hold them in-between her cheeks and teeth and to allow them to dissolve rather than swallowing them. Kawada also would check the victim’s mouth, by pulling on the victim’s cheeks, to ensure she had consumed the pills according to his instructions. Although the victim thought it was odd, she continued to trust Kawada based on his assurances and professed experiences with pregnancies.”
On one of the occasions when Kawada gave the woman pills and told her to let them dissolve in her cheek, she went to the bathroom, and spat them into a paper towel within an empty trash bin. She later put the pills in a plastic Ziploc bag.
“Upon her return from the bathroom, Kawada inquired about the pills and the victim told Kawada she had swallowed the pills, which angered Kawada,” Det. Connors said. “On multiple occasions the victim would experience pain, cramping and vaginal discharges which concerned her. On one occasion, the victim reported she had blood spotting on her underwear and vaginal discharge she described as ‘a big tissue chunk of brownish colored blood’ that she wiped onto a tissue. The victim stated she took a picture of her underwear and the tissue she used to wipe her vagina in order to show her doctor at her next scheduled appointment. Kawada was later shown a picture of that discharge and would later request that the victim send him the picture of the discharge. Although the victim questioned why Kawada would need the picture, she provided him with the picture and Kawada assured her it was so that he could figure out the issue.”
The victim then attended a prenatal doctor’s appointment, where the doctors assured her that the baby’s heartbeat was strong and stable.
“In subsequent conversations between Kawada and the victim, Kawada would express that he felt the victim was lying because she had lied about taking the pills, had lied about ovulation prior to the two engaging in sexual intercourse and that she had set him up by planning to get pregnant,” Det. Connors said.
The victim said that prior to their subsequent – and ultimately last – in-person meeting, she received a call from a “nurse” who claimed to work for her medical provider.
The victim said the “nurse” provided information about her bloodwork and told her to take iron pills and provided information on how to take them.
Shortly after speaking with the “nurse,” the victim said Kawada arrived at her residence. The victim then explained the call from the “nurse” to Kawada and he responded by telling her to take more iron pills, which he happened to have on him.
“As he had done before, Kawada instructed the victim to take the pills by putting them under her tongue or inside her cheek,” Det. Connors said. “The victim described these pills as hexagon shaped with a line through them. The victim stated the pills melted very quickly in her mouth and she asked Kawada if she could have some water. The victim stated Kawada told her she wasn’t supposed to have any water because it needs to melt and absorb.”
The victim reported receiving a second call from the “nurse,” using the same number as before. During this call, the “nurse” instructed her to take two additional pills. Kawada then informed the victim that he happened to have these pills, which the victim ultimately ingested.
“The victim stated that after she took these pills, she had chills and was shivering,” Det. Connors said. “The victim stated her throat felt swollen and she couldn’t swallow. The victim stated Kawada told her when he takes the pills, he feels that way too.”
The victim also reported that Kawada told her that “this baby killed his mother” because she was angry about the pregnancy and wanted her to have an abortion. Kawada then disclosed to the victim that he also wanted her to have an abortion, but the victim informed him that she planned on keeping the baby, would raise it by herself, and didn’t need “any of his support.”
The night of their final in-person meeting, the victim said that when she laid down in bed, she was cold, shivering, and “felt very uneasy.”
“The victim stated she went to sleep and woke up feeling like she had very bad cramps and felt like she had to have a bowel movement,” Det. Connors said. “The victim stated she was afraid to get up, fearing that she would be bleeding again. The victim stated she was lying in bed and felt wetness, which was different from the discharge she had felt. The victim stated she went to the bathroom and there was fresh blood that was dripping and she knew she was having a miscarriage.”
The victim stated she called back the “nurse” and discovered it was an internet-based, fake number, leading her to conclude that the “nurse” was also fake.
The victim then sought help from her a family member, who contacted the police for assistance.
On the morning of Thursday, May 2, 2024, Watertown police officers and medical first responders arrived at the victim’s residence. The victim handed over the pill she had saved and provided Kawada’s name and phone number to the officers. She was then transported to a nearby hospital, where doctors confirmed she had a miscarriage.
Later that day, a Watertown police officer called Kawada and asked him if he had been giving the victim “vitamin” pills for her pregnancy. Kawada replied, “Yes, I have been giving her vitamin C and iron pills that I ordered off Amazon.”
Watertown police detectives continued their investigation into the diagnosed miscarriage by checking to see if the pills described by the victim were consistent with any known medication used to terminate pregnancies.
“This research identified a prescription pill Misoprostol as being consistent with the white pills described by the victim,” Det. Connors said. “A listed use of the pills is to be used in combination with another drug (Mifepristone) to end a pregnancy. The listed side effects are also consistent with the symptoms described by the victim, to include her miscarriage. Detectives know, through their training and experience, that Misoprostol and Mifepristone are only available with a prescription.”
Detectives concluded that based on the victim’s statements and information obtained during their investigation, it appears that shortly after the in-person meetings where Kawada supplied the victim with pills which he claimed were iron supplements and vitamins, she began experiencing symptoms consistent with a miscarriage. As Kawada continued to give her additional pills, her symptoms worsened, ultimately resulting in a miscarriage on May 2, 2024.
“The investigation by detectives included review of data collected from Kawada’s personal cell phone via forensic extraction,” Det. Connors said. “Review of the data obtained thus far uncovered that Kawada called a phone number associated with an online pharmacy where individuals can purchase a variety of medications and prescriptions, including Misprostol. The date that Kawada called this number is the same date that the victim had gone to a medical appointment where she stated she was told that the heartbeat was strong and stable.”
The detectives’ investigation into Kawada’s cell phone data also revealed that Kawada had received calls from the same number the alleged victim received from the so-called “nurse.”
“Kawada received two calls from that number in the morning hours preceding his in-person meeting with the victim in which he supplied her with additional pills,” Det. Connors said. “This was the last in-person meeting between the victim and Kawada prior to her experiencing a miscarriage.”
A further review of data from Kawada’s cell phone revealed the following web searches during the time frame when the victim experienced her miscarriage:
- “misoprotol dissolved”
- “misoprotol discharge”
- “medical abortion discharge”
- “9 week aborted fetus pics”
- “telephone voice changer”
- “misoprotol when does fetus pass”
- “lychee pregnancy”
- “criminal defense lawyer”
- “chewing misoprostol”
- “no reaction to misoprotol”
- “MGH number”
- “iron deficiency anemia”
Kawada was charged with Poison Use with Intent to Kill/Injure, Aggravated Assault and Battery by Means of a Dangerous Weapon on a Pregnant Victim, and Assault and Battery on Family or Household Member.
Kawada was arraigned in Waltham District Court on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, where he plead not guilty. Following his arraignment, he was held on $100,000 bail.
He is scheduled to appear in court again on July 23 for a probable cause hearing.
