LOS ANGELES — A former national restaurateur was sentenced today to nine years in state prison for trying to induce a miscarriage of his ex-girlfriend’s fetus more than six years ago, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced. On Nov. 13, defendant Joshua Woodward, 43, pleaded no contest to a felony count of attempted murder in case BA403598.
At today’s court appearance, Woodward was immediately remanded into custody following the sentencing by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Curtis Rappe. Deputy District Attorneys Habib Balian of the Major Crimes Division and Marguerite Rizzo, Deputy-in Charge of the Forensic Science Section, prosecuted the case.
Prosecutors said Woodward was a Florida resident who once co-owned the former Table 8 restaurants in Los Angeles and South Beach. On Oct. 18, 2009, the defendant tried to induce a miscarriage on his ex-girlfriend by using misoprostol, a drug used in the medical community to induce labor and terminate early stage pregnancies. Evidence presented at a preliminary hearing showed that Woodward attempted to induce the miscarriage on three other occasions.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
