The former co-owner of the Table 8 restaurants in Los Angeles and South Beach has pleaded no contest to attempted murder, after trying to induce a miscarriage on his ex-girlfriend, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Friday.
Joshua Woodward entered the plea to one count of attempted murder before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Curtis Rappe.
Woodward, 43, is expected to be sentenced to nine years in state prison when he returns to court Jan. 29.
According to prosecutors, Woodward attempted to induce the miscarriage on Oct. 18, 2009, by using misoprostol, a drug used to induce labor and terminate early-stage pregnancies.
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested Woodward for murder in 2009 in connection with the death of the fetus, which police said died at approximately the 13th week of gestation.
During a preliminary hearing, evidence was presented that Woodward also attempted to induce the miscarriage on three other occasions.