Texan gets 45 years for spreading HIV

Could be worse he could be spreading Dumb Ya's way of thinking or not thinking(LOL).

punishment deserved. condom or no condom, female partners cannot make a complete decision unless they know what the consequences are.

if you say that the partners are equally guilty by not using protection.... well... that's like me going to a restaurant and eating dinner. I realize that I may possibly get a virus from contaminated food, but I don't expect the food to be contaminated so I eat out anyway. That doesn't mean I'm to blame when I'm at home cramping for the next 24 hours. Just because I knew that it was a possibility doesn't mean that I should assume that the food was contaminated. On the other hand, if the restaurant owner's told me that one of their employees was sick or there were people in hazmat suits outside the building that I could make an informed decision and eat at home instead.

and anyway, isn't it against the law to have sex with someone without disclosing HIV status if one is affected?

Although this man is (clearly) wrong I think the women have no one to blame but themselves. 45 years in jail because the women didn't feel the need to use codoms or insist on a STD test? Hmmm..

like he's gonna live that much

Knowingly spreading this disease is so messed up, he deserves everything he got. Imagine finding out that you are HIV+, then finding out the person who gave it to you knew and just didn't care...prison is the least he should have to endure.

This is exactly why you should ALWAYS use protection. You never know when you are going to run into a nut job like this guy!

I think anyone who is having unprotected sex is just stupid...with the notable exception of couples intending to conceive, so I suppose he was preying upon the weak.

While his behavior may be criminal, it is still legal to be stupid, you can even become president. This is almost a case of dumb and dumber, and such a waste of the court's time...but it is Texas.

I have seen some very well thought out responses and some gut responses. Then there is the usual idiot that thinks only scumbags get aids and they sadly enough are often the recipients of bad kharma and end up in the most ironic places in life.

Dikdik13 so you trust a rubber so much that you would knowingly risk your life and have sex with someone with AIDS? I applaud you for all of us are not that caring, desperate or horny. If he told the Women he had AIDS I think it would kill the mode or if he was a real playboy a rubber would be used. And no one would have to die of AIDS or go to jail.

Yeah, this was stupid. The women are just pissed off cuz they were sluts and suffered the consequences. If you have sex w/ someone w/out having proof of their HIV-status than ur putting urself @ risk and its noone's fault but ur own.

Here's question: what if this guy was a herion addict and shared needles w/ 100 women knowing that he was HIV positive. Would this case have ever made it to court? Would we be showing so much sympathy for these hoebags if they got AIDs from sticking a needle in their arms instead of penis in their vaginas?

Whats the difference (and dont say cuz herion is illegal b/c thats irrelevant)? The point is we are all responsible for r own actions. He didnt drug these girls and rape them he didnt force them to do this. They choose to have unprotected sex w/ a guy they barely new. Thats life.

Rubbers break!!
If you test positive ...disclose the information to potential lovers even at the risk of not getting laid. I am sick about the selfishness of those who don't. The promiscuous have avoided testing all along that is why you should get to know someone for awhile before the deed. Protecting yourself is hit and miss!!! Rubbers are a slim line of protection and it's the best we have. A person deserves to know what they are protecting against...pregnancy, herpes, STD's or HIV??

RaceBannon you need to have someone tell you about the birds and the bees. Swine flu And AIDS don't really have that much in common.

so is it a crime to knowingly spread swing flu? Questions like these part of the reason why I dropped law as a major back in school.

Anyone that is backing this guy should go find someone with full blown AIDS. And have him rape your face. Then come back and tell us all how much you liked it.

Sounds like you would like some AIDS Rockstar

ugh, this whole thing is preposterous with how we can and have people recovered from hiv and aids, so obviously it's not connected and not a death sentence, so we don't need to treat it as such. 45 years is too much. This reminds me of how ridiculous it is to send people to jail for having drugs on them or dealing drugs. Yes, I know those are no victim crimes, but this is for giving someone an STD. Not that it is right, but it's not that bad. Certainly if people in relationships can put up with a partner with an STD, so can dates.

This is crazy! I hope we don't keep that scumbag alive for 45 years. If the jail buys medicine to keep him from alive for years this country is going to shit.

If this man is so shallow and stupid as to continue unprotected sex after knowing that he was infected with HIV....then the courts should have cut his balls off. He'd be a threat to no one again. The public should be made aware when another citizen is so potentionally dangerous.....but we have to be politically correct...don't we? God forbid we use common sense.

he deff deserves his sentance. what he did was uncool, and also jeopardizes these womens futures.

if he knew he was infected then yes. it's fair.

yes that is the bottom line is it not?

hopefully the poor women he infected will someday find a cure...

Put em away...

I said early in the thread that if you knowingly spread the virus you should be convicted and it is against the law. The only thing that i am saying is that there are people knowingly sleeping with people that are pos. and then they change there mind and want to press charges.

we have now provided the promiscuous with a good reason NOT to get tested. Apparently the rule in Texas is , "No knowledge, no foul."

Although I understand why some people are hesitant to demand legal justice for this action, in the end I have to say that I think he deserves jail time. People are ignorant about the facts of HIV and AIDS, yes. There are also too many people who discriminate against those with this illness.

However, in the end, this man knew he was positive before engaging in sexual intercourse. I think that his partner's decision to have unprotected sex is pretty irrelevant. This man isn't being criminalized for just having HIV.

When you take away the context of sex, it's pretty difficult to debate whether or not it's a crime. He knowingly and willingly exposed other people to something that will undoubtedly harm them and possibly kill them. How is that not a crime?

He surely deserves harsh punishment for giving these women a death sentence, regardless if they should have worn a condom or not (why they didn't require it, who knows, but now they will have to pay for the rest of their lives for that), he knowingly gave them a terminal illness. And the sentence, I think is to set an example (after all it is Texas)....As for turning HIV into a crime, having it was not the crime, giving it was the crime itself, the fact that he knowingly gave it to 5 women was the crime.

The lawyer for the defendant stated that he "did not intentionally spread the virus"...that's a bunch of bull shit, you knowingly spread the virus when you have unprotected sex without full disclosure of an illness he knew they (likely) would be in infected.

I don't understand... why is anyone debating whether this person did something wrong???? This is a person who tested ++++ for HIV and still knowingly chose to have sex with other women. He should be charged with a criminal act and "assault with a deadly weapon" was what they used because there aren't laws for assault with deadly AIDS. If you get HIV and you know about it... keep it in your pants. Unless you find another infected partner. I feel sorry for these women because they were uninformed... ignorance is one thing but this guy was only out for himself... he got what he deserved.

Legal question: The guy got convicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. If any of his victims die of AIDS-related disease or complication, could he then be charged with manslaughter/murder, or would that be double-jeopardy?

I think this guy totally got what he deserved. If the women die from the infection, then it should be classified as murder. Call it extreme if you want, but how can to you argue that he did not knowingly expose them to harm? There is no cure for AIDS. They are going to die of it or its complications unless they die of something else sooner. If he didnt know, that is one thing. He knew he was infected and still had unprotected sex. Its disgusting.

12 steps and HIV have nothing to do with one another. I am on prescription drugs that would kill a horse and i am not reckless. I do use protection and i do take my meds on time. I see about 4 doctors a month. 16 years of bliss.more if you count the time before i tested.But sobriety does have an effect on the numbers. Not necessarily addicts though. All it takes is one drunken night.

Should have executed the piece of shit, society doesn't benefit in the least keeping this vermin alive. He's a waste of space and now the taxpayers money. Not to mention, I'm sure the taxpayers will end up picking up the tab for part of these womens treatment because they had unprotected sex.

To sickinjersey and others:
I appreciate the perspectives offered about the "manageability" of HIV. My perspective is skewed by the fact that the hand-full of people in my life who are HIV positive are well-insured professionals in a metropolitan area with access to quality infectious disease professionals. They take their meds on schedule every day (and in one case, has for ten years). They see their doctor every few months, their viral load is undetectable, their immune systems appear normal (with one exception). These individuals all became infected due to the effects that long-term recreational drug use has on judgment (got high, stayed high, made lots of increasingly bad decisions, got infected). I know these individuals through an addiction recovery program. This is all just to provide context about my statement.

I recognize, and am humble and grateful for the reminder, that this is not the experience of all (and perhaps most) HIV positive individuals.

Thanks for setting me straight.

You're all wusses. The guy should be killed. Execution is fine.
Or maybe the same punishment that child rapers and killers should get.
They should be taken from jail, strung between four pick-up trucks; - and slowly pulled apart. It should be on television.

Why not for some guy, knowingly trying to kill others as revenge because he knows he got it from someone.

It also shows the disrespect he has for women.

Their only crime is not seeing who they were getting in bed with.

Kind of like these people who keep voting for people who are ripping them off in the first place. Just dumb in the brain.

We could sell four-way chain kits right at the same place they sell snow chains.

He lived in suburban Frisco which is about 25 miles north of Dallas and resembled a morlock more than a human being. The man has a sunken face and fragile frame so they chose not to see the man they let into their vaginas (sorry, but hey). Every women that testified got punked; he has 100% infection rate. Only married women seem to hit on me and I don't think its okay for a little *woo *woo now and then. Its supposed to be sacred and meaningful. I prefer innocence to what's going on in the world but people like this are deplorable.

Assault with a deadly weapon.

HAHAHAHAHA*breath*HAHAHAHAHA*breath*
oooohhhhohohohahahaha*breath*deadly weapon...

A martial arts instructor getting an "assualt with a deadly weapon" charge, for his penis.

Top that Chuck Norris.
* **
***
Or perhaps he is really a serial killer. Just recently using his now infected body instead of other ways and this is just the surface of his killings.

Eh?

I'm an HIV testing counselor at GMHC in New York City and stories like this continue to break my heart. On one hand, the man's actions are simply unacceptable and clearly beyond the bounds of decency in any society. But the effect of a decision like this is that it exaggerates the stigma associated with having HIV. One of the reasons I volunteer at GMHC is because I want to help give those living with HIV/AIDS the chance to live happily and with a strong integrity. These kinds of decisions make it even more important that we do community-wide education so that HIV doesn't become the fodder of nightmares. While I don't think courts should rule only thinking about the societal effects of their decision, I think the burden is ultimately on organizations like GMHC to work even harder to educate the public about HIV.

Interesting views, both for and against. Before I give my opinion, I must disagree with an earlier post. HIV is by no means a manageable disease. Health insurance only goes so far to pay and as you age and the symptoms worsen (AIDS) the prices skyrocket. You must take into account frequent check ups and the fact that the majority of Americans cannot afford health insurance. Then there's the social stigma against HIV, most people will not even consider dating someone that has it. You are pigeon-holed into a class similar to drug addicts and prostitutes when really all it takes is one poor decision or helping someone who is bleeding.

That said, I agree with the court fully. Knowingly spreading a debilitating, often deadly disease should be considered a crime.

I'm definitely in agreement that he deserves some punishment. I'm not sure that sitting in jail for 45 years while these women (and the countless others he infected) struggle to stay healthy is the best punishment.

It seems to me that stories like this lead to a whole lot of people getting on their high horses and judging this guy from afar without looking looking at their own sexual ethics. People damage each other with their unchecked sex drives all over the world, all the time. Not all the damage done to families and health may seem as permanent and shocking as knowingly infecting someone with HIV, but I would argue that the consequences are still dire and abuse is *rampant*.

I also think he has a responsibility to disclose and the law says that such disclosure is only necessary in the event of unprotected exposure to any one you must warn them. If not , in any way with premeditation that it is a crime.

it doesn't have anything to do with having safe sex, if you have HIV it is your responsibility to tell those you may have sex with, and it doesn't matter if it is a "Death Sentence" you are knowingly spreading a disease, this guy knew that if he told these women he was sick they would not have sex with him, so stop acting like the women were irresponsible and put the blame where it belongs... even if they did wrap it up, condoms break and shit happens.

I fully support the court's decision in this trial. It would be one thing if he was spreading it and didn't know. However, that is not the case. He had unprotected sex with these women knowing that he had HIV and could possibly spread it to these women. If he had any care for these women (just basic human care is enough) he wouldn't have endangered their health like that.

Well, I do think being aware of having HIV should require more care for sexual practice.
However, I also believe the women have just as much responsibility to whether or not they are having safe sex.

It's like agreeing the play russian roulette then being shocked that someone dies. I'm sure that's a slogan somewhere.

Though because of his awareness, I do think he should bare some legal responsibility - just how much, I'm not too sure.

I'd actually like to see this issue appear again. Are there other sorts of precedent for this issue?

Yes HIV may not necessarily lead to death, but c'mon, this guys actions were totally irresponsible and the problems he has caused these women could have been completely avoided if he had just told them he had the virus.

I'm torn for the same reason, sickinjersey.

HIV is no longer a death sentence, any more than diabetes is. For most patients, with proper medical care and about $45/day in medicine (unless you have good insurance), the condition is very manageable.

While jail sounds like a just punishment for "aggravated assault with a deadly weapon", perhaps a sentence that involves hard labor with the money he would have earned going to support their medical bills would be more just.

Either way, this guy is just one person in the news. There are so many HIV-positive men out there screwing men and women and getting them sick because their are too drug-addled or otherwise defective to have any sort of ethical core.

I think the problem was that he continued to have unprotected sex after being tested and found positive. It's kind of like passing on a death sentence isn't it? Tough question and most likely will go further in the legal system to be decided.

Wow i am torn.He should have disclosed. But the women should use protection. They have turned HIV into a crime and I do not no about that .Can we do things to ourselves and then blame the place that we did them?