Missouri Man Charged with spreading HIV to over 300 people

[NewYorkExpress]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/06/justice/missouri-hiv-arrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Yikes... Apparently the defendant faces fifteen years in prison per victim.

[Jordan]

Sickening

[Ban my account ffs!]

Do we charge people and send them to prison for coughing in public while suffering from influenza?

There was no malicious intent.  15 years per victim is a crime in and of itself and this will only serve to further stigmatize those living with HIV.

Be honest, be up front, USE A F**KING CONDOM.  But seriously... watch the prudes make this guy out to be some monster now in 3...2...1...

[Jordan]

There was no malicious intent. 15 years per victim is a crime in and of itself and this will only serve to further stigmatize those living with HIV.

What?

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[Atlas Has Shrugged]

There was no malicious intent. 15 years per victim is a crime in and of itself and this will only serve to further stigmatize those living with HIV.

What?

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To be fair, that is not necessarily malicious. Just criminally stupid. This man should be charged for the 15 or so people he had unprotected sex with, not for the other 285 people.

[Jordan]

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I'd sure want to know if someone I'm having sex with has any transferable diseases, protected sex or not.

[7,052,770]

The guy is clearly a danger to society...

[politicallefty]

Even if there was no malice, if one knowingly carries a disease like HIV and does not inform their sexual partners before unprotected sex (and infection results), there should be at least charges related to criminal negligence. I don't believe there should be charges where protection was used and no one was infected.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yeah, 15 years per victim is a bit excessive, but he should definitely spend some years in jail.

[opebo]

Malicious intent would imply he intended to harm them.  Obviously he didn't - he probably hoped they wouldn't get hiv - and as far as we know they probably didn't get it.  Interesting fact - if the State would provide proper medical services such people would be 'under treatment' and thus would be at extremely low risk of passing on the virus.

[Hnv1]

So by the logic of some US state if we would have took part in an armed robbery and accidentaly  killed a man he may be sentenced to death but infecting 300 people with a potentially lethal disease gets him....15 years

[Cory]

It ridiculous but typical to see some people trying to defend this person.

[Bacon King]

Do we charge people and send them to prison for coughing in public while suffering from influenza?

The difference here is that influenza does not typically give everyone it infects a slow and painful death.

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Malicious intent isn't necessary. He acted in blatant reckless disregard for the fact that he was quite literally killing people with his actions so he's quite obviously criminally negligent and thus guilty. Of an offense less than first degree murder, yes, but still guilty.

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He wasn't honest, he wasn't upfront, he didn't always use a condom. By your own standards, even, how is he not criminally irresponsible here?

[H. Ross Peron]

It ridiculous but typical to see some people trying to defend this person.

This.

The same principle operates here as for people who knowingly sell adulterated food and beverages.

[Kitteh]

I can see the argument that these laws are counterproductive because they just keep people in high-HIV areas/groups from getting tested so that they can't "knowingly" spread it. That doesn't mean that this guy is okay though.

[Reginald]

So by the logic of some US state if we would have took part in an armed robbery and accidentaly  killed a man he may be sentenced to death but infecting 300 people with a potentially lethal disease gets him....15 years

No, it can be life in that case. There's evidently a distinction in MO law between exposing someone to HIV and infecting them. From OP's article:

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Malicious intent would imply he intended to harm them.  Obviously he didn't - he probably hoped they wouldn't get hiv...

Not necessarily disagreeing with you here, but that's not always the case...

[Ban my account ffs!]

Of course what he did was incredibly wrong.  I don't mean to imply that he doesn't deserve to be punished for what he did.  And I very much doubt he'll get anywhere near what the charges are.

But I just ask that people don't freak out or think badly of others that ahve HIV that act responsibly and are honest with their sexual partners because of what this guy did.

I hope he spends at least a few years in prison for what he did.  And I hope that all of the people he spread the HIV to get every bit of support and medical treatment they need to continue to live healthy, productive lives.

I don't defend the man's actions.  I just don't like the kneejerk reactions that people have to cases like these.

[dead0man]

Be honest, be up front, USE A F**KING CONDOM.  But seriously... watch the prudes make this guy out to be some monster now in 3...2...1...

How is this guy NOT a monster?  I'm not going to say he's ruined 300 lives as one can live a decent live with HIV for a long time, but he's certainly needlessly complicated the lives of the WAY more than 300.  And why?  Because he didn't want to be rejected?  WTF?  He's had sex with at least 301 different people, rejection doesn't seem to be a problem.  And I'm guessing he doesn't have the money to pay for the medicine all these people now need, so the rest of us or his victims get to pay for that too.

Clearly not Stalin level prick, but he's certainly a bigger douchebag than Zimmerman or the cops that beat Rodney King.

[emailking]

To be fair, that is not necessarily malicious. Just criminally stupid. This man should be charged for the 15 or so people he had unprotected sex with, not for the other 285 people.

I'm OK with him getting 225 years.

[opebo]

Be honest, be up front, USE A F**KING CONDOM.  But seriously... watch the prudes make this guy out to be some monster now in 3...2...1...

How is this guy NOT a monster?  I'm not going to say he's ruined 300 lives as one can live a decent live with HIV for a long time, but he's certainly needlessly complicated the lives of the WAY more than 300.

But he didn't do any of that dead0man, those people all did that to themselves.

[Link]

Sickening

What's sickening?  The fact the title of this thread is a lie or the fact as usual the forum either a) didn't read the story or b) got sex ed in Texas and is clueless about STIs?

I have no idea how the OP came to his ludicrous conclusion and I am amazed that everyone else just shrugged their shoulders and went along with it.  Worst part is most of the offenders are red avatars.  Guys actually read the articles and if you don't understand them please ask someone to explain them instead of just going into infantile hysterics.  This stuff is serious and irrational fear mongering is what allowed the HIV epidemic to get out of control in the US in the first place.

[emailking]

Sickening

What's sickening?  The fact the title of this thread is a lie or the fact as usual the forum either a) didn't read the story or b) got sex ed in Texas and is clueless about STIs?

I have no idea how the OP came to his ludicrous conclusion and I am amazed that everyone else just shrugged their shoulders and went along with it.  Worst part is most of the offenders are red avatars.  Guys actually read the articles and if you don't understand them please ask someone to explain them instead of just going into infantile hysterics.  This stuff is serious and irrational fear mongering is what allowed the HIV epidemic to get out of control in the US in the first place.

I've read the article. The only thing that could be misleading is the "spread" claim as we don't know how many who were exposed actually contracted HIV. This is somewhat splitting hairs as the point is that he knowingly exposed them to it. Otherwise there is nothing false about the OP, and there is nothing in the article that would mitigate this man's culpability in the crimes.

[Link]

Interesting fact - if the State would provide proper medical services such people would be 'under treatment' and thus would be at extremely low risk of passing on the virus.

Two words, Ryan White.

Sickening

What's sickening?  The fact the title of this thread is a lie or the fact as usual the forum either a) didn't read the story or b) got sex ed in Texas and is clueless about STIs?

I have no idea how the OP came to his ludicrous conclusion and I am amazed that everyone else just shrugged their shoulders and went along with it.  Worst part is most of the offenders are red avatars.  Guys actually read the articles and if you don't understand them please ask someone to explain them instead of just going into infantile hysterics.  This stuff is serious and irrational fear mongering is what allowed the HIV epidemic to get out of control in the US in the first place.

I've read the article. The only thing that could be misleading is the "spread" claim as we don't know how many who were exposed actually contracted HIV. This is somewhat splitting hairs as the point is that he knowingly exposed them to it. Otherwise there is nothing false about the OP, and there is nothing in the article that would mitigate this man's culpability in the crimes.

Splitting hairs?!

I don't know if this is a reading comprehension problem or an issue with basic math or science.  Perhaps it's all of the above.  Read this ONE very short paragraph from the article...

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How does 15 to 20=HUNDREDS!!!

And the article says"instances."  It does not say "partners."  So we don't know whether this occurred with 15-20 people or 5 people with an average of 3 "instances" each.

Or maybe people just don't know how HIV is transmitted.  Given that a lot of the posters are American that is probably the case.  Anyway there is no scientific or rational reason for the vast majority of these people to even give this two seconds thought.

Here's a plan.  If people don't want to learn about STIs and safe sex then why don't they just abstain from having dudes stick their junk into their anus and mouth?  I've gone my whole life abstaining from that kind of behavior.  I'm living proof it's possible.  I just think it is pure evil to ask that someone else be thrown in jail because you don't want to go to school.  Snowden lover's take note... this is an example of real tyranny.  Learn to recognize it.

[Jordan]

Sickening

What's sickening?  The fact the title of this thread is a lie or the fact as usual the forum either a) didn't read the story or b) got sex ed in Texas and is clueless about STIs?

I have no idea how the OP came to his ludicrous conclusion and I am amazed that everyone else just shrugged their shoulders and went along with it.  Worst part is most of the offenders are red avatars.  Guys actually read the articles and if you don't understand them please ask someone to explain them instead of just going into infantile hysterics.  This stuff is serious and irrational fear mongering is what allowed the HIV epidemic to get out of control in the US in the first place.

Yes, I think that someone who lies about having AIDS and then proceeds to have sex with that person is sickening.

[Link]

Sickening

What's sickening?  The fact the title of this thread is a lie or the fact as usual the forum either a) didn't read the story or b) got sex ed in Texas and is clueless about STIs?

I have no idea how the OP came to his ludicrous conclusion and I am amazed that everyone else just shrugged their shoulders and went along with it.  Worst part is most of the offenders are red avatars.  Guys actually read the articles and if you don't understand them please ask someone to explain them instead of just going into infantile hysterics.  This stuff is serious and irrational fear mongering is what allowed the HIV epidemic to get out of control in the US in the first place.

Yes, I think that someone who lies about having AIDS and then proceeds to have sex with that person is sickening.

The article didn't say anything about anyone having AIDS.  Maybe you were thinking of a different article?