Man with HIV gets jail for not telling sexual partner he was infected
PALM BAY, Fla. – A Palm Bay man who never told his girlfriend that he was HIV positive has made a plea deal in the case against him. MA apologized to the woman and her family in court on Wednesday, saying he regrets what he did.
“I hope one day you can forgive me,” he said.
His apology seemed to mean little to the woman who said A infected her with HIV.
“Being lied to by someone you love so much just adds to the pain of having to deal with the news of being HIV positive. This is a day I will never forget for the rest of my life,” she said.
Palm Bay police said A knew he had HIV and still had sex with the woman dozens of times.
She found out during a doctor’s appointment that he was infected, and her tests soon showed that she, too, had contracted the virus.
“With all this being said, I did not get the option to live HIV positive or negative, but I hope I’m putting a stop to this happening to someone else,” the woman said in court.
A will spend 31 months in prison as part of the plea deal.
“MA has knowingly and intentionally committed a crime that would sentence her to life without a chance of parole, probation,” said the victim’s father. “She was not given a fair trial, a plea deal or any choices in deciding her fate.”
Officials said it could have been a tough case to prove, but in a phone call with the woman’s father last year, A admitted that he had the disease before the two met.
