San Diego Man Imprisoned For Knowingly Spreading HIV
A 29-year old man in San Diego was sentenced to six months in prison for knowingly infecting others with HIV.
The man was sentenced after prosecution tabled as evidence 11,000 text messages and 36 audio clips showing Thomas Miguel Guerra had joked about his partners not knowing he was HIV positive. Guerra's sentencing was based on charges of misdemeanor leveled against him after an ex-boyfriend had complained to the police in August 2013 that he was infected by Guerra who had lied about his infection when they were dating, The New York Times reports.
Guerra maintained he was innocent in the court. He also called the complainant, his ex-boyfriend, reckless though he did not contest the misdemeanor violation. If he were tried for other charges and found guilty, a jury verdict could have resulted in a stricter punishment.
The six-month imprisonment is the maximum prison sentence that Judge Katherine Lewis could hand down. The judge was reportedly angry at Guerra's lack of remorse and openly called for having the charges changed to felony while noting that letting him go with a misdemeanor charge was oversight on part of law.
In the recent past, a 51-year old man had turned himself over after he claimed to have infected thousands of people.
