Virginia: Man Accused of Intentionally Infecting Wife With HIV

A man who allegedly intentionally infected his wife with HIV is the first person to be prosecuted under Virginia's two-year-old infected sexual battery law. Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Molly Sullivan said police learned from the victim that her husband had purposely infected her with the virus. He told his wife he had tested positive for HIV and had been infected for 14 years, Sullivan said. The couple was married about four years ago and have been together for seven years. The law makes it a crime for any person who is knowingly infected with HIV, syphilis or hepatitis B to intentionally transmit the infection through sexual contact, and it carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Police are still investigating the dates and location where transmission of the virus occurred to make sure that it happened in Virginia, since the couple also lived in the District of Columbia. The man's name is being withheld to protect the identity of his wife, who recently tested positive for HIV.

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