HIV-positive man sentenced 35 years for spitting at officer

[jillio]

35 yrs? thats nothing... think of my self-esteem hurting for many years depressed and my sister have bioplar disorder when my dad was sick with hiv.. it was not full blown then.. but people wouldnt come here and hang out with us just cuz they said we all have hiv.. but my dad is hte only one that have hiv.. freinds stopped coming here afraid to get the disease... thinking its contiagous... jeez

they were ignorant.... they didnt stop to look up information.. they didtn care... they think about themselves..

eventually my dad died from full blown AIDS in 87. we are still alive.. those people who shun us and doesnt want to be our friends gulped that we dont have the disease. too late there are damages already done to us. it hurts for many years. it take long time to deal with it... i had counseling thank goodness it does help me.. but my sister never did.. that explains why she have bioplar disorder... she will never get well cuz she dont have treatment .. due no health insurance. that is not my problem.

Those who shun us now have regrets... are they my friends.. no.. but i do forgive them.. they should have thought of that before hurting one of us... sigh...

I am sorry that your family went through that tragedy, FC. People who are ignorant and misinformed rarely realize how much damage their ignorance can do to others. The bad part is, there are still people out there who believe that you can get HIV from someone sneezing on you and other ways that are just as ridiulas.

 

[jillio]

It's too excessive. 35 years is asinine.

The only thing that the state of Texas did was add more burden to the taxpayers as they now have to medicate/hospitalized this individual for the next 35 years. HIV medicenes could run into thousands of dollars a month.

It looks like the HIV individual got the justice to have his healthcare covered.

But it is Texas, this ain't nothing new.

Excellent points.

 

[Awauphi]

I am sorry that your family went through that tragedy, FC. People who are ignorant and misinformed rarely realize how much damage their ignorance can do to others. The bad part is, there are still people out there who believe that you can get HIV from someone sneezing on you and other ways that are just as ridiulas.

That is ok. We got thru it to where we are today. still standing strong... but not my sister.

I know if only they stop to read that it is not contiagous. that is sad they only think of themselves.. which today is ME ME generation. its pathetic, really. Like in other thread about karma .. maybe it will bite them and in end they will end up having no friends? thats too bad.

 

[jillio]

That is ok. We got thru it to where we are today. still standing strong... but not my sister.

I know if only they stop to read that it is not contiagous. that is sad they only think of themselves.. which today is ME ME generation. its pathetic, really. Like in other thread about karma .. maybe it will bite them and in end they will end up having no friends? thats too bad.

I'm sure that Karma will get them in the end. Perhaps they or someone they love will contract HIV, and then they will have to think about the way they treated you and your family so insenitively. That is why we always need to be mindful to treat others the way we want to be treated. We never know when it could happen to us.

 

[Awauphi]

I'm sure that Karma will get them in the end. Perhaps they or someone they love will contract HIV, and then they will have to think about the way they treated you and your family so insenitively. That is why we always need to be mindful to treat others the way we want to be treated. We never know when it could happen to us.

Yup I agree with you. I am sure they realize this one day. I am not going to worry about this. I already have moved on.

 

[Byrdie714]

Excellent points.

 

[Wokamuka]

Within the American Justice system, I believe that when a person shoots a person, intending to kill and not in self-defense, would be charged with attempted murder. "Intent follows the bullet"

This man, Willie Campbell, was intending to murder an officer of the law. While there may be panic and misinformation about HIV, the focus is the intention; not the tool of choice.

Selected quote from a more informative article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/us/16spit.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
A homeless man who spit in the mouth and eye of a police officer and then taunted him, saying he was H.I.V. positive, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday for harassing a public servant with a deadly weapon: his saliva.

An example was thrown out regarding a t-shirt thrown at someone at the top of the stairs: if I had intended to cause a series of events that would result in death, it is - just the same - attempted murder. If I had thrown the t-shirt anger, horseplay, or "adding to the laundry," it is not attempted murder - murder was not my intention.

Many, who have commented on this thread, have taken greater offense at the 35-year sentence for an attempted murder do not know this person's background. From the same article from the New York Times, I quote:

Mr. Henrichs added that his client had been indicted under a habitual-offender statute that increased the penalty in his case to a minimum of 25 years in prison, because he had been convicted of attacking two other officers in a similar manner and biting two inmates, as well as more than two dozen other offenses.

Granted, none of the officers seroconverted nor were they in any great danger. The point, which seems to be lost on many people, is the intention. This person intended to to do harm (and he's done it twice before).

“You can see why we thought that we needed to get this guy off the streets,” said Jenni Morse, who prosecuted the current case.

A homeless man who passes out, drunk, on the sidewalk then attacks paramedics and police officers who attempt to uphold the law: better him there than over here.

 

[Aleser]

An example was thrown out regarding a t-shirt thrown at someone at the top of the stairs: if I had intended to cause a series of events that would result in death, it is - just the same - attempted murder. If I had thrown the t-shirt anger, horseplay, or "adding to the laundry," it is not attempted murder - murder was not my intention.

Ah!

One could argue that, being a reasonable person capable of foreseeing the risk of throwing a t-shirt at someone, but going ahead and doing it anyways (without an actual intent to harm the person,) you have committed a reckless act. Boom, mens rea, no intent required. Add a little proof of the guilty act and you're the convicted t-shirt killer.

 

[saxxykitty78]

35 years is too long but he might will die in prison before his sentence is up . eventually he should think twice from acting wrong toward police officer oh well.

 

[Wokamuka]

It could be reckless and the charges would reflect that. It would not be, as with this person (Willie Campbell), attempted murder.