How Women United to Stop HIV-Positive Man
Women's Horror at Diagnosis Replaced With Mission: Stop Man From Infecting Others
They came from all walks of life. One was a fiery, athletic redhead. One was a stay-at-home mom and grandmother. Another was a buttoned-up businesswoman. They were all looking for love.
Between 2004 and 2007, they -- and several other women -- managed to cross paths with a man they describe as a serial killer. They say they were given a death sentence by 53-year-old Philippe Padieu, who knowingly infected them with the HIV virus.
In late May, Padieu was convicted in a Texas court of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for infecting the women. He was later sentenced to 45 years in prison.
The case of Padieu starts innocently enough. Diane Reeve, a martial arts instructor from Dallas, was braving the world of Internet dating. Encouraged by friends to get back on the dating scene after her marriage ended, she struggled to find Mr. Right until she met Padieu, a network security analyst from Frisco, Texas.
For the full story watch "20/20" Friday at 10 p.m. ET
The two dated for four-and-a-half years. They were both martial arts enthusiasts, and Reeve eventually hired Padieu as an instructor at her studio. They took trips to New York, Paris and tropical islands -- they even planned to move in together. But in 2006, she discovered Padieu had been betraying her, she said, and they ended the relationship.
After the breakup, Reeve, who paid for Padieu's cell phone, perused his phone bill. She discovered numbers for nine other women whom he was apparently dating simultaneously. Some of the women had been, like Reeve, in extended relationships with him. But when she decided to call each of the women to warn them of Padieu's infidelities, she had no idea that these women would eventually become some of her best friends.
One of the people she called was a woman ABC News is calling Susan Brown. ("20/20" was asked to use pseudonyms for some of the women in order to protect their identity.) Brown had dated Padieu for over a year and, despite Reeve's warnings, decided to continue the relationship. But months later they separated, and Brown decided to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Her doctor called her a few days later with the results.
"And she said, 'Well, I have some, I have some kind of bad news,'" Brown told "20/20." "'Your tests came out that you are positive for herpes.' And she said, 'But that is the least of our problems. You also tested positive for HIV.' And I just thought, 'I'm going to die, I'm going to die.'"
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