Man Who Spread HIV Denies Wrongdoing

FRISCO, Texas, Sept. 18, 2009 — -- It was a novel case: a Texas man accused of knowingly infecting six former girlfriends with the HIV virus.

And prosecutors hit on a novel solution, charging Philippe Padieu, 54, with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The prosecution maintained that Padieu knew he had the HIV virus and did nothing to protect his partners.

In the May 2009 court case Padieu finally came face-to-face with his accusers.

The six victims were instrumental in helping to build the case against him.

Padieu's attorney argued that his client was in denial after receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis in 2005 and was unaware of how much harm he could cause others. The defense also said Padieu's ex-girlfriends shared the blame.

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"You need to be responsible for your own health," the attorney, George Giles, told the jury.

While the women disagree with the assertion that they were also responsible, such potential gray areas have made criminal cases involving HIV very difficult to prove.

Cases involving HIV have been both difficult to prosecute and controversial. Thirty-two states have made it a crime to knowingly infect or risk infecting others. Texas has no such law. In Padieu's case, his own DNA may have been the star witness against him.

Dr. Michael Metzker, a professor of genetics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, was asked by the prosecution to conduct a study comparing blood samples from Padieu and the six women.

DNA sequencing can show how two HIV strains are related and which one is the source, Metzker said.