HIV-positive man sentenced 35 years for spitting at officer

DeeJayH · 05-15-08, 08:39 PM

HIV-positive man sentenced 35 years for spitting at officer - Yahoo! News

Quote:

DALLAS - An HIV-positive man convicted of spitting into the eye and mouth of a Dallas police officer has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Because a jury found that Willie Campbell used his saliva as a deadly weapon, the 42-year-old will have to serve half his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. He was sentenced Wednesday.
Campbell was being arrested in May 2006 for public intoxication when he began resisting and kicking inside the patrol car, Dallas police office Dan Waller testified.

wow
from a minor charge to possibly a life sentence
buh bye douchebag
talk about making a mountain out of a mole-hill
he sure ****ed himself on this one

Gipper · 05-15-08, 08:46 PM

I support it. I also wouldn't have looked twice if he had smashed his club in his skull while my back was turned.

He knew what he was doing, and that was uncalled for. He probably didn't get HIV from that, but there's always the chance.

MC.no.spin · 05-15-08, 08:50 PM

Sounds like he got a harsh sentence, but he was in Texas. In California, not only would he have gotten off but he could have sued for discrimination and harrassment.

RightinNYC · 05-15-08, 10:53 PM

Funny, we just talked about a very similar case in crim law, State v. Smith. The prisoner thought that you could give someone aids simply by spitting on them, so he spit on a guard and said he hoped he would die of AIDS.

Even though its factually impossible to give someone HIV by spitting on them, the court held him liable for attempted murder on the grounds that he thought he could kill the guard, which is what mattered.

Crazy ****.

FallingPianos · 05-15-08, 10:59 PM

that is ****ed up.

you cant transmit HIV by spitting on someone.

I hope he appeals the ruling.

RightinNYC · 05-15-08, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallingPianos

that is ****ed up.

you cant transmit HIV by spitting on someone.

I hope he appeals the ruling.

If he believed he could, he was trying to kill the cop. That's attempted murder however you look at it.

FallingPianos · 05-15-08, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RightinNYC

If he believed he could, he was trying to kill the cop. That's attempted murder however you look at it.

nothing in the article indicates that he believed he could.

Kali · 05-15-08, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gipper

I support it. I also wouldn't have looked twice if he had smashed his club in his skull while my back was turned.

He knew what he was doing, and that was uncalled for. He probably didn't get HIV from that, but there's always the chance.

Wow. So you would have turned your head while a cop smashed someones head in? What a stand up guy!

MC.no.spin · 05-15-08, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallingPianos

nothing in the article indicates that he believed he could.

He was trying to give him AIDS, which obviously can be fatal.

Incidentally, if a person with AIDS has sex with another person without notifying them of the disease, do they get 35 years in prison, too?

RightinNYC · 05-15-08, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallingPianos

nothing in the article indicates that he believed he could.

I'm assuming that was shown in the actual trial. People with HIV don't generally spit into someone's mouth for no apparent reason.