Man Gets Life in Prison for Exposing Women to HIV

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Sean Sykes, 33, was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for knowingly exposing a woman to the HIV virus, after he had been previously convicted of the same crime.

Sykes, who is HIV-positive, spent five years in jail after being convicted in 1997 of infecting two women with the virus. A Missouri law passed in 1988 determined that exposing a partner to the virus without disclosing one’s HIV-positive status is a felony.

In the current case, Sykes was found guilty of exposing a woman to HIV in 2003. The woman has now tested positive.

Prosecutor Dwight Scroggins stated for the jury that Sykes had sexual contact with "numerous" women since his diagnosis, and witness testimony revealed that at least eight women had been exposed – three of whom later contracted HIV.

In a rare move, the case was closed to the public to protect the identities of the women involved.

"I think it’s fairly clear he is a very dangerous individual," said Scroggins to reporters. "If he is not in prison, he would likely continue to spread HIV."

Though Sykes claimed that the woman was aware of his status, he apologized. "I will admit that my behavior in the early ‘90s and up until first conviction was not appropriate," he said. "Even though [the woman] was aware of my status, I should have seen nothing good would come as far as a sexual relationship."

One of the two women infected by Sykes in the 1990s testified in the current case. A mother of two, the woman stated that her life had been ruined by the disease, and that she has about two years to live. "When I found out that Sean was on trial again for this, it drove me crazy. The main question is why? Why is he doing this?"

While some may argue that a life sentence for this crime is harsh, assistant prosecutor Kathleen Fisher seemed to think it fit just fine. "It’s not an immediate death sentence," said Fisher to reporters. "But that’s what he’s done to these people, his victims."