Nushawn Williams

Nushawn Williams (born 1976) is an American convicted sex offender who admitted in 1997 to having unprotected sex with numerous girls and women despite being told he was HIV positive. New York state and local public health officials stated that Williams had sex with up to 47 women in Chautauqua County and at least 28 more in New York City. Williams, who has boasted openly in the media about his sexual promiscuity, said in a news interview that his actual number of sexual partners was up to 300.^[1]

Case history

Williams, a native of Brooklyn, described a life of violent crime from his early childhood.^[2] The son of a drug-addicted mother, Williams dealt drugs and robbed from the elderly.^[2] Prior to his HIV-related conviction, he had three previous convictions for various street crimes.

Numerous reports indicate that Williams was a crack dealer who bragged of his gang-related activities and had a history of violence against women, including many of the women he infected.^[3][4] Williams' braggadocio and violence belied the ease with which he attracted women of all races and socioeconomic classes,^[4] though most of his victims were those with socio-economic and/or emotional problems. News reports make numerous mentions of his charming interpersonal style with women. Women quoted in news stories often pointed to Williams' ability to make them feel special and loved, even while exercising violent control over their actions. In the case of his youngest victim, who was 13, Williams reportedly pursued a relationship for several months.^[4]

Despite being told he was HIV positive, Williams stated that he believed health officials had lied to him when they informed him of his HIV status.^[4] He was the primary cause of an HIV micro-epidemic in Chautauqua County. He infected at least 14 women in Chautauqua County with HIV, including numerous teenagers. In 1999, he pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory rape (two of his victims were underage) and one count of reckless endangerment in the first degree for having unprotected sex with a woman who did not know his HIV status. He received a four-to-12-year sentence. Two of Williams' children in Chautauqua County were also born with HIV, raising the number of known cases linked to Williams to 16.^[5] An additional 10 of Williams's sexual partners in New York City have been found to be HIV-positive, though it is unclear if Williams is the source of these infections.^[5]

Case impact

His case received widespread media attention and ignited a debate over whether knowingly spreading HIV could be viewed as a crime as well as debates over the promiscuous sexuality of U.S. culture and the role of sex education in American high schools. Many stated that the maximum sentence Williams could receive was unduly light, leading then-New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani to call for Williams to be tried for "attempted murder, or worse."^{[cite this quote]}

The case also raised questions as to whether the state should continue to respect the anonymity of those who test positive for HIV. Prior to the Williams case, health officials believed that publicizing the names of HIV-positive individuals would result in a reduction in HIV testing and subject HIV-positive individuals, particularly members of the gay community, to increased social stigma. As a result of the Williams case, New York passed a law that mandated doctors and laboratories to report the names of individuals who test positive for HIV. This information is then used by local authorities to warn the partners of HIV-positive individuals.^{[original research?]}

2010

In April 2010, New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo moved to block Williams' release from prison after 12 years and place him under civil confinement under a statute aimed at predatory sex offenders. A judge ordered him remanded to custody pending an outcome of a civil proceeding^[6]

References

1. ^ Cooper, Michael (July 29, 1999). "Drifter Says He Had Sex With Up to 300". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/29/nyregion/drifter-says-he-had-sex-with-up-to-300.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Sexton, Joe (October 30, 1997). "After Childhood of Violence, A One-Man H.I.V. Epidemic". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/30/nyregion/after-childhood-of-violence-a-one-man-hiv-epidemic.html?pagewanted=all. 
3. ^ Frey, Jennifer (June 1, 1999). "Jamestown and the Story of 'Nushawn's Girls'". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/features/jamestown0601.htm. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Tanaka, Jennifer; Gregory Beals (November 10, 1997). "The Victims' Stories: He Charmed The Lost And The Unwanted". Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/id/97360. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Perez-Pena, Richard (January 29, 1998). "Two Births Lengthen List In One-Man H.I.V. Spree". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/29/nyregion/two-births-lengthen-list-in-one-man-hiv-spree.html. 
6. ^ Hakim, Danny (April 13, 2010). "Man Who Spread H.I.V. May Be Held". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/nyregion/14nushawn.html. Retrieved April 14, 2010. 

Further reading

• Shevory, Thomas C. (2004). Notorious H.I.V.: the media spectacle of Nushawn Williams. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0816643393. 

External links

• Nushawn Williams news archive at The New York Times

Persondata
Name	Williams, Nushawn
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1976
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death