Christopher Miller (Greenville County).
A man from South Carolina has reportedly confessed to deliberately exposing a woman to HIV without informing her, and now she is seven months pregnant with his child, according to police authorities.
Christopher Miller, residing in Mauldin, faces charges of unlawfully exposing others to HIV and financial identity fraud following police discovery of his alleged conduct on July 12, as reported by the local Fox affiliate WHNS.
According to Miller’s arrest report, accessed by the outlet, officers were dispatched to his apartment complex after reports of a disturbance. Upon arrival, Miller purportedly provided the officers with a false name due to existing warrants for his arrest, WHNS reports.
When officers reportedly questioned Miller about what happened and what led to the disturbance, he allegedly admitted to exposing the woman to HIV.
Miller allegedly told police he didn’t want the woman he exposed to HIV to know about his health status, so that’s why he kept it under wraps. Authorities say the woman will give birth to Miller’s child in the coming months.
In South Carolina, it is a felony — punishable by a fine of no more than $5,000 and possible imprisonment for up to 10 years — for someone who knows their HIV status to “knowingly engage in penile-vaginal, anal, or oral sex” with another person without first informing them about their HIV status, according to The Center for HIV Law and Policy. “Neither actual transmission nor the intent to transmit HIV is necessary for prosecution,” the center reports.
Online records show that Miller was booked into the Greenville County Detention Center and is currently being held on a combined $60,000 cash or surety bond.
According to the HIV Law and Policy Center, there have been numerous prosecutions and charges handed down in South Carolina over the past 15 years to people accused of failing to disclose their HIV status prior to engaging in consensual sex. One case from 2009 saw a 41-year-old with HIV who was charged with assault and battery with intent to kill after biting his neighbor. The charge was later dismissed after the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU) argued that it was inappropriate and “outrageous.”
