Man Who Faced 30 Years For HIV Transmission Granted Parole

Michael Johnson, a former college wrestler who received 30 years in prison for transmitting HIV has been granted parole.

Johnson, a former wrestler at Lindenwood University who went by the nickname “Tiger Mandingo” was charged with two counts of HIV transmission and four counts of exposure, according to Blavity .

In court, he got convicted with just one count of HIV transmission and four counts of exposure. Exposing someone to HIV without telling them is against the law in the United States. People living with the virus are required by law to let their partner know.

From the beginning, the trial faced many issues. Jurors being selected were asked if being gay was a choice and shown pictures of Johnson’s penis with an offensive racial description while in court. The trial was overturned when the judge revealed that the prosecution did not accurately show evidence. Johnson received a reduced sentence of 10 years.

Johnson is being held at a correctional facility in Boonville, Missouri and will stay there until October 9, 2019. By then he would have served 6 of his 10-year sentence.

A friend in contact with Johnson, Meredith Rowan stated, “Michael was excited that it got approved.” She added that he said, ”‘I have to look at it that I have a date, and it’s only 18 months away, and it’s still a lot sooner than a 30-year sentence.’”

Pleased with the court’s decision, Johnson’s lawyers Eric Selig and Jessica Hathaway said, “We had some hopes, because of all the support Michael had received and a couple of other factors that he would get out at an earlier date.”

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