Nushawn Williams - Case History

Case History

Williams, a native of Brooklyn, described a life of violent crime from his early childhood. The son of a drug-addicted mother, Williams dealt drugs and robbed from the elderly. 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. Williams' braggadocio and violence belied the ease with which he attracted women of all races and socioeconomic classes, 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.

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. 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. 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.