Police: Dad Injected Son With HIV
A medical technician was charged with injecting his son with HIV-infected blood so the boy would die and he wouldn't have to pay child support.
Brian Stewart, 31, of Columbia, Ill., was arrested Tuesday and jailed in lieu of $500,000 bond. He was charged with first-degree assault. If he is convicted, he could receive 10 years to life in prison.
Correspondent John Mills of CBS affiliate KMOV-TV in St. Louis, Mo., reports that Stewart had access to HIV-infected blood because he drew blood for a living in St. Louis. Prosecutors say he injected his son with tainted blood when he was 11 months old, hospitalized with respiratory problems.
The boy contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Police launched an investigation two years ago after they were contacted by doctors, who could not explain how the child contracted the virus.
The boy, now 7, has full-blown AIDS.
Stewart came under suspicion when he told the boy's mother and other family members that she would never collect child support payments because their son wouldn't live that long. Stewart had contested his son's paternity, authorities said.
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