A convicted sex offender who infected a 14-year-old girl and a toddler with HIV and herpes has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.
David Richard Wilson had sex with the teenaged daughter of his ex-girlfriend as well as a 24-month-old family member who had to undergo reconstructive surgery on her genitals.
Emotional testimony revealed Wilson seduced underage schoolgirls he picked up at bus stops, sometimes lying to them about his HIV-status before infecting them with the virus that causes AIDS.
Against his lawyer's advice, Wilson took the stand and apologized to one of the women he infected. But his testimony opened the door for prosecutors to elicit details about his sex acts with children that visibly upset some of the jurors hearing his case.
Wilson, who in 2004 was sentenced to four years in prison for having sex with a different 14-year-old girl, testified he couldn't remember how many girls and young women he had sex with after learning he had contracted HIV.
The convicted sex offender wiped tears from his eyes as his teenaged victims testified about how contracting HIV has affected their lives.
"You hurt me drastically," one of them said on the witness stand. "I trusted you. I put my life in your hands."
After the trial, prosecutors praised the victims who testified against Wilson
"They're some of the most strong, resilient ladies I have met in my job down here," said Katie Warren, a Harris County assistant district attorney. " They are amazing in their ability to overcome."
