A new development in the story concerning Michael Johnson (a.k.a. Tiger Mandingo), the collegiate wrestler who was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for “recklessly” exposing other men to HIV…
His lawyers tell BuzzFeed News that the 26-year-old has been granted parole after a lengthy and hard-fought legal battle.
Just to recap: In 2013, Johnson was accused of “recklessly” exposing multiple partners with HIV while he was a student at Lindenwood University in Missouri. He was sentenced to 30.5 years in prison by a jury pool stacked with white, HIV-negative heterosexuals, the majority of whom actually said they thought being gay was “a sin.” Evidence presented to the court included graphic descriptions and images of Johnson’s “huge” penis.
Related: College Wrestler Gets 30 Years In Prison For “Recklessly Transmitting HIV”
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In 2016, a Missouri appeals court overturned that conviction, ruling that the prosecuting attorney, Philip Groenweghe, had failed to fairly disclose evidence to Johnson’s attorneys. Then in 2017, Johnson agreed to a 10-year no contest “Alford” plea deal rather than face another trial.
Last month, Johnson appeared before the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole.This week he learned that his parole had been granted.
But there’s a catch.
Johnson will remain incarcerated for another 18 months. He won’t be released until October 2019, almost six years after he was originally locked away. If released as planned, he will have served 60% of his 10-year sentence.
Johnson’s lawyers, Eric Selig and Jessica Hathaway, tell BuzzFeed News, “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.”
Meredith Rowan, who attended Johnson’s parole hearing as his delegate, adds, “Michael was excited that it got approved. 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.”
Related: Jailed HIV-Positive Wrestler Pens Heartbreaking Letter From Solitary Confinement
Kangol
Very good to hear that Michael Johnson is being paroled, since he never should have been tried or convicted, but why are they holding him until October 2019? Why isn’t he being released from jail immediately? He’s already served time, so why are they still punishing him?
ChrisK
Yeah I agree. This was simply criminalizing someone with HIV. Simple as that. The other guy that became positive was also known to be a bareback slut around campus.
Kieru
@ChrisK so it’s okay that Johnson (as he is accused) knowingly mislead the student about his HIV status, despite having been informed of his HIV+ status earlier in that same month and signing documentation that he would be required (per state law) to disclose that status to any and every sexual partner?
His violating the law and exposing someone to an incurable disease is okay because that person is, to use your own words, ‘a bareback slut around campus’?
What about Johnson’s responsibility here? He could have said “I am HIV+” or he could have insisted on wearing a condom. Hell, he could have at least pulled out. He lied about his status. He agreed not to wear a condom. He came inside the other student.
ChrisK
I don’t know about you but I live my life where everyone’s positive and I act accordingly. If I became positive it is my fault and my fault only. End of story.
Kieru
What exactly is the catch here? He wasn’t granted immediate parole which means his parole date is set for some time in the future. Is 18 months abnormal or in any way excessive? Was his parole determined prior to his minimum sentence and this gap between the hearing and his actually release necessary to comply with the law?
We don’t know, because the author wanted a catchy headline.
tnguy222
I wish those guys who this monster recklessly infected only had to serve 18 more months of the life sentence know as HIV.
I know that HIV isnt as fatal as it once was, but who wants to live a life of constant medication, unpleasant side effects, and the stigma of the disease.
If he knew he was positive, he deserves to spend the next 30 years in jail. Non disclosure of HIV status is criminal– it is harmful to the victim, to the economy, and to public morals. Lock him up!
jclarence
Monster!? You can’t be serious. Nobody wants to live with HIV, but we each assume risks when we engage in sexual activity, in particular bareback. Few people know at any given moment their status exactly, the virus may not show up on tests early on, and we know that it is does not manifest any symptoms until very late into it’s infection.
We each as individuals must do our due diligence and assess our own level of risks, and be responsible for the consequences of our actions. There’s a reason why we used to say that you should assume everyone is positive.
Nothing and no one prevented his partners from wearing a condom. None of the cases involved allegations of rape or sexual assault.
Kieru
@jclarence – with regard to this specific case; the prosecution revealed that Johnson was informed of his HIV+ status PRIOR to the sexual encounter that resulted in his arrest. During that encounter, it was argued, he was asked specifically about his status and informed the student that he was negative.
frankcar1965
Everybody is seeming to forget that he has a low IQ and something tells me that was not a big secret either. Why did these people comit to have sex with someone who has limited mental capability? That big dick obviously got to them I guess and they had to get some. We all knew he was only in school in order to wrestle as is often the case with athletes. Did he really understand the gravity of the situation? The jury being a bunch of breeding straights and white, surely did not care for a black man with low mental capability.
Kieru
@ frankcar1965 … the only statement I could find to support your claim is that he has “a learning disability” as well as dyslexia. Dyslexia wouldn’t prevent him from understanding the legal requirement of disclosing his status, and on the subject of his learning disability one professor attested:
… despite his learning disabilities, he was “eager to succeed” and was “prompt, attentive and hard working.”
Which suggests that his disability was not so severe that he could not attend (and comprehend) college-level courses, making the argument that he didn’t understand the need to disclose his status all the more flimsy.
I’m with you 100% though that the jury itself was clearly bias. His early release has virtually nothing to do with whether the charges brought against him were just or fair, but rather due to the prosecution failing to disclose evidence. That opened the doors for a plea deal at a reduced sentence.
Nixter
Agreed !
kille31
So, i dont get it. Are you defending that he should be freed because knowingly infecting others with HIV shouldnt be be a crime? or are you saying 10y is too much?!
Personally i think that ppl that do these on purpose should go to jail, i dont know about 30y though, seems rather harsh. Also, he should be forcibly medicated with regular checkups.
jclarence
“On purpose” here is the issue. Obviously, someone using their status to intentionally spread HIV to others with the intent of inflicting harm is very different than someone who fails to disclose their status, and even someone who intentionally lies about their status when asked. A lot of it goes to the intent of the individuals. Additionally, given that these situations involve two people consenting, and assumes that both individuals assessed their own level of risk.
I mean, yes, he should get on medication and have regular checkups, for his own sake and others, but I don’t see why it has to come with the flavor of punishing him continually.
Kieru
@jclarence – I’m having difficulty seeing the difference in the two scenarios you describe.
In either event the HIV+ person is intentionally subjecting their sexual partner to HIV transmission. Whether that is with malicious intent or simply fraud because they “prefer raw” seems immaterial. The end result is likely the same: transmission.
Troyfight
…Maybe I missed something from the article: Did he get in trouble because of infecting guys during the sport of wrestling? Or is he a wrestler who got in trouble from fucking with guys?
Kieru
He was accused and found guilty of infecting a sexual partner with HIV after failing to disclose his HIV+ status. His being a wrestler has no bearing on any of the charges.
tjack47
If I have unsafe sex and I contract any STI, that is my personal responsibility, period.
JerseyMike
Should not have been locked up in the first place… Some red/purple states are catching up with Science …. NC just updated theirs for 2018… As long as you are undetectable, seeing a doctor and following a regimen you DO NOT have to tell anyone your status….
https://wncap.org/2018/02/20/hiv-criminalization-laws-change-north-carolina/
Kieru
He wasn’t undetectable.
JerseyMike
Kieru:: we are responsible for our own lives… If you don’t know the guy.. wear a fcuking condom… simple!!!
Kieru
So is your argument that Undetectable persons shouldn’t be treated like criminals, or that everyone should just assume everyone else is lying? Because your original post is clearly the former and your response the latter.
Mind I don’t disagree with you; I just think it’s a poor argument. If you trusted someone to tell the truth and they mislead you about their status THEY ALSO bear significant responsibility should you become infected.
JerseyMike
If you trust someone you DON’T know or someone you just met to tell you the truth… YOU ARE STUPID… trust no one… this is your life… VALUE IT…
Stikmann81200
No sis that’s not how it works. Just because your undetectable you don’t get a free pass of not telling anyone. Oh and that page you shared the article is no longer existing
JarodD
He’s getting a slap on the wrist considering the older article mentions that he infected one guy and exposed 4 others = 5 counts of battery, each a class b felony in Missouri with a minimum sentence of 5 years for each count. He likely got 5*4+10= 30 years or so which is nearly the minimum sentence. All of that is also farther in his favor because they aren’t considering HIV a deadly weapon, which is debatable since without medical treatment it will kill its host. The fact that the prosecution made a mistake in evidence sharing which let him reduce his sentence by a third is the miscarriage of justice.
Also for all of you shaming the victims saying it was “their fault they didnt use condoms,” I dont see you blaming people who get stabbed/shot to death because they didnt wear body armor even though everyone knows when you walk around without body armor theres a much higher chance of getting killed when you get stabbed or shot…. maybe thats because people (rightfully) blame the assaulter and not the assaulted.
People who knowingly spread any deadly std without full and prior disclosure (assuming they are aware theyre a carrier — which he was in this case) should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Me2
The person he infected didn’t break the law, Michael did. So it really doesn’t matter how irresponsible you think the victim may have been. Under Missouri state law Michael was obligated to truthfully disclose his HIV status. What I want to know is, how many other people have been prosecuted under this law and what did the evidence in those cases look like, and were any lengthy prison sentences handed out.
frankcar1965
They probably weren’t black and that makes a big difference.
ShowMeGuy
If your next orgasm is more important than someone else’s life, you are sitting somewhere on the spectrum between sociopath and psychopath.
Big Pharma wants you to believe that AIDS is over.
AIDS isn’t over.
JerseyMike
And if your next orgasm is so important that you are willing to risk your life… You, my friend, are a FCUKING FOOL. No one should be going around infecting anyone… It is my responsibility to protect my life… My life shouldn’t be more important to some random stranger than it is to me. No, HIV and AIDS are not over. That’s why we should never trust anyone… NEVER!!! Assume everyone is POZ until proven otherwise.
Curtis359
Agreed! I love screwing as much as the next guy but its not worth my life!
surreal33
I truly frightened by the complete lack of responsibility and regard for life demonstrated here. It is shameful and wrong on some many levels.
SamDixon3972
In reply to Curtis359
Given the history of racism and discrimination within this country, as well as the killings and lynching of Black men, as well as the vicious actions of the KKK – it is extremely unfortunate for you refer to “klansmen” and “castration” within context of a Black male accused of a sexual related crime.
Do you really believe that Missouri prosecuted this case without any hint of racism or discrimination? Thousands of men of have infected other men with HIV over the decades. Do you really want to make the argument that Missouri has prosecuted such cases with thousands of men going to prison for spreading HIV, equally among the races of folks living in Missouri? A state which had legal slavery from 1720 to 1865? As well as racism and discrimination that continues with the unrest in Ferguson, and other places.
There are important issues of HIV transmission, obligations to alert sexual partners, issues of gay rights, as well as unfair prosecution within the story of Michael Johnson a.k.a. Tiger Mandingo), the former collegiate wrestler. The jury in this case was all white, HIV negative heterosexuals which according to the article, “actually thought that being gay was a sin.”
Do you really believe that plenty of guys on college campuses across the country are not banging it out – any chance that they can – condoms used or not? Want to guess how many DO NOT go to jail or are placed in prison for not using a condom?
To wish that Michael Johnson be castrated is pure plain simply AWFUL, at the very least. You do realize that within the trial graphic pictures of Michael Johnson’s “huge penis” was displayed in court. In other messages within this stream, Michael Johnson is referred to as “monster” and worse.
Given the history of racism and the thousands of cases where Black men accused of sexual crimes when white victims are involved, you have the un-mitigated gall to suggest that the jury be made of “klansmen” and that Michael Johnson be crastrated.
I’m done with you.
Cylest Brooks
Curtis359’s original comment was deleted. You’re not alone in your anger.
DHT
I am so glad this guy is being freed. HIV and AIDS have been around since the early 80’s, everyone knows you are supposed to protect YOURSELF! We are all responsible for our own health and our own decisions…the idea that someone wants to pin it on someone else is and always has been ridiculous. It is the South after all and blame it on the black man is their mantra.
DHT
Does anyone not know how powerful denial is psychologically? You should always assume that everyone that wants to bareback and tells you that they are HIV- is in denial.
ChrisK
I live in LA and prep is really a big thing here. So somebody tells me that they’re negative and wants to bareback I wouldn’t automatically assume that.
ChrisK
I agree with Sam. Go take your racism and products that you’re always trying to sell and shove it up your bigoted ass.
CanadianGuy62
People arguing that he should not be in jail at all make me think of those who, in “olden” days, used to blame women for being raped because of the way they were dressed. They were asking for it.
Because someone is the campus bicycle does not mean someone else is free to have their way with him.
Did the partners agree to having unprotected sex with him? Yes. Did they have informed consent? No…he lied.
Maybe 30 years was a harsh sentence, but certainly a few years for each incident – maybe a total of 10 for all of him crimes? – might be in order.
Stikmann81200
I wanna know how a lot of you just think this guy is innocent. You can’t sit there and tell me that if someone never disclosed their status and they infected you your just going to sit there and let that shit slide. Please enlighten me.