Richard J. Schmidt

Who is Richard J. Schmidt?

Richard J. Schmidt is an American physician who was convicted by a Louisiana court in 1998 of attempted murder. The case marked the first time in forensic history that viral DNA was used to prove a link between two people with HIV or AIDS in a criminal trial.

In 1994 Dr. Schmidt used a sample of blood taken from one of his AIDS-infected patients to inject into his lover and former colleague, Janice Trahan, infecting her with HIV. Six months later Ms. Trahan, a nurse, was diagnosed with HIV. Convinced that Schmidt had infected her after a suspiciously fleeting late-night visit to give her a "Vitamin B" injection, Ms. Trahan had her ex-husband and former boyfriends tested. All were shown to be negative for HIV - results which led Lafayette, Louisiana police to further investigate her claims.

HIV is a fairly fragile virus, and lasts for only a few hours outside the human body. Detectives examining hospital records found that Dr. Schmidt had taken blood from one patient that night, but had never sent the blood to the lab.