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Richard J. Schmidt
American former physician
Richard J. Schmidt
Richard J. Schmidt (1948/1949 – February 12, 2023) was an American former physician who was convicted by a Louisiana court in 1998 of attempted second degree murder for injecting his mistress, Janice Trahan, with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The case marked the first time in forensic history that viral RNA was used to prove a link between two people with HIV or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in a criminal trial. In 1994, Schmidt used a sample of blood taken from one of his HIV-positive patients to inject into his lover and former colleague, Janice Trahan, infecting her with HIV. Six months later, 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, Trahan had her ex-husband and former sexual partners 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 RNA virus...
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