Man accused of knowingly spreading HIV takes stand in own defense

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The man accused of having sex with women without informing them about his HIV positive status told a jury one of his accusers wanted to have sex with him even though he told her about his illness.

Craig Davis, 42, faces two counts of HIV-reckless conduct. He took the stand Thursday in his own defense during a trial that started Monday.

Davis said one of his accusers, Ronita McAfee, pursued him sexually from the moment he met her on Facebook. He told the jury he sent her a picture of his private part.

"She said, 'I'm calling this a Picasso and going to put this in a frame,'" Davis testified.

He said he told McAfee he was HIV positive and she still wanted to have sex with him. That's even after people were talking about his health status on Facebook.

"It's like you just saw this on Facebook and why would you even put your mouth...why would you want to do that and you know what is happening?" he explained in court.

Davis said they never had sex because of the virus. But McAfee, who doesn't have the virus, said they had sex four times and Davis never told her about his status.

She went to police and began a public campaign, spreading the word about what Davis had done to her.

Davis called that campaign un-Christian. One of the emails from McAfee stated she hadn't prayed about it but said it was God's will that he be dealt with on this level.

Davis responded in court saying, "That's absolutely evil. Because what it says to me as a Christian is that you haven't considered God in anything that you're doing."

The irony of that comment had courtroom spectators rolling their eyes.

Davis also faces the same charge in Fulton County for having sex with another woman and not informing her about his status. She also testified.

Davis said he met her at their church in Decatur and they began a romantic relationship. "She had called me to come over and have sex with her after choir rehearsal," he said. Davis said they had sex but he never shared his bodily fluids.

She later tested positive for HIV.

Davis said he told her about his status before they had sex. But prosecutors doubted that. "She says you never told her you were HIV positive. You got an explanation for that?" Chief Assistant District Attorney Erman Tanjuatco asked.

"Well that's an untruth," Davis shot back.

"It's a lie?" Tanjuatco replied. "It's an untruth."

Davis responded, saying he doesn't like the word 'lie.' Davis said both women were hurt that he was reconciling with his wife and that's why they are out to get him.

"I think sometimes when people are hurt, we make some decisions sometimes that have the propensity to affect a lot of people's lives," he said.

The Atlanta woman testified and said he never told her about his status, and she wanted to commit suicide after she found out about the diagnosis.

She said what Davis did to her was wrong, and she didn't want another woman to go through what she is going through.

She told the jury she had not had sex for 15 years before she met Davis, and they had sex seven days a week.

The jury is expected to get the case on Friday.

WSBTV