Smallwood v. State
Maryland Court of Appeals
680 A.2d 512 (1996)
Relevant factsFree
Smallwood (defendant), aware he was HIV-positive and needed to practice safe sex, did not use a condom during several sexual assaults, and was convicted of assault with intent to murder based on the state's theory that his HIV status functioned like a deadly weapon comparable to firing a gun at someone's head.
IssueFree
Whether the trier of fact may infer an intent to kill if the defendant's natural and probable acts, conduct, and words directly led to the death of the victim.