State Board Denies Parole To Lafayette Doctor Who Injected Mistress With AIDS & Hepatitis C

Former Lafayette doctor Richard J. Schmidt, who was convicted of injecting his mistress with AIDS and hepatitis C, was denied parole at a hearing this morning in Baton Rouge.

Schmidt, 66, is 17 years into a 50 year sentence. He was convicted of attempted second-degree murder in 1998. The case attracted international attention.

A three member state parole panel voted unanimously against Schmidt's bid for release.

Daniel Landry III, first assistant with the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, said "He denied his guilt and continues to maintain his innocence.”

He is not eligible for early release for good behavior until 2023.

Schmidt was convicted of injecting nurse Janice Trahan Allen with the virus in 1994 after she ended a long-term extramarital affair with the him.

Prosecutors said the shot, allegedly given under the guise of a B-12 vitamin injection, was filled with blood drawn from two of Schmidt’s patients — one with AIDS and another with hepatitis C.

[Source]