On February 6, 1992 in St Joseph's Hospital West, in Lake St. Louis, Missouri, Stewart's 11-month-old son Brian was treated for asthma and pneumonia when he was infected with the virus.
The motive behind the crime was Stewart's desire to avoid paying child support to the boy's mother.
Stewart's attorney, Joe Murphy, said that "My client has maintained all along that he is innocent"[5] and also claimed that "Mom made an allegation and everyone ran with it.
"[6] On January 9, 1999, Stewart was sentenced to life imprisonment at St. Charles County Circuit Court.
[7] Judge Ellsworth Cundiff said that the maximum sentence was inadequate, and told Stewart "injecting a child with the HIV virus really puts you in the same category as the worst war criminal" and "when God finally calls you, you are going to burn in hell from here to eternity."