Testimony begins in HIV assault trial

CINCINNATI - Testimony began Tuesday morning in the trial of a Hyde Park man accused of failing to tell sex partners that he was HIV positive.

Andre Davis, 29, faces 15 counts of felonious assault. The Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office said he didn't warn 12 women about his HIV status before having sex with them between 2009 and 2011.

Davis faces up to 120 years in prison if he's convicted on all charges. He initially rejected a plea deal by prosecutors which would have reduced his prison sentence to 15-20 years.

Tuesday afternoon, Alex Uehlein, a former girlfriend of Davis took the witness stand. 9 News recently ran an I-Team piece with Uehlein about her relationship with Davis. She told 9 News the allegations are now affecting her kids at their former day care.

Uehlein told the jury she first learned about Davis' HIV status through a text message.

"I was shocked, I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what to think, I was just shocked," Uehlein said.

However, Uehlein told the jury that she continued her relationship with Davis. She testified that she later saw documentation revealing Davis' HIV status. She also admitted to going to treatment consultations with Davis.

Uehlein also said that her and Davis went to a meeting at Stop Aids shortly after she learned of his HIV status. She said the two met with Phyliss Leathers, a former social worker with Stop Aids.

Leathers took the witness stand and claimed the two came back in 2009 to receive consultation. Leathers also told Davis about an Ohio Law that require individuals to tell parners about their HIV status. 

"This is the form that is very specific with the Ohio HIV felonious assault law and what that individual needed to know, this form says that who is aware of their HIV status is required by law as of March of 2000 by the state of Ohio to disclose their status prior to having any kind of sexual interaction with another individual," Leathers explained.

Another witness who took the stand was Nancy Krueger. She is a compliance officer with Quest Diagnositcs in Bond Hill, who's an expert with lab results. She spoke specifically about Davis' results. However, the defense argued that because his initial HIV test wasn't administered at Quest Diagnostics in Bond Hill, it could be a possibility for it to be inaccurate.

Davis was a former professional wrestler, known as "Andre Heart." He previously received a contract offer from the World Wrestling Entertainment, but the organization withdrew its offer after Davis allegedly tested positive for HIV during a physical.

Testimonies will continue Wednesday morning. 9 News and WCPO.com will continue to update this story.