Georgia Man Avoids Trial After Wife’s Hiv-related Death, Alleged Affairs Surface

WHO:

WSB-TV - Cleveland J. Broadie pleaded guilty to three reckless-conduct charges related to HIV exposure.

WSB-TV - Broadie’s wife, Denise Broadie, died after developing HIV-related AIDS; prosecutors said he had sex with her without disclosing his diagnosis.

Yahoo - Denise’s daughters, Karen Young and Tammy Hammonds, said their mother had not been sexually involved with anyone other than Cleveland; they also said Cleveland was not their biological father.

Yahoo - Broadie’s defense attorney claimed he had disclosed his HIV status to Denise in writing before they married; her family rejected that claim.

Yahoo - Young and Hammonds said they sought accountability. Hammonds said, “Our main goal was to hold him accountable and we've done that”; Young said she hoped publicity would warn other women and said, “I think she's proud we saw it through and got justice for her and the other victims.”

WHAT:

WSB-TV - Prosecutors dropped the malice-murder and felony-murder charges as part of Broadie’s negotiated guilty plea.

WSB-TV - Broadie was sentenced to 15 years, with eight years in confinement; he received credit for time served and can become eligible for probation after serving eight years.

Yahoo - Broadie must leave Rockdale County after release, avoid contact with victims and their families, provide medical records to his probation officer, and continue HIV treatment.

Yahoo - Prosecutors said Broadie failed to take medication regularly, concealed his diagnosis, and had unprotected sex with Denise and other women. The defense disputed that Denise was unaware.

WSB-TV - Prosecutors said Broadie had unprotected sex with Denise while she was hospitalized and dying and did not tell medical facilities treating her that he had HIV.

WSB-TV - Prosecutors said Broadie admitted knowingly infecting a woman in 2009, saying they had “decided to stay together because they both had HIV.”

Yahoo - Two women alleged Broadie had unprotected sex with them without disclosing his HIV-positive status. WSB-TV reported additional reckless-conduct charges involving two other women; court records did not show whether alleged efforts to infect them succeeded.

Yahoo - Young said the family “fought tooth and nail” to get police to investigate; she credited local investigative reporting with drawing attention to the case.

WHERE:

WSB-TV - The case was handled in Rockdale County, Georgia.

Yahoo - Denise was treated at hospitals; prosecutors said medical providers at both facilities were not told Broadie was HIV-positive.

WHEN:

Yahoo - Denise married Cleveland in 2014; prosecutors said he had been HIV-positive since 2006.

Yahoo - Denise had cancer diagnosed in 2017, went into remission, and the cancer returned in 2019.

WSB-TV - Denise tested positive for HIV on March 28, 2022; Yahoo reported an AIDS diagnosis on March 31, 2022. She died on April 2, 2022.

WSB-TV - A warrant concerning Denise’s death was issued in 2023. Yahoo reported that two women came forward after the case received publicity in 2023.

Yahoo - Broadie’s bond was set at $1.5 million during a May 2025 hearing.

WSB-TV; Yahoo - Broadie entered his guilty plea at an October 7 hearing; Yahoo specifies October 7, 2026.

WHY:

WSB-TV - Prosecutors said Denise died from complications related to HIV; Yahoo reported her death certificate listed pneumonia and respiratory failure related to HIV/AIDS.

Yahoo - Denise’s family believed her ongoing illness was connected to cancer before further testing revealed AIDS.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 22:16 UTC)

Cleveland J. Broadie has been sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to three reckless-conduct charges related to exposing women to HIV in Rockdale County, Georgia. Eight years are to be served in confinement, with credit for time served and possible probation eligibility afterward. Prosecutors dropped murder charges under the negotiated plea. They said Broadie concealed his HIV diagnosis, did not take medication regularly, and had unprotected sex with his wife, Denise, without telling her. Denise died from complications related to HIV/AIDS after being diagnosed with the disease. Her daughters said she had no other sexual partners, and rejected the defense claim that Broadie disclosed his diagnosis before their marriage. Two other women also alleged he had sex with them without disclosing his HIV status. After release, Broadie must leave the county, avoid victims and their families, continue treatment, and provide medical records to his probation officer.