We’ve been hearing that Charlie Sheen is under criminal investigation by the LAPD for threatening to kill his ex fiance, Brett (Scottine) Rossi. Rossi took out a restraining order against Sheen earlier, claiming that she feared for her life. Rossi is currently suing Sheen for domestic abuse and for exposing her to HIV without her knowledge. She claims to have tapes of him threatening her, which is completely believable considering that his ex wife, Denise Richards, has stated in court filings that Charlie has threatened to kill her and one of their daughters.

The National Enquirer has a take on this whole case which I didn’t consider. It’s a felony in California to engage in “Unprotected sexual activity when the infected person knows at the time of the unprotected sex that he or she is infected with HIV.” There’s more to it, the HIV positive person must not disclose their status to their partner and has to act “With the specific intent to infect the other person with HIV,” which may be hard to prove. Still, this is punishable by a prison term of three, five or eight years.

The Enquirer states that they have tapes in which Charlie threatened to kill Rossi and in which he admitted he lied about his HIV status. They claims that these were handed over to the LAPD during a search warrant for this case. What’s more is that they quote an expert who states that Charlie may actually get jail time:

The Los Angeles Police Department served The Enquirer’s senior editors in New York with a lengthy search warrant on April 5, seeking an explosive audiotape in which the infected star confessed he lied to at least one former lover about his HIV status. He also made threats against former fiancee Scottine Ross’ [sic] life.

The search warrant stated the tape “tends to show that a felony has been committed” by Sheen…

In addition to criminal charges for the spreading of [HIV], [Charlie] is also being investigated for horrid threats of ghastly violence.

On the secret audiotape, Sheen, 50, can be heard telling a source that former fiancee Scottine needs to be “buried.”

“I can’t be f’ing extorted,” Sheen said on the tape. “It’s called treason. You know what treason is? It’s punishable by death. I’d rather spend 20 grand to have her head kicked in. Then people wil realize, ‘Oh, it’s dangerous,'” he said…

The LAPD is eager to get the tape, writing in the warrant, “obtaining those recordings will provide evidence that a felony violation of criminal threats has occurred,” as well as potential “additional evidence of felony crimes.”

Bo Dietl, a world-renowned private investigator and former detective, told The Enquirer Sheen could face jail time if he’s found to have made criminal threats or if it can be proven he knowingly exposed sex partners to HIV.

“I think they’re going to take it seriously,” he said. “If it’s a felony, criminal threats to kill kill somebody, then it could be a felony. They get the tape, that would be good enough evidence to lock him up, yes…

“If you could prove that he knowingly had HIV and he was having unprotected sex at the time he knew it, that certainly is a crime.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition]

Remember that The Enquirer would have broken the news that Charlie was HIV positive, except he decided to make the announcement to the press first when he heard about it. They have a relationship with Rossi and their sister publication, Radar Online, has published photos documenting Charlie’s physical abuse of her. Rossi also disclosed to the National Enquirer last year that Charlie abused her while she was pregnant. She claimed that he forced her to get an abortion and that he choked and strangled her on several occasions. The photos of her bruised neck and chest support this.

I really hope this former detective is right and that Charlie is facing serious jail time, but he’s skated so far. He has the best lawyers and he will probably get off with a slap on the wrist. Imagine if a non-wealthy and/or non-white person did this though. They’d be locked up for years.

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