The case against New Orleans producer Mykel Cook centers on a charge of intentional exposure to AIDS. Cook, whose credits include work for Boosie Badazz, Chance the Rapper and NBA YoungBoy, was booked into the Orleans Justice Center on September 18. He posted a $250,000 bond set by Magistrate Judge Joyce Sallah and was ordered to abide by a domestic protective order for the alleged victim.
The alleged victim, 38-year-old Jayvonda Bazile, who performs as Bog Vonnie, has chosen to be publicly identified. As reported by NOLA.com, Bazile alleges that Cook knowingly infected her with HIV and did not disclose his status while they were casually hooking up and working on her music. The two met in 2018; according to the arrest affidavit, Cook agreed to help her pursue a music career before becoming her producer.
Bazile told NOLA.com that she began experiencing fevers, night sweats and difficulty swallowing in February 2023 and was diagnosed with HIV the following month. According to the arrest affidavit, Investigator Herman Franklin later obtained a warrant for Cook’s medical records, which showed that Cook had been diagnosed with HIV in 2019 and received treatment at University Medical Center.
A Law That Predates Modern HIV Treatment
Cook faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of intentional exposure to AIDS. The charge falls under Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:43.5, which makes intentional HIV exposure a felony punishable by up to 10 years with or without hard labor, a fine of up to $5,000, or both, according to the Law Offices of Matthew Hardin. A conviction also carries mandatory registration as a Tier 1 sex offender for 15 years after release, with the sentence served flat and without good-time credit, per the Louisiana State Police sex offender registry guidelines.
Louisiana enacted the statute in 1987, well before the development of modern antiretroviral treatments or PrEP, making it one of the earliest such laws in the country, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Notably, the law does not require proof of actual transmission, intent to infect, or even a physical likelihood of transmission for a conviction — a standard critics say is out of step with modern medicine, particularly given that people on antiretroviral therapy can reach non-infectious, undetectable viral loads.
HIV Care and Viral Suppression
A Louisiana Department of Health surveillance report found that, in 2018, 86% of people living with HIV who had at least one HIV medical care appointment were virally suppressed, defined as a last viral load below 200 copies/ml, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The figure describes care engagement statewide in 2018; it does not by itself provide a current New Orleans-region rate.
Bazile said she now has an undetectable viral load herself after receiving antiretroviral treatment and regular bloodwork. She launched her music career after the 2010 murder of fellow bounce artist Magnolia Shorty, and said she has received support from fans since making her diagnosis public, adding that people got tested as a result. She said she wanted to prevent others from being affected the way she was, and has started a GoFundMe to help cover her court expenses.
Enforcement Falls Disproportionately on Black Men
A 2022 study by the Williams Institute found that Black men accounted for 91% of arrests and 63% of sex offender registry entries under Louisiana's HIV criminal statute between 2011 and 2022; Black people overall accounted for 75% of registry entries. Black men make up 44% of people living with HIV in Louisiana, according to the same research.
State lawmakers have taken notice of the law's reach. In April 2024, state Representative Aimee Adatto Freeman pulled House Bill 436, which would have required proof of actual transmission risk and reduced the charge to a misdemeanor, following legislative debate, according to the HIV Justice Network. Twelve other U.S. states have reformed or repealed similar HIV criminalization laws, the organization notes.
Another legal case involving a New Orleans music figure has also surfaced recently. Local entertainer DJ Hardhead, whose legal name is Warren Murphy III, was accused of workers’ compensation fraud involving the Sewerage and Water Board; a trial in that case was scheduled for April 6, according to WWL-TV.
Cook's Prior Domestic Violence Record
Court records show Cook has prior domestic violence convictions from 2021 and 2023 in St. Charles and Jefferson parishes. He did not respond to requests for comment on the current allegations.
The case also lands against a backdrop of elevated HIV transmission in the region. The Louisiana Department of Health reported 252 new HIV diagnoses in the metro New Orleans area in 2023, with men accounting for 76.2% of those newly diagnosed. Louisiana ranked fourth highest nationwide for HIV diagnosis rates in 2022, according to the New Orleans Health Department.
Local health officials have also warned that federal funding cuts to CDC grants could threaten nearly $12 million used for HIV testing, tracking and outreach across Louisiana, with some officials cautioning that defunding could lead to hundreds of undiagnosed transmissions, according to WWNO.
