After twice defeating cancer, 58-year-old Denise Broadie of Georgia thought the worst was behind her.
But in a heartbreaking turn of events, Denise died in April 2022 — just two days after learning she had AIDS. Now, her husband, Cleveland Broadie, is facing malice murder and felony murder charges for allegedly hiding his HIV-positive status for years, including throughout their marriage.
According to court records and Denise’s grieving family, Cleveland Broadie, now in his early 60s, had known he was HIV-positive since at least 2006.
Yet, prosecutors say he never informed Denise or other sexual partners — a revelation that has since rocked their small community and devastated the family she left behind.
Denise Broadie was first diagnosed with cancer in 2017 and went into remission, only to face it again in 2019 — and beat it a second time.
Despite her resilience, she continued to experience unexplained health problems. In March 2022, while seeking care at a different hospital, doctors ran additional tests and delivered a diagnosis that stunned her: AIDS. Denise died just two days later, on April 2.
“She fought so hard,” said her daughter, Karen Young, in an emotional interview with WAGA-TV. “To find out her death could’ve been prevented if she had just been told the truth — that’s what hurts the most.”
The family says Denise may have unknowingly lived with the virus for years, all while believing her health struggles were related solely to her cancer battles.
In the aftermath of her death, the family hired a private investigator and soon uncovered details suggesting Cleveland had been aware of his diagnosis long before their 2014 marriage — and deliberately withheld it.
Karen Young added, “There was malice in what he did. At any time, he could have told her and given her the right to make the decision to stay with him. Not that she would have.”
Cleveland Broadie was initially charged with reckless conduct in 2023 after the findings of the investigation. According to WANF, those charges expanded as multiple women came forward with similar allegations, resulting in three separate reckless conduct charges. He was arrested in July 2023 and pleaded not guilty.
But the case took a more serious turn when a Georgia grand jury recently indicted him for murder. An arrest warrant confirmed Denise’s AIDS diagnosis “resulted in her death,” directly linking his alleged silence to her passing, according to a report by Law&Crime Network.
It remains unclear whether Cleveland Broadie has entered a plea on the new murder charges. However, Denise’s family is determined to seek justice for the woman they say was betrayed by the man she trusted most.
