While the evidence in Acer's cases was highly suspicious, it was mostly circumstantial. He was gay, antisocial, had AIDS, and was an alcoholic. Most incriminating was the 'friend' who claimed he had heard Acer make a comment about HIV not getting research attention because it was still considered a gay man's disease, "but when it starts infecting grandmothers and teenage girls, the country will start paying attention." Lo and behold, two of Acer's six infected patients were a teenage girl (Bergalis), and a grandmother. This all looks mighty ****ing, but until you can prove he deliberately stuck himself with needles, then used those infected needles to administer Novocaine to selected victims, it ain't Murder 1. And his office staff all claimed that they never noticed any funny business going on either, other than that Acer was sometimes careless about ensuring his tools were properly disinfected.
Now, as for possible negligent homicide, the door is certainly wide open for discussion there. But I digress, the world will probably never know. If I have to guess, based on his antisocial standing in the community, I would say there's a good chance he murdered at least a couple of them, but the guy was a drunken mess. For all we know, he could've *****ed himself in a blackout, then carelessly used those needles the next day, unable to remember if he'd cleaned them or not. Still a stupid, needless tragedy and worthy of prosecution if he'd lived long enough to face it, but not pre-meditated murder.
Back to this story though, you're correct in that it's not quite the same thing, but we don't quite know all the details yet.
