Jury Convicts Georgia Man in Boiled Water Attack on Gay Couple

Long-haul trucker Blackwell stayed at the house whenever he passed through and after seeing the two men sleeping, went to the kitchen, boiled a saucepan of water and poured it over the men. CNN reached out to Blackwell’s attorney for comment but did not get a response.

Here’s to hoping this news will come as some consolation to Gooden and Tolbert as they continue to heal. They’ll be alright, it was just a little hot water’. Moments later, he poured the scalding water over the men, The Washington Post reported.

A Fulton County judge sentenced 48-year-old Martin Blackwell to 40-years in prison.

A man sitting in the audience wipes his face as he watches during the trial for Martin Blackwell in Atlanta, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016.

“Once the water hit, I smacked the wall and then shot out of bed”, Tolbert said.

“It’s not about hate”. Defense attorneys did not call any witnesses or present any evidence, and Blackwell didn’t take the stand.

Tolbert and Gooden – who is the son of Kim Foster, Blackwell’s girlfriend – had been dating about a month at the time of the attack. Gooden, who is Foster’s son, and Tolbert had been dating about a month and were sleeping at the apartment February 12 after working an overnight shift when Blackwell dumped boiled water on them.

Blackwell’s attorney argued that his client was not homophobic but stuck in “old-school culture, old-school thinking” and felt disrespected by the couple’s behavior.

Prosecutor Fani Willis scoffed at the idea. “It was just a little hot water on them”.

The prosecutor said his actions were well thought out.

Martin Blackwell looked under the kitchen sink to find the largest pot he could to fill with boiling water. “And it’s a felonious act”, Willis said.

Anthony Gooden and his partner were asleep in their Atlanta apartment when Blackwell, the boyfriend of Gooden’s mother, poured scalding hot water all over them.

Tolbert said he spent 10 days in the hospital, undergoing skin grafts for burns on his back, arms, and neck.

Martin Blackwall, 48, who was dating the mother of one of the victims at the time, left Anthony Gooden and Marquez Tolbert with awful burns that required multiple surgeries.

Both testified Tuesday on the suffering Blackwell had put them through.