A Fulton County judge sentenced 48-year-old Martin Blackwell to 40-years in prison.
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“They were stuck together like two hot dogs … so I poured a little hot water on them and helped them out”, he said to police, according to the incident report. “It was just a little hot water”.
A jury convicted Martin Blackwell on Wednesday of eight counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated assault in the attack that left Anthony Gooden and Marquez Tolbert with severe burns that required multiple surgeries. Channel 2’s Tom Jones says Blackwell had a blank stare on his face as the judge read the verdict.
“You had so many outs where the voice of reason could’ve taken over.”I woke up to the most unimaginable pain in my entire life”, Tolbert, who was scalded said during his tearful testimony”.
He was not charged with a hate crime, though, as Georgia now doesn’t have any bias-crime statutes. The FBI said in March that it had opened a hate crime investigation.
Blackwell’s attorney, Monique Walker, presented a paper-thin argument that acknowledged that Blackwell poured boiling water on the pair and deserves retribution, but she is asking jurors to consider it reckless conduct.
“It’s not about hate”. Blackwell, who remained stoic throughout the trial, did not take the stand.
Prosecutor Fani Willis scoffed at the idea. Blackwell then walked toward Tolbert, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him through the apartment and out the door, she said. Blackwell is accused of pouring hot water on two gay men as they slept. He didn’t intend to hurt the young men, he just wanted to get them to stop their disrespectful behavior, she said.
The prosecutor said Blackwell’s actions were well-thought-out.
He went to the kitchen, pulled out a pot, filled it with water and set it to boil. “And it’s a felonious act”, Willis said.
Gooden, 24, spent about a month in the hospital and had to be placed in a medically induced coma for two weeks out of that time.
Both Tolbert and Gooden had disfiguring burns requiring numerous skin grafts.
Gooden and Tolbert testified Tuesday that they suffered excruciating pain as a result of the attack.
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“I’m ecstatic”, Tolbert said.
