An Atlanta man has been sentenced to 40 years
in prison after he was found guilty on
Wednesday after he threw boiling hot water on
a gay couple, Anthony Gooden and Marquez
Tolbert, as they slept. The man, Martin
Blackwell was convicted of 10 counts – two
counts of aggravated assault and eight counts
of aggravated battery – in the February attack
on the gay couple.
The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes after
the brief trial and returned with the guilty
verdict. Prosecutors have said that on the night
of the attack, Blackwell filled the largest pot in
his home with water and set it to boil before
tossing it on Gooden and Tolbert, who were
sleeping and who had been dating for about a
month.
The couple had been staying with Gooden's
mother, who was dating Blackwell.
"You were soulless, malicious and a
violent person [during the attack],"
Fulton County Superior Court Judge
Henry Newkirk said to Blackwell
Wednesday before sentencing him,
according to the AJC.
Prosecutors argued that Blackwell was
motivated by homophobia.
Tolbert testified at trial that Blackwell grabbed
him after the attack and said, "Get out of my
house with all that gay sh**"
Gooden and Tolbert's injuries were severe.
Gooden was hospitalized for about a month,
including two weeks in a coma, and while his
boyfriend, Tolbert was hospitalized for 10 days.
Both men had several surgeries and both
testified at Blackwell's trial.
Blackwell's defense attorneys did not present
any evidence at trial or call any witnesses but
they argued that the attack was reckless rather
than premeditated.
"It's not about hate. It's about old-school
culture, old-school thinking," attorney
Monique Walker told jurors.
Blackwell's defense argued he was motivated
by a sense of disrespect for the victims'
behavior in the home – a claim the prosecution
dismissed.
After the verdict, Tolbert told reporters he felt
"justice was served," adding "I'm ecstatic,"
Tolbert said Wednesday.
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