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ATLANTA (AP) — The Latest on the trial of a man accused of pouring boiled water on a sleeping gay couple (all times local):
4 p.m.
A Georgia man who threw boiled water on a gay couple has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
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.
Prosecutors had said Blackwell faced up to 80 years in prison.
Blackwell's defense attorney acknowledged that he poured water on the pair and said he deserved to be punished, but the lawyer asked jurors to find that it was reckless conduct.
Prosecutors said it was a vicious, premeditated attack, and that Blackwell told one of the men "get out of my house with all that gay" after pouring hot water on the couple.
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3:45 p.m.
A jury has convicted a Georgia man accused of pouring boiled water on a gay couple as they slept.
The jury found Martin Blackwell guilty on 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.
Prosecutors have said Blackwell faces up to 80 years in prison.
The 48-year-old Blackwell was a long-distance trucker and stayed with his girlfriend, Kim Foster, when he was in town. Gooden was Foster's son.
Gooden and his boyfriend were sleeping in bed at an apartment in College Park when Blackwell poured boiled water on them in February.
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1:15 p.m.
The jury in the trial of a man accused of throwing boiled water on a same-sex couple as they slept in a suburban Atlanta apartment is set to begin deliberating.
Martin Blackwell faces charges including aggravated battery and aggravated assault in the February attack that left Anthony Gooden and Marquez Tolbert with serious burns.
Testimony in the case began Tuesday and prosecutors rested Wednesday morning. Defense attorneys did not call any witnesses or present any evidence, and Blackwell didn't take the stand.
Jurors are set to begin deliberating at 2 p.m.
The 48-year-old Blackwell was a long-distance trucker and stayed with his girlfriend, Kim Foster, when he was in town. Gooden is Foster's son, and Tolbert was Gooden's boyfriend.
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11:15 a.m.
A defense attorney for a man accused of throwing boiled water on a same-sex couple as they slept in a suburban Atlanta apartment told jurors her client was reacting to behavior he found disrespectful.
Martin Blackwell faces charges including aggravated battery and aggravated assault in the February attack that left Anthony Gooden and Marquez Tolbert with serious burns.
The 48-year-old Blackwell was a long-distance trucker and stayed with his girlfriend, Kim Foster, when he was in town. Gooden is Foster's son, and Tolbert was Gooden's boyfriend.
Defense attorney Monique Walker told jurors on Wednesday that the case isn't about hate but rather is about "old-school thinking." She said Blackwell made a bad decision but that his actions weren't hateful or criminal.
Gooden and Tolbert testified Tuesday that they suffered excruciating pain as a result of the attack.
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4 a.m.
Testimony is scheduled to continue in the trial of a man accused of throwing boiled water on same-sex couple sleeping in a suburban Atlanta apartment.
Martin Blackwell faces charges, including aggravated battery and aggravated assault in the February attack, in court Wednesday.
The 48-year-old Blackwell was a long-distance trucker and stayed with his girlfriend, Kim Foster, when he was in town.
Prosecutors say Foster's son and his boyfriend were asleep at the apartment in College Park when Blackwell poured scalding water on them. Both men suffered extensive burns and required multiple surgeries.
The two testified Tuesday about the excruciating pain they said they suffered as a result of the attack.
The prosecution is expected to rest its case Wednesday. Then it will be the defense's turn to present evidence and testimony.
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