Victim of boiling water hate attack speaks out: ‘The pain won’t let me sleep at night’
A couple who were attacked with boiling water and left with severe burns as they slept have spoken out on the attack.
Anthony Gooden, 23, and Marquez Tolbert, 21 were left with horrific burns after the incident on February 12.
The pair worked together at a local warehouse, and had slept over at Mr Gooden’s mother’s house.
At around 7 AM, while the pair were sleeping, 48-year-old Martin Luther Blackwell – who was dating Mr Gooden’s mother – arrived and decided to throw boiling water over the pair.
“The pain,” Tolbert told WSBTV Thursday. “You can’t sleep at night.”
“The pain doesn’t let you sleep… It’s excruciating, 24 hours a day. It doesn’t go anywhere, it doesn’t dial down. It’s just there.”
The couple are sure that the attack was based on the fact that they are in a same-sex relationship.
“Get out of my house with all that gay,” Blackwell said, according to Tolbert.
A police report of what Blackwell said reads: “They were stuck together like two hot dogs … so I poured a little hot water on them and help them out… They’ll be alright. It was just a little hot water.”
Blackwell allegedly admitted that he carried out the attack because he didn’t like the idea of the two men sleeping together, and later claimed the two were having sex when he poured the water on them.
“It’s a shame that our society places that kind of fear in a parent’s heart,” said Tolbert’s mother Jaya of the attack.
“It gives you a feeling of helplessness, and when it actually occurs, you lose hope.”
Georgia does not have LGBT hate crime laws, but the attacker – who was charged with two counts of aggravated battery – may also face federal hate crime charges.
A crowdfunding page to help pay for Gooden’s medical bills has raised over $44,000.
Check out the video with WSB-TV below:
