Scalding Water on Gay Couple: Man Could Serve 80 Years

ATLANTA, GA -- A man accused of pouring scalding water on a gay couple in their College Park home faces up to 80 years in prison if he is found guilty.

Martin Blackwell has been indicted for eight counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated assault. Fulton County DA Paul Howard announced the indictments late Friday.

Both Anthony Gooden, Jr., and Marquez Tolbert suffered second- and third-degree burns over their body after Blackwell, 48, allegedly threw boiling water onto the couple while they were in bed.

Blackwell was the boyfriend of one of the men’s mothers, Kim Foster.

The FBI reportedly has opened a hate-crime investigation into the incident, which happened last month.

"Georgia does not have a sentence enhancement for hate crimes," Howard said.

In an interview with Channel 2 Action News, Foster said Blackwell disapproved of her son's lifestyle, but says she never thought he would hurt her son.

“He got hatred in his heart and God’s gonna deal with him,” Foster said.

Gooden spent two weeks in a coma, while Tobert spent 10 days in the hospital. Gooden has two more years of recovery, and more than 1,800 people have made donations via a GoFundMe online fundraising effort.

A separate GoFundMe account has been set up for Tolbert's recovery, which has also raised more than $61,000 from more than 1,900 people.

Image: GoFundMe