Police: Atlanta man pours boiling water on gay couple in bed

A man allegedly poured boiling water on two gay men, one of whom is his girlfriend’s son, as they lay in bed in their College Park apartment, according to Channel 2 Action News.

Martin Blackwell, 48, is in the Fulton County jail on two counts of aggravated battery, online records show.

According to a police report obtained by Channel 2, the suspect told authorities that “it was just a little hot water on them.” He described disgust with the men’s relationship in the police report.

The attack happened at an apartment on Buffington Road in February. The mother of one of the victims, Anthony Gooden, shared the apartment with her son, Channel 2 reported.

One of the victims, Marquez Tolbert, spent 10 days at Grady Memorial Hospital undergoing surgery, which took skin from his thigh to replace skin on his back. Gooden got out of a hospital Friday.

Federal hate crime charges are possible in this case, and the Atlanta police LGBT liaison assisted to be sure that Blackwell did not make bond, Channel 2 reported.

“The pain doesn’t let you sleep,” Tolbert told Channel 2. “It’s just like it’s excruciating 24 hours a day.”