The words they used were excruciating, stinging, screaming.
A young same-sex couple from Georgia have described how they were attacked by a man who threw boiling water over them as they were sleeping at home. Police are investigating whether to bring hate crime charges against the man accused of the attack - the boyfriend of the mother of one of the men.
Marquez Tolbert said the second and third-degree burns he suffered along his neck, back and arms were scars of hate. His partner, Anthony Gooden, was also severely burned.
“The pain doesn't let you sleep. It's just, like, it's excruciating, 24 hours a day, and it doesn't go anywhere,” Mr Tolbert told Channel 2 News. “It doesn't dial down, anything. It's just there.”
The incident happened a month ago as they were sleeping in their home in College Park neighbourhood of Atlanta. They told police they awoke in agony to find Mr Gooden’s mother’s boyfriend, Martin Blackwell, stood over them, pouring the water,
Mr Blackwell allegedly pulled the mattress off the men and shouted: “Get out of my house with all that gay.”
Mr Tolbert spent ten days at Grady Memorial Hospital undergoing surgery that took skin from his thigh to replace skin on his back.
“I can barely think straight because the burning, the stinging is everywhere,” he said. Mr Gooden left hospital left week.
Mr 48, is being held at the Fulton County Jail, where has been charged with two counts of aggravated battery.
According to a police report obtained by Channel 2 News, Blackwell said he was disgusted by the men's relationship, telling police: “They’ll be all right. It was just a little hot water on them.”
An online fund-raising page has been estblished to help pay for the men’s medical costs.
“We want to thank EVERYONE for helping Marquez! The support has been nothing but LOVE/COMPASSION/UNITY. That is the theme of this campaign,” said a message posted on the page.
“He is doing better each day and has started therapy to heal internally. Marquez said he can't thank everyone enough. He has been reading the well wishes and it helps to keep his spirits up.”
