Road To Recovery

Mother Of Gay Man Burned In Horrific Boiling Water Attack Speaks Out About “Worst Night” Of Her Life

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The mother of a gay man who suffered second and third degree burns after being doused with boiling water while he slept is speaking out about the attack.

A few days ago we shared the horrific story of Marquez Tolbert, who was napping with his boyfriend Andrew Gooden when 48-year-old Martin Blackwell poured boiling water on the pair. Blackwell is Gooden’s mother’s boyfriend who lived in the same apartment, and he was arrested and charged with multiple counts of battery.

Gooden was hospitalized, and he finds it hard to look in the mirror due to the facial scars he suffered from the attack. Speaking to WSBTV2 Atlanta, Gooden’s mother Kim Foster calls it the “worst night” of her life, and shared a conversation that she had with Blackwell about the relationship between Gooden and Tolbert the night before the attack:

“I said, ‘That’s not your house. You need to mind your business.’ (And he said,) ‘Well, they laying up there.’ I said, ‘That is not your business. (Anthony) don’t bother you. That boy don’t bother you. This is not your house.’”

As for Gooden, he’s trying to remain strong and recover:

“Yeah I hate looking in the mirror. But it’s healing. It’s healing everyday now. Sometimes when I think about (it), I get angry. But I also know how to pray and ask God to release that anger and bring me happiness.”

The FBI is looking into bringing federal hate crime charges against Blackwell. Click here to visit the GoFundMe page for Anthony Gooden, and here to visit the GoFundMe page for Marquez Tolbert.

Watch the news report below via WSBTV2 Atlanta, and be forewarned – it is disturbing.We wish both of these young men a healthy recovery.

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