ATLANTA (AP) — The FBI has decided not to pursue hate crime charges against a Georgia man found guilty of throwing scalding water on a sleeping gay couple.
Martin Blackwell was sentenced to 40 years in prison this week for aggravated assault and aggravated battery.
The FBI opened a hate crime investigation after the February attack. But spokesman Kevin Rowson said Friday that with Blackwell sentenced in state court, the agency decided not to pursue the case.
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Two U.S. representatives said Friday that Blackwell should face a federal trial anyway, since Georgia lacks a hate crime law.
The 48-year-old long-distance trucker poured scalding water on his girlfriend’s son, Anthony Gooden, and his boyfriend, Marquez Tolbert, as they slept. Both men suffered extensive burns requiring multiple surgeries.
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