A jury in a Milwaukee county convicted Clifton Blackwell, 64, for splashing acidic drain cleaner on a Hispanic man during a parking dispute in 2019 -- a move he later claimed was self-defense, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Blackwell was convicted of first-degree reckless injury, with a dangerous weapon, as a hate crime. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
The incident started when Mahud Villalaz parked his truck inside a bus stop zone. Blackwell, who was waiting for a bus, told Villalaz he was parked illegally, which sparked an argument. During the argument, Blackwell reached into his satchel, took out an aluminum bottle and removed the cap. After Villalaz moved his truck, the two got into another argument and Blackwell splashed the bottle's contents into Villalaz's face.
Villalaz, 43, testified that he suffered second-degree burns and the vision in his left eye is affected to this day. Villalaz, who is Peruvian, told jurors that Blackwell called him illegal, and that he "invaded" his country and should "go back."
Blackwell denied making the racist comments but admitted saying "Why don't you obey the laws of my country?" as a "verbal jab."
During the trial, the judge allowed reference to past racial statements from Blackwell, one being a 2019 letter he wrote to then-President Donald Trump.
"None of them have any business being in my country. They are parasites on the public purse," he wrote. "I guarantee one will be a criminal predator, a destructor upon reaching puberty."
Read the full report over at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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