Milwaukee City Wire

A Milwaukee man accused of throwing acid on another man’s face in what is being described by prosecutors as a hate crime has been found guilty by a jury after two days of deliberation.

According to a Fox 6 report, Clifton Blackwell, 62, was caught on surveillance film throwing acid on the face of Mahud Villalaz in 2019. He admits to throwing the acid but said he was defending himself.

“This is a self-defense case,” defense attorney Michael Plaisted said in the report by Fox 6.

The report said that Blackwell and Villalez, who is a U.S. citizen from Peru, were fighting over a parking spot as Villalaz was parked in a bus lane. Blackwell said he told Villalaz to move but then doesn’t remember the rest. Villalaz recalls Blackwell using hateful speech where he called him “illegal” and questioned why he doesn’t “obey my laws.”

The defense said that Blackwell threw acid in Villalaz’s face because he was afraid and not because of his ethnicity. Plaisted said that Blackwell is a disabled veteran that only goes to the store to cash checks. The prosecutor questioned why Blackwell would be carrying around acid and the defense said that it was “poor man’s mace.” He added that he didn’t know how to get mace or pepper spray from the store.

According to Yahoo News, Villalaz was angry at Blackwell for calling him illegal and saying that he “invaded” his country. Villalaz then called Blackwell “racist” but said he was never a threat to hurt anyone. Blackwell reportedly opened up a can of drain cleaner and threw it in Villalaz’s face. Villalaz suffered second-degree burns and damaged vision in his left eye. 

Blackwell was convicted of first-degree reckless injury and use of a dangerous weapon and a hate crime. He faces 20 years in prison and his sentencing is next month.