Milwaukee acid attack hate crime trial, jury deliberations underway

MILWAUKEE - The fate of the man accused of a hate crime in Milwaukee is now in the hands of the jury. Clifton Blackwell, 62, is accused of throwing acid on another man's face in 2019.

"This is a self-defense case," said Michael Plaisted, defense attorney.

Blackwell admits he threw acid on the face of Mahud Villalaz in 2019. It was all caught on surveillance video. The two men got into an argument over a parking spot. Villalaz was parked in a bus lane. Blackwell says he told him to move and doesn't remember much else about the conversation. 

Villalaz remembers this:

"Mr. Blackwell continues to say those extremely hateful things to him, telling him he’s illegal. ‘Why don’t you obey my laws?’" said the prosecutor.

Villalaz is a U.S. citizen who emigrated from Peru. 

Blackwell's defense argues he didn't throw acid because of where Villalaz came from. Blackwell says he threw acid because he was afraid.

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"He’s a veteran who is disabled," said Plaisted. "He says he only goes to ALDI’s and the check-cashing place."

So why acid?

"Who walks around carrying acid in their bag?" said the prosecutor.

Blackwell's defense attorney called the acid "poor man's mace"

"He says he didn’t know how to get mace or pepper spray from the store, Target," said Plaisted. "He didn’t go to Target."

Blackwell is charged with first-degree reckless injury, use of a dangerous weapon with a hate crime modifier.

It's now up to the jury to decide if he was acting in self-defense or acting in hate. 

The jury deliberated for around an hour and a half on Wednesday, April 27 before being sent home, set to meet again Thursday morning at 9 a.m.