Milwaukee jury rejects self-defense, convicts Clifton Blackwell in 2019 acid attack that burned Hispanic man

A Milwaukee County jury on Thursday returned a guilty verdict against Clifton Blackwell, who splashed acidic drain cleaner on a Hispanic man during a parking dispute in 2019, and later claimed he acted in self-defense.

Blackwell, 64, was found guilty of first-degree reckless injury, with a dangerous weapon, as a hate crime. He was taken into custody after the verdict. He faces up to 20 years in prison at his sentencing next month.

Blackwell and Mahud Villalaz were strangers on Nov. 1, 2019 when Villalaz parked his truck outside a south side Milwaukee restaurant, in the bus stop zone. Blackwell, who was waiting for a bus, told Villalaz he was parked illegally.

The men had an animated discussion that was recorded -- though not heard -- on surveillance video. Blackwell reached into his satchel, took out an aluminum bottle and removed the cap during the exchange.

Villalaz moved his truck across Cleveland Avenue. On his way to the restaurant again, he and Blackwell had another, more heated encounter that ended when Blackwell splashed the bottle's contents on Villalaz's face.

Villalaz, 43, suffered second-degree burns, and the vision in his left eye is affected to this day, he testified. He admitted to jurors he was angry at Blackwell for calling him illegal, and telling him he "invaded" his country and should "go back."

Villalaz emigrated from Peru more than 20 years ago and has been a U.S. citizen since 2013. He said he finally called Blackwell a "racist (expletive)" but that he was not angry enough to want to hurt someone.

Blackwell denied making the remarks about immigration status, though admitted saying "Why don't you obey the laws of my country?" as a "verbal jab" when Villalaz at first didn't want to move his truck.

Blackwell said he'd have brought up the illegal parking no matter who was driving, because he feared it was blocking the bus driver's view of him waiting at the stop and go past without stopping.

Blackwell said he carried the can of drain cleaner for self defense at night because he's disabled, and had been attacked in the streets before. He said he was scared when Villalaz got so angry, and splashed the liquid just as the other man balled his fist and appeared to be about to strike him.

Assistant District Attorney Jessica Bellows doubted the self defense claim, and argued Blackwell took his actions because he saw Villalaz's brown skin, heard his Spanish accent and took out his ethnic, national-origin bias against him.

Before trial, Bellows sought permission to use dozens of prior writings by Blackwell, obtained from his computer, as "other acts" evidence to show he was motivated by hate to attack Villalaz. The judge said the material was too old, irrelevant or prejudicial, but allowed reference to three writings once Blackwell decided to testify.

In a 2019 letter to President Donald Trump, Blackwell talks about certain minorities using their own spellings and wordings, and wonders how many in some apartments were "defectives."

"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."

Other entries and letters use several other slurs for minorities and Jews. Bellows argued the writings show an "ongoing, innate thought process of hating non-whites."

After the verdict, attorney Craig Mastantuono released a statement on behalf of Vallalaz, thanking police, prosecutors and the community that supported him through the experience.

"Mr. Villalaz’s facial burns have healed from the acid thrown in his face; he still carries with him the bigoted hatred of that act, but also the support and empathy of his fellow American citizens," the statement read.

"As Mr. Blackwell suggested, Mahud Villlalaz is going back to his country today – the United States – knowing justice has been served."

Contact Bruce Vielmetti at (414) 224-2187 or bvielmetti@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ProofHearsay.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee jury convicts man who threw acid at Hispanic man