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Clifton A. Blackwell, the suspect in Friday\'s battery acid attack, appears in a Milwaukee County Court in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. Blackwell, 61, had been arrested on a preliminary charge of aggravated battery after 42-year-old Mahud Villalaz said Blackwell threw acid on his face after a series of anti-immigrant remarks that Villalaz finally countered by saying he is a U.S. citizen. (Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via AP)

Doctor to examine competency of man accused in acid attack

MILWAUKEE – A 61-year-old man accused of throwing acid on a Latino man’s face during a racist attack will undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he can assist in his criminal defence.

Clifton Blackwell’s lawyer asked for the evaluation during a Friday hearing in Milwaukee. Blackwell’s next court date is Nov. 25.

Blackwell, who is white, is charged with first-degree reckless injury in a case that’s being prosecuted as a hate crime. He’s accused of confronting Mahud Villalaz near a restaurant and throwing acid on his face after accusing him of being in the country illegally and invading the U.S.

Villalaz suffered second-degree burns.

Designating the case as a hate crime means Blackwell could face a longer sentence if convicted.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that Blackwell’s next court date is Nov. 25, not Nov. 15.

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