(Rightallegiance.com) – In a significant judgment rendered on a Wednesday, a group of six former law enforcement officials from Mississippi faced the legal consequences of their grievous actions, receiving prison sentences ranging from 15 to 45 years for the racist torture and abuse inflicted upon two African American individuals.
The convicted individuals include former deputies of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department: Brett Morris McAlpin, 53; Christian Dedmon, 29; Jeffrey Middleton, 46; Hunter Elward, 31; Daniel Opdyke, 28; along with Joshua Hartfield, 32, a former police officer from the city of Richland. Their guilty pleas to state charges were entered in August, preceding this judgment.
The sentencing details reveal a stark outcome for the perpetrators: McAlpin, Middleton, and Opdyke each received a 20-year sentence; Dedmon was sentenced to 25 years; Elward faces the longest term at 45 years; and Hartfield was sentenced to 15 years. These sentences are to be served concurrently with previously determined federal sentences. Additionally, each individual has been mandated to pay restitution of $6,431 within two years following their release and is permanently barred from holding any law enforcement position.
The prosecution’s case highlighted the self-dubbed “Goon Squad” — a moniker the convicted had chosen for themselves, symbolizing their readiness to employ excessive force and conceal their malevolent acts. This group’s heinous actions towards Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January 2023 included verbal abuse, physical beatings, electric shocks, and a grotesque assault with a sex toy. One of the more chilling aspects of their abuse was a “mock execution,” during which Jenkins was shot in the mouth, causing severe physical injuries.
This case stems from an incident in Braxton, Mississippi, when McAlpin was alerted by a white individual’s complaint about Jenkins and Parker residing with a white woman. Without a warrant, the “Goon Squad” descended upon the home, unleashing a barrage of physical and psychological torment on Jenkins and Parker. This included racial slurs, forced consumption of liquids, physical beatings, and the aforementioned mock execution that resulted in significant injury to Jenkins.
In a coordinated attempt to obscure their actions, the officers planned to plant drugs on Jenkins and Parker, a deceit that temporarily stood, casting a shadow of false criminality on the victims for months.
During the sentencing hearing, statements from the victims were read, laying bare the profound and lasting impact of the officers’ actions. Jenkins described the ordeal as the worst day of his life, detailing the physical and psychological scars that have altered his existence. Similarly, a statement from Parker underscored the indelible trauma and fear resulting from that night, lamenting the loss of security and peace he once possessed.
This case, with its severe sentences and public exposure, marks a significant moment in the ongoing struggle against police brutality and systemic racism within law enforcement. The aftermath for Jenkins and Parker is a stark reminder of the long road to recovery from such injustices, while the sentences serve as a stern warning to those who might abuse their positions of power.