In state court on Wednesday, six former Mississippi law enforcement officers received sentencing after admitting guilt to various state and federal charges linked to the torture and abuse of two Black men.
Brett McAlpin, once a high-ranking deputy, was handed a 20-year state sentence. Joshua Hartfield, a former police officer, received 15 years, while Christian Dedmon got 25 years, Hunter Elward 45 years, and Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke each received 20 years.
These state sentences were ordered to be served concurrently with their federal terms, ranging from 10 to 40 years. Dedmon had previously been sentenced in March by U.S. District Judge Tom Lee for his role in the assault on Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January 2023.
The case drew national outrage, with condemnation from top law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, who called it a “heinous attack on citizens they had sworn an oath to protect.” It highlighted Mississippi’s history of racial injustices.
McAlpin was the first to face sentencing on Wednesday, receiving 15 years on one charge and five years on another in state court. Malik Shabazz, representing Jenkins and Parker, emphasized the significance of the state sentencing, considering Mississippi’s history of racial crimes and police brutality.
The defendants, including five former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies and a former police officer from Richland, pleaded guilty to charges like obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution. Dedmon and Elward also admitted to home invasion.
The charges stemmed from an Associated Press investigation linking some officers to violent encounters since 2019, resulting in the deaths of two Black men. The officers admitted to breaking into a home without a warrant, torturing Jenkins and Parker for hours, using racial slurs, and assaulting them before shooting Jenkins in the mouth.
They then attempted a cover-up, including planting drugs on the victims and threatening other officers. Daniel Opdyke was the first to confess, showing investigators evidence of their plan.
Despite expressing remorse in federal court, these officers were held accountable for their actions. Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, who fired the officers in June, faced criticism, with calls for his resignation and a civil lawsuit filed against the department by Jenkins and Parker.
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