The third and fourth self-proclaimed Mississippi “Goon Squad” former officers were sentenced Wednesday after they admitted to torturing two Black men in a racist attack last January.
Former deputy Daniel Ready Opdyke was sentenced to 17.5 years and Christian Lee Dedmon was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Both men, along with four other officers—Hunter Elward, Jeffrey Middleton, Brett McAlpin, and Joshua Hartfield— pleaded guilty last year to felony charges, including civil rights conspiracy, deprivation of rights under color of law, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and obstruction of justice.
The charges originated from an incident involving Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker in January 2023. During the encounter, the six officers entered their Rankin County home without a warrant after a neighbor complained that the men were staying in a home with a white woman. The officers used stun guns, sex toys, and other objects to torture the men for nearly two hours.
Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Tom Lee sentenced Elward to nearly 20 years in prison and Middleton to a 17.5-year sentence.
Judge Lee characterized the former officers’ actions as “egregious and despicable,” justifying the maximum range under sentencing guidelines.
The horrifying incident unfolded in January 2023 when the six officers busted into the Rankin County residence without a warrant. After handcuffing the men, the officers hurled racial slurs and doused them with milk, alcohol, and chocolate syrup. They forced the men to strip naked and shower together in an attempt to erase evidence of their assault. This torture lasted nearly two hours and included a “mock execution” where a gun was fired into Jenkins’ mouth. Instead of providing aid, the officers concocted a cover-up plan involving planting drugs and a gun.
In a statement read by his lawyer, Parker informed the court that he was “severely impacted” by the events, which “left a scar that will last forever.”
Jenkins, who still has trouble eating and speaking, told the court via statement through his lawyer that Jan. 24, 2023, “was the worst day of my life.”
“I’m hurt, I’m broken, I’m ashamed and embarrassed by the entire situation,” he said in his statement. “The effects will forever linger in my life. I’m broken inside, and I don’t think I’ll ever be the person I was.”
Ex-deputy Brett McAlpin and former Richland policeman Joshua Hartfield are scheduled for sentencing on Thursday.
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