First of 6 'Goon Squad' officers gets 20 years over torture of two Mississippi Black men

Hunter Elward, one of the six white former law enforcement officers in Mississippi who pleaded guilty to charges connected to the beating and sexual assault of two Black men, was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in federal prison.

Elward, four other former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies and another officer pleaded guilty to more than a dozen federal charges in August after Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker accused them of bursting into a home without a warrant, beating them, assaulting them with a sex toy and shocking them repeatedly with stun guns last year. Jenkins said one of the deputies shoved a gun in his mouth and fired the weapon.

"I relive this every day," Parker, who is expected to testify in court this week, said at a news conference Monday. "I relive this every time I turn on the TV, anytime I get on my phone, I'm on social media and I'm seeing everybody telling my story, everybody telling my story."

Former Rankin County sheriff's deputies Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton, and Daniel Opdyke; and former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield, are expected to be sentenced later this week. Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey in June announced the deputies involved in the incident had been fired and in August, they pleaded guilty to state charges connected to the incident, which Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, previously described as "torture."

'Violent police misconduct': 6 plead guilty in torture, sexual assault of Black men in Mississippi

In court documents, prosecutors said some of the officers called themselves the “Goon Squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force and not report it. Three officers − Dedmon, Elward, and Opdyke − also pleaded guilty to using excessive force in a separate incident.

Elward faced a maximum sentence of 120 years plus life in prison and $2.75 million in fines, according to The Associated Press. Dedmon faces the same maximum punishment as Elward, while Hartfield could receive a sentence of 80 years and $1.5 million, McAlpin could get 90 years and $1.75 million, Middleton could get 80 years and $1.5 million, and Opdyke could face 100 years with a $2 million fine, the outlet reported. Attorneys, family members of the two men who were assaulted and community advocates called for the maximum sentence for each former officer.

"The day of justice has finally come for the Rankin County 'Goon Squad,'" attorney Malik Shabazz told reporters. "It's an important day not only in Mississippi, but this is an important day for accountability for police brutality all throughout America."

Officer apologizes during sentencing

CNN reported that Shabazz read statements during the sentencing from both Parker and Jenkins, who said, “I don’t think I’ll ever be the person I was.” Elward apologized to the men, the outlet reported.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, according to CNN. “I don’t want to get too personal with you, Michael. There’s no telling what you’ve seen. I’m so sorry that I caused that. I hate myself for it. I hate that I gave you that. I accept all responsibility.”

“We forgive you, man," Parker replied.

Before handing down his 20-year sentence, U.S. District Judge Tom Lee called Elward’s crimes “egregious and despicable,” and said a “sentence at the top of the guidelines range is justified – is more than justified," The Associated Press reported.

What happened during the incident?

According to the federal indictment, Parker was staying at the home of a longtime friend, and Jenkins was there temporarily. McAlpin received a complaint from one of his white neighbors that some Black men had been staying at the property and the neighbor had observed "suspicious" behavior.

That night, Dedmon reached out to a group of officers and asked if they were "available for a mission," according to the complaint. On Jan. 24, 2023, the officers entered the home without a warrant, handcuffed the men, shocked them with stun guns, used racial slurs and assaulted the men with a sex toy.

At one point, Dedmon "demanded to know where the drugs were" and fired a bullet into a wall, the complaint said. Dedmon also "poured milk, alcohol, and chocolate syrup on their faces and into their mouths," and "poured cooking grease" on Parker's head. Elward threw eggs at the men.

Opdyke, Middleton, Dedmon and McAlpin used a wooden kitchen implement, a metal sword and pieces of wood to beat Parker, the complaint said. The incident culminated in a "mock execution," when Elward fired a bullet in Jenkins' mouth, which lacerated his tongue, broke his jaw and exited through his neck, the complaint said.

The officers ordered the men to strip naked and shower "to wash away evidence of abuse" before they were brought to jail, according to the complaint. The officers then concocted a cover story and "planted and tampered with evidence to corroborate their false cover story and cover up their misconduct," it said.

The officers submitted fraudulent drug evidence to the crime lab, filed false reports, charged Jenkins with crimes he did not commit, made false statements to investigators, pressured witnesses to stick to the cover story, planted a gun and destroyed video evidence, shell casings, and stun gun cartridges, according to the complaint.

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"The cover-up and the obstruction are as dangerous as the acts themselves," Shabazz said.

Jeffrey Reynolds, who represents Opdyke, said in a statement provided to USA TODAY that he and his partner will be releasing "substantial evidence" to explain Opdyke's actions.

"Daniel has accepted responsibility for his actions, and failures to act, in relation to the two incidents that are the subject of his sentencing hearing, has admitted he was wrong and feels deep remorse for the pain he caused the victims," Reynolds said.

Attorneys listed for the other defendants in online court records did not immediately respond to requests for comment from USA TODAY.

Officers plead guilty to other charges

The six former officers also pleaded guilty to state charges of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and hinder prosecution, according to a press release from the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch.

Dedmon and Elward pleaded guilty to additional charges of home invasion, the release said. Elward pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and McAlpin, Middleton, Opdyke and Hartfield pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and hindering prosecution.

The former officers agreed to sentences recommended by prosecutors ranging from five to 30 years, and the time served for convictions at the state level will run concurrently with their federal sentences, The Associated Press reported.

Bailey previously acknowledged the deputies' actions eroded the public's trust and pledged to work to restore it. In November, he announced the department updated its training and complaints process after the assault.

Shabazz called for Bailey's resignation Monday and called on Clarke to launch a pattern or practice investigation into Rankin County, similar to the investigation recently opened in Lexington, Mississippi. Jenkins and Parker have also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit seeking $400 million in damages.

"We're still in a battle for justice, for dignity, for respect, and we are planning on winning that battle," Shabazz said.

Contributing: Grace Hauck, USA TODAY; Pam Dankins, Mississippi Clarion Ledger

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ex-Rankin County deputy gets 20-year sentence in torture of Black men