Federal Sentencing of Former Mississippi Law Enforcement for Racial Abuse

TFD – Delve into the recent federal sentencing of former Mississippi law enforcement officers for racial abuse, highlighting the intricacies of the justice system’s handling of such grave misconduct. Join us at TheFoxDaily as we uncover the details and implications of this significant case.

On Wednesday, six White former Mississippi law enforcement officers who were sentenced in federal court last month after entering guilty pleas to charges relating to the abuse and torture of two Black men are set to receive another sentence, this time on state charges pertaining to the same crimes that occurred in January 2023.

The defendants, who in August entered guilty pleas to state and federal charges related to the abuse of Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins, included five former deputies from the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department: Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Daniel Opdyke, Jeffrey Middleton, and Joshua Hartfield, a former officer of the Richland Police Department.

The federal prison terms that were handed down in a Jackson courtroom last month—10 years for Hartfield, 17.5 years for Middleton, 17.5 years for Opdyke, slightly over 27 years for McAlpin, 20 years for Elward, and 40 years for Dedmon—may run concurrently with their state sentences. Since the state charges would probably run concurrently with the federal sentences, it’s unclear if there will be any additional prison time associated with them.

“The depravity of the crimes committed by these defendants cannot be overstated, and they will now spend between 10 and 40 years in prison for their heinous attack on citizens they had sworn to protect,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland declared following the conclusion of the federal sentencing hearings.

The hearing is set for Wednesday morning in a circuit court located in the center of Brandon, the county seat of Rankin, across from a Confederate monument and some 20 miles from the residence where Parker and Jenkins were tortured because of their race.

The 1907 monument, which is topped by a statue of a Confederate soldier, is the target of a national petition launched by the NAACP, which claims the monument represents decades of racist culture in the county.

On January 24, 2023, in Braxton, Mississippi, a little town southeast of Jackson, the torture took place. It was discovered following the filing of a $400 million federal lawsuit by the two victims, which is currently pending. Numerous allegations made in the lawsuit were included in the federal charging sheet.

The six law enforcement officials, according to the two men, broke into the residence of the woman Parker was living with and assisted in caring for. Before Elward put a gun in Jenkins’ mouth and shot him, they attempted to sexually abuse Jenkins and Parker for about two hours, beating, waterboarding, and using Tasers on them.

After receiving a report from a White neighbor about multiple Black men sleeping at a White woman’s home and noticing suspicious conduct, the police went to the residence. However, according to the prosecution, they were unable to uncover any criminal activity. Federal prosecutors said in court records that at least three of them, Elward, Middleton, and Opdyke, were members of a gang of deputies who dubbed themselves “The Goon Squad” due to their propensity to use excessive force and fail to report it.

Each of the policemen was charged by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office in August with conspiring to obstruct justice. Elward was charged with aggravated assault in addition to house invasion, while Dedmon was charged with both.

According to the office, McAlpin, Middleton, Opdyke, and Hartfield were all facing an extra charge of first-degree obstruction of justice.

Beyond just causing bodily harm to the two victims, this vicious act destroyed the people’s essential faith in one another. In a news release from August, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch declared, “This misuse of authority will not be tolerated.”

According to court documents, the former policemen entered a guilty plea to federal counts of conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under color of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice. Elward was charged with the most serious federal offense related to the January incident: firing a firearm during a violent crime.

According to the lawsuit, the deputies “were oppressive and hateful against their African-American victims in their repeated use of racial slurs in the course of their violent acts.” “The race and skin color of the people the defendants attacked served as their motivation.”

In federal court, victims met their tormentors.

Over the course of three days in March, as victims faced their tormentors face-to-face and testified before the judge, vivid stories of the horrible cruelty of the former cops gripped the packed federal courtroom.

At each of the six federal sentencing hearings, the victim impact statements for Jenkins and Parker were read aloud by their attorneys; however, in several of the hearings, Parker chose to read the statement on his own.

In his impact statement, Parker wept and said, “That night, I saw the devil come to me.” “In my house, where I should have felt safe, I saw the devil staring me in the face. How did I obtain this? Nothing.

Elward was the first defendant to be sentenced on March 19, having been charged with the most serious federal offense for shooting Jenkins. The former officer, who had chains around his wrists and waist, was clearly shaken during the hearing.

I don’t make excuses for myself. After that night, I have had a lot of internal conflict. Many people only become angry after they are discovered. Elward remarked, “I have to live with what I’ve seen and done every night. He turned to look at both guys after asking the judge if he could speak to the victims personally.

I see you every day and every night, Mr. Jenkins. “I apologize so much,” Elward murmured.

Later that day, Middleton—whom federal prosecutors characterized as the group’s leader—was sentenced; during the process, he avoided making eye contact with the victims.

Middleton boasted about the organization with Rankin County Sheriff’s Department badges stamped with the words “Goon Squad,” evoking images of a noose and a Confederate flag, as the Justice Department prosecutors detailed in court.

The judge referenced a statement that Opdyke had provided and that was included in the defense’s pre-sentencing memorandums. In that statement, the officer described the day that Middleton recruited him into the Goon Squad as his “downfall.”

Victim left the federal courthouse while the cop gave his testimony.

According to police, the former officers planned their cover story and left Jenkins bleeding on the ground the night of the attack while they planted a pistol on the victims.

The youngest co-defendant, Opdyke, was crying and gasping while testifying in court on March 20 during his sentencing hearing.

During his court evidence, Opdyke informed Parker, “Nothing I say can undo the harm that I caused you.”

“I sincerely apologize for any pain or suffering I may have caused you, and I can only accept full responsibility for my actions.” Parker was crying at that point as he got up and left the courtroom with his aunt.

Later that afternoon, after a tearful trial that centered on his sexual assault of one of the victims, Dedmon was sentenced. At the sentencing hearing, Opdyke’s legal representative identified Dedmon as the “guy who had this demented sexual perversion.”

According to federal authorities, Dedmon was “not at all afraid to use excessive force,” coordinated and took part in “countless missions.” He “had the experience not to do what he was doing,” according to one prosecution, and “hid behind his badge and gun” despite his comparatively youthful age.

The judge described Dedmon’s actions as the most “shocking, brutal, and cruel acts imaginable” when imposing his punishment.

A other agency’s officer received a lighter term

The final day of the federal court hearings saw the sentencing of McAlpin, the highest-ranking officer present.

Federal prosecutors described him as “the one calling the shots” and as a “mafia don” among the six rogue officers who tortured citizens.

He made the first call to another cop and told him to go to the Braxton home after White neighbors complained about two Black men residing there. He lived in the neighborhood where Parker and Jenkins were tortured.

Parker stated in his victim impact statement that he had been anticipating meeting McAlpin in person. “This man has caused so much suffering.” He has ripped a great number of people from their families. He said he watched McAlpin “walk around that house like he was the man” and mocked him at one point, saying he could do a better job in law enforcement.

During the Braxton home raid, McAlpin also urinated in a cupboard “to further degrade the victims in the house and to send the message he wanted them gone,” according to a prosecutor.

According to the prosecution, McAlpin traumatized Rankin County residents for decades, and they have proof of nine instances in the last five years where he “brutalized people with impunity.”

On the same day that McAlpin was condemned, Hartfield received a 10-year term. As the two victims were being detained, prosecutors claimed he sought to destroy evidence related to the case by using a Taser on them.

As the victims cried out in “pain and agony,” the prosecution claimed Hartfield heard, did nothing, and took part in the crime’s cover-up.

When Hartfield started to speak to the court, his hands and waist were shaky, and he started to cry. “Helping people was all I wanted to do. The two people who needed me the most were not helped by me.

The judge stated that Hartfield “actively participated in a much more limited basis” than his codefendants but emphasized that he should be punished before imposing his sentence.

Senior US District Judge Tom Lee informed the defendant, “You’re not here by accident.” “You made a few decisions. A few poor decisions. To be sure, I view you (in) a different light than the other defendants. You didn’t belong to the “Goon Squad.” You were not even a member of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department.”