Jackson, six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for torturing two Black men, will be sentenced in state court on Wednesday.
Six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers who attacked Mikey Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January 2023 have already been sentenced to federal prison terms ranging from about 10 to 40 years. In March U.S. District Judge Tom Lee called their actions "serious and despicable" as he sentenced five of the six men near the top of federal guidelines.
Rankin County Circuit Judge Steve Ratcliffe will sentence all six state defendants on Wednesday. They agreed to sentences recommended by state prosecutors ranging from five to 30 years.Sentences for state convictions will run concurrently to federal sentences, and individuals will serve their sentences in federal prisons. The case drew outrage from the nation's top law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, who said officials "A heinous attack on the civilians they were sworn to protect." In the horrific details of the episode, local residents saw echoes of racial atrocities by those in power throughout Mississippi history.
Malik Shabazz, the attorney representing Jenkins and Parker, said the sentencing hearing will be a "test" for Ratliff and state prosecutors.
"State criminal sentencing is important because historically, the state of Mississippi has lagged behind or ignored racial crimes and police brutality against Blacks, and the Justice Department has had to take the lead," Shabazz said."The defendants include five former Rankin County sheriff's deputies – Brett McAlpin, 53, Hunter Aylward, 31, Christian Dedmon, 29, Jeffrey Middleton, 46, Daniel Opdyke, 28 – and a former Richland City police officer, Joshua Heartfield, 32. , who was off duty during the attack.
All six former officials pleaded guilty to charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution. Dedmon and Aylward, who kicked in the door, also admitted to the home invasion.
The charges follow an Associated Press investigation in March that linked some officers to at least four violent encounters since 2019 that left two Black men dead. The former lawmakers conducted a home search without a warrant. Admitted to breaking in and torturing Jenkins and Parker in an hour-long attack that included repeated beatings with the use of a stun gun and assault with a sex toy, before shooting one of the victims in the mouth.According to federal prosecutors, the terror began with racist calls for extrajudicial violence on January 24, 2023.
A white man called Rankin County Deputy Brett McAlpin and complained that two black men were living with a white woman in a house in Braxton, Mississippi. McAlpin told Christian Dedmon, who forwarded the message to a group of white deputies. Sent that they were prepared to use excessive force, they called themselves. Goon Squad."Once inside, they handcuffed Jenkins and his friend Parker, poured milk liquor and chocolate syrup in their faces and mocked them with racial slurs. He forced them to strip naked and take a bath together to hide the dirt.They mocked the victims with racial comments and attacked them with sexual objects.
In a mock execution gone awry, Aylward shot Jenkins in the mouth, cutting his tongue and breaking his jaw. Authorities devised a coverup and agreed to plant the drugs on Jenkins and Parker. False allegations remained against those people for months.
Prosecutors said McAlpin and Middleton, the oldest in the group, threatened to kill other officers if they spoke up.According to his attorney Jeff Reynolds, Opdike was the first person to admit what he did. Opdyke showed the investigator a WhatsApp text thread where officers discussed their plan, Reynolds said. The only defendant who did not receive a federal prison sentence at the top of sentencing guidelines was Hartfield, who worked with others in the sheriff's department. and was not a member of the "Goon Squad".
In federal court, representatives expressed regret for their behavior and apologized to Jenkins and Parker. Several of his attorneys said their clients were caught up in a culture of corruption that was encouraged by leaders of the Sheriff's Office.Rankin County Sheriff Brian Bailey did not provide any details about his deputy's actions when he announced he was fired last June. After Bailey pleaded guilty in August, saying officers had gone rogue and promising change, Jenkins and Parker have called for his resignation and filed a US$400 million civil lawsuit against the department.
Six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers who attacked Mikey Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January 2023 have already been sentenced to federal prison terms ranging from about 10 to 40 years. In March U.S. District Judge Tom Lee called their actions "serious and despicable" as he sentenced five of the six men near the top of federal guidelines.
Rankin County Circuit Judge Steve Ratcliffe will sentence all six state defendants on Wednesday. They agreed to sentences recommended by state prosecutors ranging from five to 30 years.Sentences for state convictions will run concurrently to federal sentences, and individuals will serve their sentences in federal prisons. The case drew outrage from the nation's top law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, who said officials "A heinous attack on the civilians they were sworn to protect." In the horrific details of the episode, local residents saw echoes of racial atrocities by those in power throughout Mississippi history.
Malik Shabazz, the attorney representing Jenkins and Parker, said the sentencing hearing will be a "test" for Ratliff and state prosecutors.
"State criminal sentencing is important because historically, the state of Mississippi has lagged behind or ignored racial crimes and police brutality against Blacks, and the Justice Department has had to take the lead," Shabazz said."The defendants include five former Rankin County sheriff's deputies – Brett McAlpin, 53, Hunter Aylward, 31, Christian Dedmon, 29, Jeffrey Middleton, 46, Daniel Opdyke, 28 – and a former Richland City police officer, Joshua Heartfield, 32. , who was off duty during the attack.
All six former officials pleaded guilty to charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution. Dedmon and Aylward, who kicked in the door, also admitted to the home invasion.
The charges follow an Associated Press investigation in March that linked some officers to at least four violent encounters since 2019 that left two Black men dead. The former lawmakers conducted a home search without a warrant. Admitted to breaking in and torturing Jenkins and Parker in an hour-long attack that included repeated beatings with the use of a stun gun and assault with a sex toy, before shooting one of the victims in the mouth.According to federal prosecutors, the terror began with racist calls for extrajudicial violence on January 24, 2023.
A white man called Rankin County Deputy Brett McAlpin and complained that two black men were living with a white woman in a house in Braxton, Mississippi. McAlpin told Christian Dedmon, who forwarded the message to a group of white deputies. Sent that they were prepared to use excessive force, they called themselves. Goon Squad."Once inside, they handcuffed Jenkins and his friend Parker, poured milk liquor and chocolate syrup in their faces and mocked them with racial slurs. He forced them to strip naked and take a bath together to hide the dirt.They mocked the victims with racial comments and attacked them with sexual objects.
In a mock execution gone awry, Aylward shot Jenkins in the mouth, cutting his tongue and breaking his jaw. Authorities devised a coverup and agreed to plant the drugs on Jenkins and Parker. False allegations remained against those people for months.
Prosecutors said McAlpin and Middleton, the oldest in the group, threatened to kill other officers if they spoke up.According to his attorney Jeff Reynolds, Opdike was the first person to admit what he did. Opdyke showed the investigator a WhatsApp text thread where officers discussed their plan, Reynolds said. The only defendant who did not receive a federal prison sentence at the top of sentencing guidelines was Hartfield, who worked with others in the sheriff's department. and was not a member of the "Goon Squad".
In federal court, representatives expressed regret for their behavior and apologized to Jenkins and Parker. Several of his attorneys said their clients were caught up in a culture of corruption that was encouraged by leaders of the Sheriff's Office.Rankin County Sheriff Brian Bailey did not provide any details about his deputy's actions when he announced he was fired last June. After Bailey pleaded guilty in August, saying officers had gone rogue and promising change, Jenkins and Parker have called for his resignation and filed a US$400 million civil lawsuit against the department.
