Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers pled guilty to all state charges brought against them in connection with the torture and mistreatment of two Black males, one of whom was shot in the mouth during a raid.
According to a news release from the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, former deputies Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, and Daniel Opdyke, as well as ex-police officer Joshua Hartfield, have all been charged with conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice.
Their pleas came after five former Rankin County Sheriff’s Office deputies and one Richland Police Department officer pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with the January incident this year, which the victims claim was motivated by their s**ual orientation.
Prosecutors claim that some of the officers dubbed themselves the “Goon Squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force and cover up attacks, such as the one in which a deputy shot one victim in the mouth.
Officers raided a house without a warrant in January and handcuffed and abused two men using stun guns, a sex toy, and other devices. During a 90-minute torture session, the officers insulted them with racial slurs, then created a cover-up that involved planting drugs and a pistol, resulting in false charges that hung over the victims for months.
Their plot disintegrated when one police confessed to the sheriff that he had lied, leading to confessions from the others. According to their counsel, the allegations against the victims were not withdrawn until June, after federal and state investigators became involved.
According to court filings, the former police pled guilty in state court in Brandon, Miss., to felonies such as home invasion, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to impede a prosecution. Hunter Elward, one of the former officers, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for shooting one of the Black men.
State prosecutors recommended a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison for Mr. Elward, and minimum sentences ranging from five to 10 years for the other defendants.
Prosecutors stated that the police might serve their state sentences alongside their federal penalties, which are expected to be harsher. The former policemen face various terms for federal civil rights offenses, but some could face life in prison when sentenced in November, according to prosecutors.
Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker, two Black men, filed a federal lawsuit against the six cops in June, accusing them of torturing and assaulting them for about two hours during a home search in January.
According to federal prosecutors, Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Parker were living at a ranch-style property near Braxton, Miss., owned by a longtime friend of Mr. Parker’s. A neighbor informed Brett McAlpin, a Rankin County sheriff’s deputy, on Jan. 24 that “several” Black men were staying on the property and acting suspiciously.
Mr. McAlpin, 52, raided the home that night without a warrant, along with five other law enforcement officers: Mr. Elward, 31; Christian Dedmon, 28; Jeffrey Middleton, 46; and Daniel Opdyke, 27, all of whom were Rankin County sheriff’s deputies at the time; and Joshua Hartfield, 31, a Richland, Miss., police officer. Richland is a city in Mississippi’s state capital of Jackson.
Three of the former officers, Mr. Middleton, Mr. Elward, and Mr. Opdyke — called themselves members of “the goon squad,” according to a federal complaint, because of their “willingness to use excessive force and not to report it.”
According to a federal complaint, the cops barged into the house and handcuffed Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Parker. According to the complaint, they shocked them with stun guns, used racist slurs, beat them with kitchen implements and a metal sword, and spilled milk, vodka, and chocolate syrup on their faces.