The two black men who were tortured, with one of them shot in the mouth during a mock execution by a group of officers known as ‘The Goon Squad’, want their tormentors punished to the full extent of the law.
The former officers admitted in August to subjecting Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker to numerous racially motivated, violent tortures.
Following a neighbor’s complaint in January 2023 that Jenkins and Parker were staying at a house with a white woman, the group of six burst in without a warrant and attacked Jenkins and Parker with narcotic weapons, a sex toy and other items.
After a mock execution went wrong when Jenkins was shot in the mouth, they came up with a cover-up that included planting drugs and a gun.
The indicted officers include former Rankin deputies Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke, and Joshua Hartfield, a former Richland police officer.
Elward was also accused of beating a mentally ill black man to death in a separate incident in 2021.
Michael Corey Jenkins, left, and Eddie Terrell Parker, right, stand next to lead attorney Malik Shabazz as they call on a federal judge Monday, March 18, 2024, to impose the harshest possible sentences
The officers charged in connection with the assault of Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker were (Top L-R) Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton and Christian Dedmon. (Below L-R) Hunter Elward, Daniel Opdyke, Joshua Hartfield
They pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy against rights, obstruction of justice, deprivation of rights under law, discharge of a firearm in connection with a violent crime and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department subsequently supported the deputies’ false allegations, which stymied Jenkins and Parker for months.
U.S. District Judge Tom Lee will sentence two defendants each day, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, after twice adjourning proceedings.
A lawyer for Jenkins and Parker demanded the “severest punishment” on Monday.
“Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker continue to suffer emotionally and physically since this horrific and bloody attack by Rankin County officers,” Malik Shabazz said in a statement.
“A message must be sent to law enforcement in Mississippi and across America,” he said, that such criminal behavior “will have the gravest consequences.”
At a news conference Monday, Jenkins and Parker said they continued to suffer as a result of what they endured.
“It’s been really hard for me and for us,” Jenkins said. “We hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
At a news conference Monday, Jenkins and Parker said they continued to suffer as a result of what they endured
“It’s been really hard for me and for us,” Jenkins said. ‘We hope for the best and prepare for the worst’
Most of their attorneys did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Monday. Jason Kirschberg, representing Opdyke, said: “Daniel has accepted responsibility for his actions and his failure to act. … He has admitted he was wrong and feels deep remorse for the pain he caused the victims.”
Under the federal charges, Dedmon and Elward each face a maximum sentence of 120 years plus life in prison and $2.75 million in fines.
Hartfield faces a possible sentence of 80 years and $1.5 million, McAlpin faces 90 years and $1.75 million, Middleton faces 80 years and $1.5 million, and Opdyke could be sentenced to 100 years with a $2 million fine.
The former officers agreed to prosecutor-recommended sentences ranging from five to 30 years in state court, but time served for separate state convictions will run concurrently with the potentially longer federal sentences.
Shabazz said the false charges against the victims were not dropped until June. At that point, federal and state investigators began approaching the deputies, and one of them started talking.
They were fired shortly afterward, and prosecutors announced the federal charges in August.
Prosecutors say some officers nicknamed themselves the “Goon Squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force and cover up attacks.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey called his deputies’ crimes the worst case of police brutality he had ever seen.
For months, Bailey said little about the episode. After the officers pleaded guilty in August, Bailey said the officers had been rogue and vowed to change the department.
Jenkins and Parker have demanded his resignation and filed a $400 million civil lawsuit against the department.
“I live this every day,” Parker said. ‘Every time I turn on the TV. Every time I get on the phone, every time I’m on social media, people are telling my story.”