Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers were sentenced to decades in prison Wednesday in state court, after pleading guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for torturing and abusing two Black men. Rankin County Circuit Judge Steve Ratcliff gave the men state sentences that were shorter than the amount of time in federal prison that they had already received.
Brett McAlpin, a 53-year-old former high-ranking deputy, received a state sentence of 20 years. Joshua Hartfield, a 32-year-old former police officer, received 15 years. Christian Deldmon was sentenced to 25 years, Hunter Elward was sentenced to 45 years, and Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke were sentenced to 20 years each.
The state handed down sentences on Wednesday that were set to run concurrently with the federal sentences each of the six men received in March. McAlpin, Hartfield, Dedmon, Elward were given 27 years, 10 years, 40 years, and 20 years of federal imprisonment, respectively. U.S. District Judge Tom Lee sentenced Dedmon for his involvement in the group attack on Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January 2023, along with another incident in December of the previous year. Middleton and Opdyke received 17 1/2 years of federal imprisonment each.
In March, U.S. District Judge Tom Lee denounced their actions as "egregious and despicable," imposing sentences close to the top of the federal guidelines on five of the six men. The assault in 2023 included beatings, multiple uses of stun guns, and an attack with a sex toy, culminating in one victim being shot in the mouth in a simulated execution.
The case sparked outrage from high-ranking law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, who condemned the officers' "heinous attack on citizens they had sworn an oath to protect." The brutal nature of the incident reminded local residents of Mississippi's history of racist acts by those in power.
The first individual sentenced on Wednesday was Brett McAlpin, the fourth highest-ranking officer in the Rankin County Sheriff's Office. Following a federal sentence of approximately 27 years, McAlpin was given 15 years for one charge and five years for another in state court on the same day.
Prior to the sentencing, Malik Shabazz, an attorney representing Jenkins and Parker, stated that the state sentencing would serve as a "test" for Ratliff and state prosecutors.
"The 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 Department of Justice has had to lead the way," Shabazz said.
The defendants include five former Rankin County sheriff's deputies — Brett McAlpin, 53, Hunter Elward, 31, Christian Dedmon, 29, Jeffrey Middleton, 46, and Daniel Opdyke, 28 — and a former police officer from the city of Richland, Joshua Hartfield, 32, who was off duty during the assault.
All six of the former officers pleaded guilty to state charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution. Dedmon and Elward, who kicked in a door, also admitted to home invasion.
The charges followed an Associated Press investigation in March that linked some of the officers to at least four violent encounters since 2019 that left two Black men dead.
The former lawmen admitted to breaking into a home without a warrant and torturing Jenkins and Parker in an hourslong attack that included beatings, repeated uses of stun guns and assaults with a sex toy before one of the victims was shot in the mouth.
The terror began on Jan. 24, 2023, with a racist call for extrajudicial violence, according to federal prosecutors.
Following a complaint from a white individual, Rankin County Deputy Brett McAlpin was informed about two Black men staying with a white woman in Braxton, Mississippi. McAlpin then informed Christian Dedmon, who proceeded to text a group of white deputies known as "The Goon Squad."
Upon entering the house, the deputies handcuffed Jenkins and his friend Parker, and proceeded to pour milk, alcohol, and chocolate syrup over their faces while hurling racial slurs at them. They then forced the men to strip naked and shower together in an attempt to conceal the evidence. Racial slurs continued as they were assaulted with sex objects.
In a botched mock execution, Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth, causing severe injuries. To cover up their actions, the officers decided to plant drugs on Jenkins and Parker, leading to false charges against them for several months.
McAlpin and Middleton, the senior members of the group, reportedly threatened to harm other officers who spoke out about the incident. Opdyke was the first to confess, revealing a WhatsApp text conversation where the officers planned their actions, according to his attorney, Jeff Reynolds.
Among the defendants, Hartfield was the only one who did not receive a federal prison sentence at the top of the sentencing guidelines. Hartfield was not part of the sheriff's department where the others worked and was not associated with the "Goon Squad."
During the federal court proceedings, the deputies expressed regret for their actions and issued apologies to Jenkins and Parker. A number of their lawyers mentioned that their clients had been caught up in a culture of corruption that was fostered by higher-ups in the sheriff's office.
Sheriff Bryan Bailey of Rankin County did not disclose any specifics regarding the deputies' misconduct when he announced their termination last June. Following their guilty pleas in August, Bailey characterized the officers as acting independently and pledged to implement reforms. Jenkins and Parker have demanded Bailey's resignation and initiated a $400 million civil lawsuit against the department.
