Mississippi: Former deputy receives 40-year prison sentence for torturing two Black men

A US district judge, on Wednesday (Mar 20) handed two former deputies in the state of Mississippi lengthy prison sentences after they pleaded guilty to torturing two Black men.

What happened in court?

Condemning their cruel attack, the US District Judge Tom Lee sentenced 29-year-old former Rankin County sheriff’s deputy Christian Dedmon to 40 years in prison saying that he committed the most “shocking, brutal and cruel acts imaginable,” against the two Black men, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker and a White man at a traffic stop weeks prior.

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Daniel Opdyke, 28, a former sheriff’s deputy, was also sentenced to 17.5 years in prison. The court heard details of the racially motivated beatings, torture, sexual assaults and even a mock execution.

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Jenkins said that Dedmon, who received the harshest sentence so far, was the “most wicked” than any of those who attacked him, in a statement read by his lawyer since he could not speak after being shot in the mouth during the January 2023 attack.

He also called the 29-year-old the “worst example of a police officer in the United States”.

Some members of Dedmon’s family, present in the courtroom, were seen crying and closing their eyes as the prosecutors recounted his conduct. The 29-year-old former deputy did not look at Jenkins and Parker when he apologised.

The sentencing on Wednesday afternoon focused on Dedmon and his sexual assault on one of the victims. Malik Shabazz, the attorney for Jenkins and Parker called the 29-year-old former deputy “sick” and prosecutors said that he had subjected the duo to the most egregious sexual acts.

Before Dedmon was sentenced, Opdyke profusely cried and said “The weight of my actions and the harm I’ve caused will haunt me every day.”

‘Goon squad’

On Tuesday (Mar 19), Lee sentenced two other deputies, 31-year-old Hunter Elward, who shot Jenkins during the mock execution, to 20 years in prison and Jeffrey Middleton, 46, to 17.5 years.

The 53-year-old Brett McAlpin and a former Richland police officer, Joshua Hartfield, 32, will be sentenced on Thursday (Mar 22). All six members pleaded guilty back in August.

Trigger warning: Some readers may find the story disturbing. Discretion is advised.

January 2023 attack

The former officers admitted that they broke into the house without a warrant and tortured Jenkins and Parker. On January 24, 2023, McAlpin received a call from a person in Rankin County that two Black men were staying with a white woman at a house in Braxton.

The six officers subjected the duo to unspeakable acts. Jenkins and Parker were handcuffed as officers poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces.

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The officers also forced them to strip naked and shower together; mocked them with racial slurs and shocked them with their stun guns. Dedmon and Opdyke assaulted them with a sex toy.

Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth which lacerated his tongue and broke his jaw, during the ordeal which went on for one and a half hour.

The officers planted drugs and a gun as a cover-up and filed false charges against Jenkins and Parker which stuck around for months.

(With inputs from agencies)