6 Mississippi ‘Goon Squad’ members sentenced on state charges for torture of 2 Black men

A judge sentenced six former Mississippi law enforcement officers on state charges Wednesday after they admitted to breaking into a home in Rankin County last year and torturing two Black men.

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The officers — former Rankin County Sheriff’s Office officials Brett McAlpin, 53; Daniel Ready Opdyke, 28; Christian Lee Dedmon, 29; Hunter Thomas Elward, 31; Jeffrey Arwood Middleton, 46; and former Richland police Offer Joshua Hartfield, 32 — were part of a group that went by the name the “Goon Squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force and not report it, authorities said.

The officers pleaded guilty to state charges including aggravated assault, home invasion and hindering the prosecution in August 2023, WLBT reported. They admitted to attacking Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Parker at a home in Braxton after a white neighbor complained about Black men staying in the home in January 2023, court records show.

All six men are already serving time after pleading guilty to federal charges.

On Wednesday, a judge sentenced McAlpin, Middleton and Opdyke to a total of 20 years for hindering the prosecution and conspiracy to commit hindering the prosecution, while Hartfield was sentenced to a total of 15 years for the same charges, WAPT reported. Dedmon was sentenced to a total of 25 years for burglary and conspiracy to commit hindering the prosecution, according to the news station. Elward was sentenced to a total of 45 years for aggravated assault, burglary and conspiracy to commit hindering the prosecution.

The sentences will run concurrently with those handed down earlier by a federal judge, WJTV reported.

Authorities said that on the night of Jan. 24, 2023, the officers burst into the home in Braxton without a warrant and tortured Jenkins and Parker with stun guns, a sex toy and other objects. They used racial slurs and kept the pair handcuffed for most of the attack, court records show.

Attorney Malik Shabazz read statements from Jenkins and Parker before Wednesday’s sentences were handed down, CNN reported. Jenkins called the day of the attack the worst day of his life. He recalled being shot in the mouth by Elward during what authorities described as a botched mock execution.

“After Hunter Elward shot me, they left me to die, bleeding on the floor,” he said. “Your honor, they killed me. I just didn’t die.”

He added that the officers “tried to take my manhood from me. They did some unimaginable things to me and the effects of which will last in my life forever. All the things I used to do in my life have been affected. I am a musician and a signer, and now because of the gunshot wound that shattered my jaw, I can no longer do what I love, and that’s sing.”

In court records, authorities said that as Jenkins was bleeding on the ground, officers huddled to figure out a cover story. They later planted evidence that would lead to false charges standing for months against their victims.

In his statement, Parker highlighted that the officers were “sworn to protect and serve,” adding that he never expected they “would be the ones that (I) needed protection from.”

“The humiliation and embarrassment from the sexual assault is too great for me to talk about. Therefore, I am in therapy now and for the future,” he said.

He called for the officers to be sentenced to the maximum, saying, “My life was not perfect, but it was mine. I doubt I will ever be able to experience it again. I wish I didn’t have to experience the memory of this torture session, but I can’t do that either. I can’t erase my memories but I will struggle to live on. They should be given what they gave me and Michael Jenkins, which is no mercy.”

In March, the former officers were sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to charges.

Dedmon, who was a narcotics investigator for RCSO, was sentenced to 40 years. McAlpin, who served as RCSO’s chief investigator, was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison. Elward, who was a patrol deputy for RCSO, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Middleton, who was the leader of the Goon Squad and served as an RCSO lieutenant, was sentenced to 17.5 years, as was Opdyke, who was a patrol deputy with RCSO. Hartfield was sentenced to about 10 years in prison.

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