A fourth former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for his role in the racist torture of two black men by a group of white officers who called themselves the “Goon Squad.”
Christian Dedmon, 29, pleaded guilty last year to breaking into a home without a warrant and torturing two black men with a stun gun, a sex toy and other objects in January 2023.
The former Rankin County sheriff took his eyes off the victims during his sentencing as he apologized Wednesday and said he would never forgive himself for the pain he caused.
U.S. District Judge Tom Lee said Dedmon carried out the most “shocking, brutal and vicious attacks imaginable” against victims Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker, as well as a white Alan Schmidt during a traffic stop weeks earlier.
Jenkins, who still has trouble speaking because of his injuries, said in a statement read by his lawyer that Dedmon’s actions were the most depraved actions of those who attacked him.
Former Mississippi Deputy Sheriff Daniel Opdyke, 28, has been sentenced to nearly 18 years in prison for his role in the racist torture of two black men by a group of white officers who called themselves the ‘Goon Squad’
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
Dedmon is one of six former law enforcement officers who have admitted to subjecting Jenkins and Parker to numerous racist tortures.
“Deputy Dedmon is the worst example of a police officer in the United States,” victim Jenkins said. “Deputy Dedmon was the most aggressive, sickest and most evil.”
Hours before Dedmon’s sentencing, former officer Daniel Opdyke, 28, cried profusely as he spoke in court before the judge announced his 17.5-year sentence.
Opdyke looked at the two victims and said his isolation behind bars has given him time to reflect on “how I turned into the monster I became that night.”
“The weight of my actions and the damage I have caused will haunt me every day,” Opdyke told them. “I wish I could take away your suffering.”
Parker rested his head in his hands, closed his eyes, stood and left the courtroom before Opdyke finished speaking.
Jenkins said he was “heartbroken” and “ashamed” by the cruel acts inflicted on him.
Former Rankin deputy Hunter Elward, 31, was sentenced Tuesday to 19 and a half years in prison while Jeffrey Middleton, 46, was ordered to serve 17 and a half years behind bars.
The judge said Opdyke may not have been fully aware of what being a member of the Goon Squad entailed when Lt. Jeffrey Middleton asked him to join, but he did know it involved excessive force.
“You were not a passive observer,” Lee said. “You took an active part in that brutal attack.”
Former deputy Brett McAlpin, 53, and former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield, 32, will be sentenced Thursday.
Elward, who admitted to putting a gun in Jenkins’ mouth and firing during a “mock execution,” addressed the victims during his sentencing.
At a news conference Monday, Jenkins and Parker said they continued to suffer as a result of what they endured
Eddie Terrell Parker listens as his legal team visits a federal judge during a news conference Monday
“I’m so sorry,” the disgraced former police officer said. “I don’t want to get too personal with you, Michael. There’s no telling what you saw. I’m so sorry I caused that. I hate myself for it. I hate that I gave that to you. I accept all responsibility.’
Jenkins nodded as Parker stood up and said, “We forgive you, man.”
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’, had previously said they wanted their tormentors to be punished to the fullest extent . the law.
The former officers admitted in August that they subjected Jenkins and Parker to numerous racially motivated and 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.
Elward was also accused of beating a mentally ill black man to death in a separate incident in 2021.
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.
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.”
Most of their attorneys did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Monday.
Former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy Hunter Elward was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Tom Lee, who handed down a 241-month prison sentence on Tuesday. He is pictured in court last year
Eddie Terrell Parker, left, accompanies Mary Jenkins, mother of Michael Corey Jenkins, to the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse in Jackson on Tuesday
Michael Corey Jenkins, second from left, and attorney Malik Shabazz, left, are joined by supporters as they enter the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse on Tuesday
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 began 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.”
