JACKSON, Miss. — Two former Mississippi deputies were sentenced to years in prison on Wednesday by a federal judge, who condemned their actions as cruel for breaking into a home with four other white officers and torturing two Black men.
U.S. District Judge Tom Lee handed down a 40-year prison sentence to Christian Dedmon, 29, and a 17½-year sentence to Daniel Opdyke, 28. Lee described Dedmon’s attacks against the two Black men, Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker, as shocking, brutal, and cruel.
During the sentencing, Dedmon apologized and expressed remorse for the pain he had caused, although he did not look at Jenkins and Parker. Jenkins, who still struggles to speak following the attack, described Dedmon’s actions as the most heinous of those who attacked him, as read by his lawyer.
In addition to Dedmon and Opdyke, Lee also sentenced 31-year-old Hunter Elward to nearly 20 years in prison and Jeffrey Middleton, 46, to 17½ years. The judge condemned their actions as egregious and despicable during the attack, which took place when they were employed as deputies for Rankin County Sheriff’s Office.
Another former deputy, Brett McAlpin, 53, and former Richland Police Officer Joshua Hartfield, 32, are awaiting sentencing on Thursday.
The six individuals had pleaded guilty to state charges the year before, admitting to breaking into a home without a warrant and torturing Jenkins and Parker based on a complaint from a neighbor about their presence at the residence with a white woman.
Prior to Dedmon’s sentencing, Opdyke tearfully acknowledged the harm he caused during the attack and expressed remorse for his actions. Jenkins described feeling broken and ashamed by the cruel acts inflicted upon him.
The former officers, who referred to themselves as the “Goon Squad,” faced consequences for their actions after months of attempting to conceal the truth. The incidents involving violent encounters with Black men were linked to the deputies by an investigation carried out by the Associated Press months before federal charges were announced in August.
The terror began with a racially motivated call for violence, leading to a series of tormenting acts culminating in the injury of Jenkins. The officers subjected the victims to degrading treatment, racial slurs, and physical assaults, planting false evidence to cover up their actions.
The incident drew national attention for its brutality and racial undertones, prompting calls for accountability and reform within the law enforcement agency. As the victims seek justice through civil lawsuits and public scrutiny intensifies, the community awaits further developments in the pursuit of justice for the victims and accountability for the perpetrators.