Two former deputies of Rankin County were sentenced to three years of interferometry in Mississippi, and two more for their role in an assault on a white man
The two men who were tortured last year in Mississippi by two former law enforcement officers sat in the front row of a packed courtroom on Tuesday as the two men were sentenced for their crimes.
Black men were tortured by people who had sworn an oath to serve and protect them after a neighbor complained they were in a white woman’s home.
Elward was also sentenced for his role in an assault on a white man that took place weeks before Jenkins and Parker were tortured. For the first time Tuesday, prosecutors identified the victim as Alan Schmidt and read a statement from him detailing what happened to him on Dec. 4, 2022.
A federal judge called the actions of the former deputies “egregious and despicable” before sentencing them separately.
The terror began on Jan. 24, 2023, with a racist call for extrajudicial violence when a white person phoned Rankin County Deputy Brett McAlpin and complained that two Black men were staying with a white woman in Braxton. The deputy told McAlpin that the group of white deputies called themselves “The Goon squad” because they were willing to use excessive force.
The group of six broke into the home and attacked the two females with stun guns, a sex toy and other objects. Elward admitted to shooting a gun intoJenkins mouth during a “mock execution” that went awry.
Milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup were poured on the faces of the two men who were handcuffed inside. They humiliated them by forcing them to take a shower together and strip naked. They mocked the victims with racial slurs and shocked them with stun guns.
More than six months before the federal prosecutors announced charges in August, an AP investigation linked some of the deputies to at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019: two died and one left a long-term injury.
The shooting left Jenkins with a broken jaw and a lacerated tongue. “They did some unimaginable things to me,” he said in a statement. They attempted to take my manhood.
Both victims had called for the “stiffest of sentences.” Their attorney, Malik Shabazz, said they were too traumatized to speak in court, and he read statements on their behalf.
Joseph L. Elward: 2 Mississippi ‘Goon Squad’ deputies get yearslong sentences for torturing 2 black men
Elward’s attorney, Joe Hollomon, said his client first witnessed Rankin County deputies turn a blind eye to misconduct in 2017 and that he had been “initiated into a culture of corruption at the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office.”
Opdyke submitted a memorandum to the court saying that his “downfall” was the day Middleton, who was a lieutenant, took an interest in him and inserted him into the Goon Squad. The judge also said Elward, like Opdyke, traced his own involvement in the 2023 attack to Middleton and McAlpin and a “culture of violence” perpetuated by the Goon Squad.
Lee said it may be true that you had less hands on involvement with the torture of Mr.Parker and Mr.Jenkins. You’re probably as guilty as any of your co-defendants for the attacks on the victims.
Schmidt said he was accused of having stolen property during a traffic stop. They beat him after they pulled him from the car. Dedmon forced him to his knees, and tried to put his genitals in the other person’s mouth.
“I want to forgive them one day and forget the evil physical and sexual assault that I have had to endure,” the letter said. “I know that I’m not their only victim, and I pray for each victim that has crossed paths with the Goon Squad members.”
The Goon Spectator: Eddie Parker and the “Goon Squad” charged with the Rankin County shooting and murder of Lt. Middleton
One of the highest percentages of Black residents in any major U.S. city can be found in the majority-white county of Rankin County, just east of Jackson.
Court documents say the officers warned them not to stay in Rankin County, which has higher concentrations of Black residents.
In the months after the crimes were committed, it was not known if Sheriff Bryan Bailey would speak about it. Bailey said the officers had gone rogue and promised to change the department after they pleaded guilty. Jenkins and Parker have called for his resignation, and they have filed a $400 million civil lawsuit against the department.
During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, there was more about how the “Goon Squad” operated. Prosecutors said it was Lt. Middleton who devised the plan to coverup the raid and the accidental shooting, and that he told his fellow officers if anyone told what really happened, he had no problem having them killed.
“This is a warning to all the police officers in the United States of America” said attorney Shabazz, who represents the victims. “If you allow your subordinates to commit crimes and abuse people you will be held responsible just as the shooter and the abusers are.”
The victims had called for the stiffest of sentences, and were in court for the sentencing hearings. Eddie Parker said he still struggles with the lasting effects of that night. “I feel like justice was being served, and I’m really interested in putting this behind me,” he said.
He called Dedmon the worst. According to his statement from his lawyer, Dedmon was the most evil and aggressive person he had ever met. Dedmon was described as sexually abusing the men.
Elward and Opdyke, Loss’s Family, and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, Incidents, and a Memorino
Elward spoke to the victims directly during his hearing. He said he sees you every night. “I can’t go back and do what’s right. I am sorry for what I did.”
Lt. Middleton, who did not look at the victims, apologized for tarnishing the reputations of Rankin County, law enforcement, and his family. “I will never forgive myself for failing to protect innocent victims and my family.”
In court, Opdyke cried. He said that the weight of his actions and the harm he’d caused would haunt him every day. “I wish I could take away your suffering.”