A former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Tuesday to nearly 20 years in prison for torturing two black men last year.
Hunter Elward was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Tom Lee, who found him guilty of numerous acts of racist torture against Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker. Five other former law enforcement officers are also scheduled to be sentenced.
In January 2023, the gang broke into a Rankin County home without a warrant and assaulted Jenkins and Parker with stun guns and sex toys. Elward admitted that he put the gun in Jenkins’ mouth and fired in a “mock execution” but was unsuccessful.
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The attack began on January 24, 2023 with racist calls for extrajudicial violence.
A white man called Rankin County Deputy Brett McAlpin and complained that two black men were staying with a white woman at a home in Braxton, Mississippi. McAlpin told Rep. Christian Dedmon, who sent a text message to a group of white lawmakers calling themselves the “Rogue Squad” who were willing to use excessive force.
Once inside, they handcuffed Jenkins and his friend Parker and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup on their faces. They forced them to get naked and take a shower together to hide the mess. They taunted the victims with racial slurs and shocked them with stun guns.
Michael Corey Jenkins (right) and Eddie Terrell Parker (left) stand with local attorney Trent Walker (center) during a press conference on March 18, 2024 in Jackson, Mississippi. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
After a mock execution failed when Mr. Jenkins was shot in the mouth, they devised a cover-up that included planting drugs and guns. Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Parker were falsely accused for months.
Ahead of their sentencing, Jenkins and Parker called for “the harshest sentence” at a press conference Monday.
“It’s been very difficult for me and for us,” Jenkins said. “We hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
Mr Jenkins suffered a lacerated tongue and a fractured jaw. He still has difficulty speaking and eating.
Malik Shabazz, an attorney representing both men, said the outcome of the sentencing hearing could have national implications.
“Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker have continued to suffer both mentally and physically since this horrific and bloody attack by Rankin County deputies,” Shabazz said. “We must send a message to law enforcement in Mississippi and across the country: That level of criminality will result in the harshest consequences.”
Months before federal prosecutors announced the charges in August 2023, an Associated Press investigation found that some deputies had been involved in at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019, resulting in two deaths. It was discovered that one person was seriously injured.
The indicted officers include McAlpin, Dedmon, Elward, Jeffrey Middleton, and Daniel Opdyke of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, and Joshua Hartfield of the Richland Police Department. They pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to violate rights, obstruction of justice, deprivation of rights under color of law, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and conspiracy to obstruct justice. In court documents, Hunter Elward was identified as one of the Goon Squad members. Others identified as part of the team were Middleton and Opdyke.
Most of the attorneys did not respond to emails seeking comment Monday. Opdyke’s attorney, Jason Kirshberg, said: “Daniel has accepted responsibility for his actions and omissions. I feel remorseful.”
On the federal charges, Dedmon and Elward each faced up to 120 years plus life in prison and a $2.75 million fine. Hartfield faces 80 years in prison and $1.5 million, McAlpin faces 90 years in prison and $1.75 million, Middleton faces 80 years in prison and $1.5 million, and Opdyke faces 100 years in prison and a $2 million fine. .
The former officers agreed to a five- to 30-year sentence recommended by prosecutors in state court, but the time served for their individual convictions at the state level will run concurrently with potentially longer federal sentences. It will be executed.
Rankin County, a predominantly white county located just east of the state capital, Jackson, has one of the highest percentages of black residents of any major city in the United States.
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According to court documents, the officers warned Jenkins and Parker to “leave Rankin County and return to Jackson or ‘their side’ of the Pearl River,” referring to areas with large concentrations of black residents. There is.
Among the horrific crimes committed by men tasked with law enforcement, federal prosecutors have identified cases in Mississippi, including the 1964 killings of three civil rights activists after a deputy handed them over to the Ku Klux Klan. confirmed the reflection of its dark history.
Rankin County Sheriff Brian Bailey said little about the case for several months. After the officers pleaded guilty in August, Bailey said they committed misconduct and promised to change the department. Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Parker demanded his resignation and filed a $400 million civil lawsuit against the department.
