Two Officers Sent to Prison for Torturing Two Black Men

(NewsWorthy.news) – Two members of a group that pleaded guilty to torturing two black men have been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison.

Hunter Elward and Jeffrey Middleton, both previously employed as deputies for the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department in Mississippi, were sentenced by federal Judge Tom Lee on Tuesday March 19. Elward was dealt a sentence of roughly 20 years while Middleton, the ringleader of the group that tortured the men, will be in jail for 17 and a half years.

Four of their colleagues are expected to receive sentences in the coming days, ordered by the same federal judge. The punishment comes after all six former law enforcement officers pleaded guilty to charges from the state that they tortured two black men on the basis of race in January 2023. The guilty plea was submitted in August 2023.

Prior to his sentencing, Judge Lee described Elward’s actions as “egregious and despicable,” emphasizing that the 20-year sentence is “more than justified.” The former deputy had previously confessed to allegations that he put a gun into the mouth of one of the victims, who wound up shot through a so-called “mock execution” gone wrong.

The crimes in question started on January 24, 2023, when someone called Deputy Brett McAlpin—one of the six former officers—to report two black men staying in a house with a White woman. McAlpin relayed the message to fellow defendant Christian Dedmon, who rounded up a group that called themselves “The Goon Squad” due to their willingness to use excessive force.

The group of officers handcuffed the two black men, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker—who later filed a lawsuit over the abuse—and proceeded to mock them and use stun guns on the victims. For months afterwards, the victims faced false charges due to drugs planted by the cops. They were dropped when one officer confessed to lying, leading his colleagues to follow suit.

Dedmon was sentenced to 40 years in prison and McAlpin to 27 years. Daniel Opdyke and Joshua Hartfield were sentenced to 10 and 17 years, respectively. The charges against the officers include conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under color of law, and obstruction of justice.