Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers, who pleaded guilty to a multitude of state and federal charges for the brutal mistreatment of two Black men, were sentenced in state court on Wednesday. These individuals are already serving their federal prison sentences.
In January 2023, Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker were attacked by six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers. These officers have already been sentenced to federal prison terms ranging from approximately 10 to 40 years. U.S. District Judge Tom Lee, in March, described their actions as “egregious and despicable” and imposed sentences near the top of the federal guidelines for five of the six men.
In a decision made on Wednesday, Rankin County Circuit Judge Steve Ratcliff handed down state sentences to the men. These sentences were shorter than the federal prison terms they had already served. The time served for the state convictions will run concurrently with the federal sentences, meaning that the men will serve their time in federal penitentiaries.
The officers’ actions in this case sparked anger among prominent law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland. He condemned the officers for their “heinous attack on citizens they had sworn an oath to protect.” The disturbing details of the incident reminded local residents of Mississippi’s dark history of racist atrocities perpetrated by those in positions of power.
Brett McAlpin, the fourth highest-ranking officer in the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, was the first defendant sentenced on Wednesday. Previously, a federal judge had sentenced McAlpin to approximately 27 years of federal imprisonment. In state court, he received a 15-year sentence for one charge and a five-year sentence for another charge.
According to Malik Shabazz, the attorney representing Jenkins and Parker, the state sentencing hearing will serve as a significant test for Ratliff and the state prosecutors.
According to Shabazz, the significance of state criminal sentencing lies in the fact that historically, Mississippi has disregarded or fallen behind in addressing racial crimes and police brutality against Black individuals. As a result, the Department of Justice has had to take the lead in addressing these issues.
The individuals accused in the case consist of five former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies — McAlpin, 53, Hunter Elward, 31, Christian Dedmon, 29, Jeffrey Middleton, 46, and Daniel Opdyke, 28 — as well as an off-duty former police officer from the city of Richland, Joshua Hartfield, 32, who participated in the assault.
All six of the former officers have pleaded guilty to state charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution. Dedmon and Elward, who kicked in a door, have also confessed to home invasion.
In March, an Associated Press investigation revealed a connection between some of the officers and at least four violent encounters since 2019, resulting in the deaths of two Black men. The charges have been brought in response to these findings.
The nightmare commenced on January 24, 2023, as federal prosecutors revealed a chilling account of a call inciting racial violence.
A concerned individual of Caucasian descent contacted Deputy Brett McAlpin of Rankin County to report that two African American men were residing with a white woman at a residence in Braxton, Mississippi. Deputy McAlpin then informed Christian Dedmon, who promptly sent a text message to a group of fellow Caucasian deputies known as “The Goon Squad,” notorious for their inclination to resort to excessive force.
Hartfield, unlike the others, did not work in a sheriff’s department or belong to the “Goon Squad.” As a result, he was the only defendant who didn’t receive a federal prison term at the highest point of the sentencing guidelines.
In federal court, the deputies expressed regret for their actions and offered apologies to Jenkins and Parker. According to their attorneys, these individuals were influenced by a corrupt culture within the sheriff’s office, which was promoted by the leaders themselves.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey did not disclose any specifics regarding the actions of his deputies when he made the announcement of their termination in June. Following their guilty pleas in August, Bailey acknowledged that the officers had acted independently and assured the public that measures would be implemented to prevent such incidents in the future. In response to these events, Jenkins and Parker have demanded Sheriff Bailey’s resignation and initiated a civil lawsuit against the department, seeking $400 million in damages.
