New Sentence for 'Goon Squad' in Torture of 2 Black Men

Already sentenced to federal prison, six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for torturing two Black men were sentenced Wednesday in state court, reports the AP. The six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers who attacked Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January 2023 had already been sentenced to federal prison terms ranging from about 10 to 40 years. Rankin County Circuit Judge Steve Ratcliff on Wednesday gave the men yearslong state sentences that were shorter than the amount of time in federal prison that they had already received. Time served for the state convictions will run concurrently as the federal sentences, and the men will serve their time in federal penitentiaries.

• The first defendant in what was known as the "Goon Squad" to be sentenced Wednesday was Brett McAlpin, 53, the fourth highest-ranking officer in the Rankin County Sheriff's Office. McAlpin had previously been sentenced to about 27 years of federal imprisonment. He was sentenced in state court Wednesday to 15 years on one charge and five years on another. Jeffrey Middleton, 46; and Daniel Opdyke, 28, also received 20-year sentences, per NBC News.
• Hunter Elward, 31, was sentenced to 45 years, per NBC, and Christian Dedmon, 29, was sentenced to 25 years. All of the above were former Rankin County Sheriff's officers. Former Richland city police officer Joshua Hartfield, 32, was sentenced to 15 years. All were ordered to pay $6,431 within two years of their release and surrender law enforcement credentials.
• All six of the former officers pleaded guilty to state charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution. Dedmon and Elward, who kicked in a door, also admitted to home invasion.

(More Mississippi stories.)