Former Mississippi Police Officer Sentenced to 17.5 Years for Torturing Black Men
WASHINGTON — In a case that has shocked the nation, a third former Mississippi police officer, Daniel Opdyke, has been sentenced to 17.5 years in prison for the brutal torture of two black men in their own home.
Daniel Opdyke, 28, is among six officers who have faced prosecution for the horrific assault that took place in January 2023.
The victims, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, were subjected to beatings, stun gun shocks, and sexual assault at the hands of the officers.
Christian Dedmond, another officer involved in the assault, is expected to receive his sentencing later today.
All six officers, who referred to themselves as the Goon Squad, are being sentenced this week for their roles in the heinous attack. Five of them are former Rankin County sheriff deputies, while the sixth, Joshua Hartfield, was from the Richland police department.
During his sentencing, Opdyke tearfully addressed the victims, expressing remorse for the “monster” he had become that night, acknowledging that the weight of his actions will haunt him every day.
US District Judge Tom Lee, while delivering the sentence, pointed out that Opdyke may not have fully understood the implications of joining the Goon Squad, but he was aware that it involved using excessive force.
On the previous day, former officers Hunter Elward and Jeffrey Middleton were sentenced. Elward, who shot one of the victims in the mouth during a mock execution gone wrong, received a 20-year sentence, while Middleton, the leader of the group, was given just over 17 years.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned the officers’ crimes as “heinous” in a statement following their sentencing.
The former officers had pleaded guilty to federal civil rights offenses in August, including charges of conspiracy against rights, obstruction of justice, and deprivation of rights under color of law.
The officers, all of whom are white, had entered the home of Jenkins and Parker without a warrant in response to a call about suspicious activity in the Rankin County town of Braxton.
The victims were handcuffed and subjected to hours of torture, enduring beatings, shocks, and racial slurs. Jenkins was shot in the mouth by Elward, sustaining serious injuries.
Three of the officers, including Dedmond, also pleaded guilty to a separate assault on a 28-year-old white victim.
Investigations by various news outlets revealed that the 2023 incident was part of a larger pattern of violent police misconduct spanning decades.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, under whom the officers served, is facing a lawsuit of $400 million for allegedly failing to provide proper training to the officers. — BBC
