CBS News
Former Mississippi “Goon Squad” officers who tortured 2 Black men sentenced to decades in prison in state court
Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers were sentenced to decades in prison Wednesday in state court, after pleading guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for torturing and abusing two Black men. Rankin County Circuit Judge Steve Ratcliff gave the men state sentences that were shorter than the amount of time in federal prison that they had already received.
Brett McAlpin, a 53-year-old former high-ranking deputy, received a state sentence of 20 years. Joshua Hartfield, a 32-year-old former police officer, received 15 years. Christian Deldmon was sentenced to 25 years, Hunter Elward was sentenced to 45 years, and Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke were sentenced to 20 years each.
The state sentences that came down on Wednesday were ordered to run concurrently, or at the same time, with their individual federal sentences, which each of the six men received at another hearing in March. McAlpin, Hartfield, Dedmon, Elward received about 27 years, 10 years, 40 years and 20 years imprisonment, respectively, for their federal convictions. In that federal hearing, U.S. District Judge Tom Lee sentenced Dedmon for his role in the group attack on Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January 2023, as well as another incident the December prior. Middleton and Opdyke both received 17 1/2 years imprisonment in federal court.
In March, U.S. District Judge Tom Lee called their actions “egregious and despicable” as he gave sentences near the top of the federal guidelines to five of the six men. The attack in 2023 involved beatings, repeated use of stun guns and assault with the sex toy, before one of the victims was shot in the mouth in a mock execution.
Rogelio V. Solis / AP
The case drew outrage from top law enforcement officials in the country, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, who said the officers committed a “heinous attack on citizens they had sworn an oath to protect.” In the episode’s grisly details, local residents saw echoes of Mississippi’s history of racist atrocities by people in authority.
The first defendant to be sentenced Wednesday was Brett McAlpin, the fourth highest-ranking officer in the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office. Weeks after he was sentenced by a federal judge to about 27 years of federal imprisonment, Brett McAlpin was sentenced in state court Wednesday to 15 years on one charge and five years on another.
Prior to the sentencing hearing, Malik Shabazz, an attorney representing Jenkins and Parker, said the state sentencing hearing would be a “test” for Ratliff and state prosecutors.
“The state criminal sentencing is important because historically, the state of Mississippi has lagged behind or ignored racial crimes and police brutality against Blacks, and the Department of Justice has had to lead the way,” Shabazz said.
The defendants include five former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies — Brett McAlpin, 53, Hunter Elward, 31, Christian Dedmon, 29, Jeffrey Middleton, 46, and Daniel Opdyke, 28 — and a former police officer from the city of Richland, Joshua Hartfield, 32, who was off duty during the assault.
Rogelio V. Solis / AP
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.
The charges followed an Associated Press investigation in March that linked some of the officers to at least four violent encounters since 2019 that left two Black men dead.
The former lawmen admitted to breaking into a home without a warrant and torturing Jenkins and Parker in an hourslong attack that included beatings, repeated uses of stun guns and assaults with a sex toy before one of the victims was shot in the mouth.
The terror began on Jan. 24, 2023, with a racist call for extrajudicial violence, according to federal prosecutors.
A white person phoned Rankin County Deputy Brett McAlpin and complained that two Black men were staying with a white woman at a house in Braxton, Mississippi. McAlpin told Christian Dedmon, who texted a group of white deputies so willing to use excessive force they called themselves “The Goon Squad.”
Once inside, they handcuffed Jenkins and his friend Parker and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces while mocking them with racial slurs. They forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess. They mocked the victims with racial slurs and assaulted them with sex objects.
In a mock execution gone awry, Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth, lacerating his tongue and breaking his jaw. The officers devised a coverup and agreed to plant drugs on Jenkins and Parker. False charges stood against the men for months.
McAlpin and Middleton, the oldest in the group, threatened to kill other officers if they spoke up, prosecutors said. Opdyke was the first to admit what they did, according to Jeff Reynolds, his attorney. Opdyke showed investigators a WhatsApp text thread where the officers discussed their plan, Reynolds said.
The only defendant who didn’t receive a federal prison term at the top of the sentencing guidelines was Hartfield, who did not work in a sheriff’s department with the others and was not a member of the “Goon Squad.”
In federal court, the deputies expressed remorse for their behavior and apologized to Jenkins and Parker. Several of their attorneys said their clients became ensnared in a culture of corruption that was encouraged by leaders in the sheriff’s office.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey revealed no details about his deputies’ actions when he announced they had been fired last June. After they pleaded guilty in August, Bailey said the officers had gone rogue and promised changes. Jenkins and Parker have called for his resignation and filed a $400 million civil lawsuit against the department.
Getty Images
With the fall semester coming to an end and the spring semester fast approaching, undergraduate, graduate and professional students who must borrow to pay tuition or living expenses should start exploring student loan options sooner rather than later. Borrowers can take out federal loans, including direct subsidized or unsubsidized loans, Grad PLUS loans or Parent PLUS oans. However, these federal loans have annual and lifetime limits and come with a fixed interest rate set by law.
Private student loans are another option, though, and they come with some big benefits. With interest rates dropping and the likelihood of federal loan forgiveness diminishing as the Trump Administration takes office, private student loans may, in fact, be the best option for some borrowers. Rates and terms for private lenders can vary from one lender to another, though, unlike with federal loans.
As a result, it’s important to understand how to get a low rate on these loans for the spring 2025 semester.
Find out how affordable a private student loan could be now.
How to get a low student loan rate for the spring 2025 semester
Here’s what experts say you can do to keep your borrowing costs affordable as you move into the spring semester.
Shop around among private student loan lenders
Many banks, credit unions and online lenders offer private student loans — and it’s important to explore all of your options if you want your loans to be as affordable as possible.
“Always shop around to see what the best possible rates are available to you,” says Domenick D’Andrea, co-founder at DanDarah Wealth Management.
Jack Wang, a wealth advisor and college financial aid advisor at Innovative Advisory Group agreed, noting that “rates on private student loans can vary significantly.”
Most private student loan lenders allow you to get rates quotes online, often without a hard credit inquiry, so your credit score won’t be impacted. However, as you’re shopping around, you must be sure you’re comparing similar loan offers.
“Loan terms impact the rate,” says Wang. “For example, borrowers can choose a fixed or variable rate, whether payments are required during school, and the loan repayment time.”
By focusing on all of these details, you can compare multiple loan offerings and understand monthly payments, total borrowing costs and how long it will take to be debt-free after graduation.
Start comparing your top private student loan options online now.
Improve your credit
It’s also a good idea to get your finances in order if you want to get the best student loan rates.
“Generally, the lowest interest rates are for those with the best credit and debt-to-income ratio, who also pick full payments while in school and who pick the shortest repayment term,” Wang says. “After all, these terms reduce the risk for the lender.”
D’Andrea suggests that you take steps like paying down existing debt to reduce your debt-to-income ratio and limiting the number of new credit cards and loans you apply for, as applying for too much new debt can hurt your credit score. It’s also important to make all loan payments on time to avoid lowering your credit score, D’Andrea says.
The more qualified you are as a borrower, the more loans you’ll be eligible for and the lower your rates will be.
Apply with a cosigner
Unfortunately, improving your credit can take time and it’s often not possible to do things like increasing your income while you are in school. The good news is that you still have options to pursue a private loan at an affordable rate even if your credit is less than stellar.
“Investigate a cosigner if you have a limited credit history or considerable debt already,” D’Andrea says.
A cosigner agrees to share responsibility for your loans. You’ll need to provide their financial details when you apply. If they have more income or better credit, their credentials can help you borrow more affordably.
Starting shopping early
The last key to getting an affordable loan is to start the process early.
“People tend to shop for student loans according to their college billing cycle. So if a college bills by semester, busy times tend to be early summer for fall bills, and November or December for spring bills,” Wang says.
While Wang notes that there’s no time during the year when loans go “on sale” and no specific seasonality to shopping for student loan rates, it can still be smart to start the process of borrowing sooner rather than later. The simple reason for that is that you’ll have more time to compare rates and terms — and to take steps like lining up a cosigner if you aren’t being offered great rates.
The bottom line
You don’t want to end up in a situation where spring tuition is due, you don’t have a loan yet and you’re forced to accept the first loan you’re offered despite unfavorable terms. If you get started comparing rates and offers today, you’ll have plenty of time to find the loan that’s best for your situation.
Washington — The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis must be removed from the 2020 election case against President-elect Donald Trump, reversing a trial judge’s decision that allowed her to remain on the case.
Trump and more than a dozen allies were charged last year by Fulton County prosecutors related to what they said was an alleged scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. The president-elect pleaded not guilty.
“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the Georgia Court of Appeals said in its decision.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
The page cannot be found
The page may have been removed, had its name changed, or is just temporarily unavailable.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
