Hunter Elward, a former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy who faced the most serious of federal charges against him and five other officers in the torture of two Black men in January 2023, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday morning.
He pleaded guilty in August to federal charges of discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under color of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice related to the incident.
Elward was sentenced on Tuesday morning in Jackson before Southern District of Mississippi US District Court Judge Tom Lee. Elward was also sentenced in the same proceeding on a federal charge of deprivation of rights under the color of law related to a separate incident in December 2022.
Elward also pleaded guilty in August to state charges of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, home invasion and aggravated assault. He awaits sentencing on the state charges.
Details of the Jan. 24, 2023, incident in Braxton, just southeast of Jackson, came to light after the victims, Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins – both of whom are Black – filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in June.
Many of the claims were later borne out by federal prosecutors in August as the six former Mississippi officers pleaded guilty to a combined 13 felonies in connection with the torture and abuse of the two men.
Former Rankin County Sheriff’s deputies Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Daniel Opdyke, Jeffrey Middleton, as well as former Richland Police Department officer Joshua Hartfield, pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under color of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice related to the incident.
Middleton will be sentenced on Tuesday afternoon. Dedmon and Opdyke will be sentenced Wednesday and Hartfield and McAlpin on Thursday. Federal prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentences for the officers.
McAlpin, Middleton, Dedmon, Opdyke and Hartfield each face up to 20 years in prison.
Some of the officers called themselves “The Goon Squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force and not report it, federal prosecutors said.
And new details are emerging about another disturbing case that several of the ex-officers have also pleaded guilty to.
‘The day of justice has finally come’
Parker and Jenkins, their families and their attorneys told reporters Monday they hoped for the maximum sentences for all six officers, whose actions both victims say were motivated by their race.
“The day of justice has finally come for the Rankin County ‘Goon Squad,’” said Malik Shabazz, lead attorney for Parker and Jenkins. “It’s an important day, not only for Mississippi, but it’s an important day for accountability, for police brutality all across America.”
The case – rife with shocking details – comes as police use of force, particularly against people of color, remains under scrutiny nationwide.
In their lawsuit, Jenkins and Parker alleged the officers illegally entered their home and handcuffed, kicked, waterboarded and tased them and attempted to sexually assault them over nearly two hours before one of the deputies put a gun in Jenkins’ mouth and shot him.
The deputies, “in their repeated use of racial slurs in the course of their violent acts, were oppressive and hateful against their African-American victims,” the lawsuit says. “Defendants were motivated on the basis of race and the color of the skin of the persons they assaulted.”
Shabazz said during Monday’s news conference their civil rights litigation is ongoing and the issues raised in the lawsuit “have not been resolved.”
Three of the officers, Dedmon, Elward and Opdyke, also pleaded guilty in federal court to felonies related to a separate incident in December 2022, according to the Justice Department. They will also be sentenced on those charges this week.
The six former officers also pleaded guilty to state charges against them stemming from the January 2023 incident and await sentencing on those counts. Each was charged with conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, according to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.
Dedmon was also charged with home invasion and Elward with home invasion and aggravated assault. McAlpin, Middleton, Opdyke and Hartfield were also charged with first-degree obstruction of justice. They await sentencing on the state charges.
What we know about the other victim’s case
Three of the former deputies have pleaded guilty to a second incident involving a person referred to as “A.S.” in court documents.
The victim has been identified as Alan Schmidt, according to The New York Times, who spoke with the man. Schmidt told the Times the then-deputies pulled him over in December 2022 for an expired tag, only to accuse him of stealing tools.
Schmidt told the Times the “Goon Squad” members assaulted him, beat him and tased him. He said one deputy rubbed his genital and buttocks against his head.
The three ex-officers accused in Schmidt’s case –Christian Dedmon, Elward and Opdyke – have all pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights under color or law. They entered plea agreements last July.
Dedmon pleaded to two additional charges related to the incident, including discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence and a second count of deprivation of rights.
The deprivation of rights charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, according to court documents. The firearms charge carries a minimum 10-year sentence.
Court documents reviewed by CNN also say “Dedmon discharged a firearm in close proximity to A.S. for the purpose of scaring and coercing a confession.”
A statement from Schmidt is expected to be read during sentencing hearings for the “Goon Squad,” the Times reported.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
