A former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy, Daniel Opdyke, was sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison on Wednesday for his involvement in the racist torture of two Black men. This sentencing marks the third former officer sentenced in connection to the case involving a group of white officers who called themselves “the Goon Squad.”

During the court proceedings, Opdyke, 28, tearfully expressed remorse for his actions, acknowledging his transformation into what he described as a “monster” during the night of the incident. “The weight of my actions and the harm I’ve caused will haunt me every day,” Opdyke told them. “I wish I could take away your suffering.” Despite his apology, one of the victims, Eddie Terrell Parker, left the courtroom before Opdyke finished speaking.

U.S. District Judge Tom Lee addressed Opdyke directly, highlighting that while Opdyke may not have been fully aware of the extent of the violence he was participating in, he actively engaged in the assault. “You were not a passive observer, you actively participated in that brutal attack,” Lee said.”

Opdyke’s sentencing follows similar rulings for his former colleagues. Hunter Elward, 31, received a nearly 20-year prison sentence, while Jeffrey Middleton, 46, was sentenced to 17.5 years. Christian Dedmon, 29, also faced a lengthy prison term, with his sentencing set for later the same day.

The case unfolded over the past year, revealing a pattern of violence and racism within law enforcement in Rankin County. Last year, all six former officers pleaded guilty to breaking into a home without a warrant and subjecting the Black men to torture using a stun gun, a sex toy, and other objects.

Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned the attack as a “heinous” act against citizens entrusted to law enforcement’s protection.

The terror began in January 2023 with a racist call for extrajudicial violence. Once inside the victims’ home, the former officers subjected them to degrading acts, including pouring milk, alcohol, and chocolate syrup over their faces, mocking them with racial slurs, and shocking them with stun guns.

The majority-white Rankin County is just east of the state capital, Jackson, home to one of the highest percentages of Black residents of any major U.S. city. The officers shouted at Jenkins and Parker to “stay out of Rankin County and go back to Jackson or ‘their side’ of the Pearl River,” court documents say.

Opdyke’s attorney, Jeff Reynolds, revealed that his client was the first to admit their actions, providing crucial evidence to investigators.  On April 12, he showed investigators a WhatsApp text thread where the officers discussed their plan and what happened. Had he thrown his phone in a river, as some of the other officers did, investigators might not have discovered the encrypted messages.

However, despite his cooperation, Opdyke now faces a lengthy prison term for his role in the assault.

“Dedmon and Opdyke, like Elward, also are being sentenced after pleading guilty to their roles in an assault on a white man on Dec. 4, 2022 — weeks before Jenkins and Parker were tortured. Prosecutors revealed the victim’s identity Tuesday as Alan Schmidt. Reynolds said Opdyke held Schmidt down until Dedmon arrived, but didn’t beat him or sexually assault him.”

According to a statement provided by the victim, Alan Schmidt, prosecutors revealed that he was accused of possessing stolen property during a routine traffic stop. Schmidt recounted being handcuffed, forcefully removed from his vehicle, and subjected to a brutal beating that left him disoriented and in pain.

Prosecutors further alleged that former officers Hunter Elward and Daniel Opdyke failed to intervene as their colleague, Christian Dedmon, engaged in a series of violent acts. Dedmon reportedly punched, kicked, and used a Taser on Schmidt, escalating the violence by firing his gun into the air as a threat.

Schmidt said Dedmon forced him to his knees, pulled out his “private part” and hit him in the face with it, trying to insert it into his mouth. Dedmon then grabbed Schmidt’s genitals and rubbed against his body as he screamed for them to stop, Schmidt said.

“What sick individual does this? He has so much power over us already, so to act this way, he must be truly sick in this head,” Schmidt wrote in his statement.

In the courtroom scene fraught with emotion, former officers Hunter Elward and Middlelton delivered heartfelt apologies during their recent court appearance. Elward, visibly moved, expressed remorse for his actions, acknowledging the impact of his past behavior. Elward’s attorney, Joe Hollomon, shed light on the broader context surrounding his client’s actions, revealing disturbing allegations of misconduct within the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Hollomon, Elward was exposed to a culture of corruption within the department, where deputies turned a blind eye to wrongdoing as early as 2017. “Hunter (Elward) was initiated into a culture of corruption at the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office,” stated Hollomon, underscoring the systemic issues that may have influenced his client’s behavior.

The victims, Michael Corey Jenkins and Parker, have filed a $400 million civil lawsuit against the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department and have called for the resignation of Sheriff Bryan Bailey.

Credit: AP