Six former Rankin County, Miss., officers pleaded guilty to state charges on Monday in Rankin County Circuit Court in connection with the sexual assault and beating of two Black Braxton, Miss., residents, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker. The officers pleaded guilty to 13 federal charges on Aug. 3.
The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department terminated Chief Investigator Brett McAlpin, Deputy Hunter Elward, Narcotics Investigator Christian Dedmon, Deputy Daniel Opdyke and Lt. Jeffrey Middleton in June, Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said at a June 27 press conference. The Richland Police Department fired Narcotics Investigator Joshua Hartfield around the same time, Police Chief Nick McLendon wrote in a letter to the community.
The officers, who are white, raided Jenkins’ and Parker’s home without a warrant and physically and sexually abused the men for more than 90 minutes, the lawsuit Jenkins and Parker filed says. Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth intending to kill him, U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca for the Southern District of Mississippi said at a press conference in Jackson, Miss., on Aug. 3.
The officers “called themselves ‘The Goon Squad’ because of their willingness to use excessive force and not to report it,” a federal document says.
Monica Lee Cameron accuses Elward of the beating and death of her son, Damien Cameron, a Black man who also lived in Braxton. She alleges she witnessed Elward and Deputy Luke Stickman kneel on her son for more than 20 minutes before they handcuffed him and dragged him to the police car in July 2021. Damien Cameron was unconscious in the car and died before the University of Mississippi Medical Center could help him, his mother says.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation investigated that case but closed it on Sept. 20, 2021.
A statement from Attorney General Lynn Fitch says her office has been working with the U.S. Attorney General’s office to look into Jenkins’ and Parker’s case.
“This brutal attack caused more than physical harm to these two individual victims; it severed that vital trust with the people,” Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a statement on Monday. “This abuse of power will not be tolerated. The Attorney General’s Office is committed to delivering justice for these victims and for all Mississippians.”
Elward pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, home invasion and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice/hinder prosecution. Dedmon pleaded guilty to home invasion and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice/hinder prosecution. McAlpin pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice/hindering prosecution in the first degree and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice/hinder prosecution. Middleton pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice/hindering prosecution in the first degree and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice/hinder prosecution. Opdyke pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice/hindering prosecution in the first degree and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice/hinder prosecution. Hartfield pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice/hindering prosecution in the first degree and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice/hinder prosecution.
Rankin County Circuit Court Judge Steve Ratcliff will sentence the men between Nov. 14 and Nov. 16. Dedmon and Elward face up to 120 years in prison, with a life sentence. Hartfield and Middleton face up to 80 years; Opdyke faces up to 100 years; and McAlpin faces up to 90 years.