Second of 6 former Mississippi officers sentenced to more than 17 years in the torture of 2 Black men
CNN, NEWS 12 WESTCHESTER, WAPT, WLBT
By Emma Tucker, Ryan Young, Jade Gordon and Shawn Nottingham, CNN
Jackson, Mississippi (CNN) — Jeffrey Middleton, the second former law enforcement officer among six who admitted torturing and abusing two Black men in January 2023, was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison by a federal judge Tuesday afternoon.
Earlier, one of the other former deputies was sentenced to 20 years; four other former law enforcement officers face sentencing this week.
An attorney for Middleton argued prior to sentencing that there had been a breach in the plea agreement.
During the sentencing hearing, Middleton told the court he accepted responsibility for what he did.
“I made some very poor, life-changing decisions. They were morally and legally wrong,” he said while apologizing to victims Michael Jenkins and Eric Parker and their families, as well as his family and the people of Rankin County, where he had been a deputy and was the supervisor the night of the incident.
In his victim’s impact statement, read by attorney Malik Shabazz, Parker said he didn’t think Middleton was sorry.
“I’m offended that Jeffrey Middleton is not apologetic, and is trying to make light of his role in these torture sessions, and crimes,” he said. “He used a sword to hit me.”
After the hearing, Jenkins said outside the courthouse: “It’s a long time coming. I’ve been through a lot and this is it, this is what I want to see.”
Southern District of Mississippi US District Court Judge Tom Lee overruled Middleton’s attorney’s arguments that Middleton played a minimal or minor role in the torture. The judge noted that Middleton was present at the time when the men were tortured.
Middleton had pleaded guilty in August 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 also pleaded guilty in August to state charges of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and first-degree obstruction of justice. He awaits sentencing on the state charges.
Officers referred to their group as the ‘Goon Squad’
Details from the January 24, 2023, incident in Braxton, just southeast of Jackson, eventually came to light after Jenkins and Parker – filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in June. They 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.
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.
Some of the officers called themselves “The Goon Squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force and not report it, federal prosecutors said.
Hunter Elward, a former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy who faced the most serious of the federal charges, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a highly emotional hearing Tuesday morning.
Elward 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 January 2023 incident. The former deputy was also ordered to pay $79,500 in restitution to the victims.
The courtroom was packed with the victims’ families, loved ones and supporters, as well as civil rights activists. Elward, who was shackled with chains around his waist and wrists, was visibly emotional during the proceeding and nervously shaking his leg as federal prosecutors recounted what the two victims endured that night.
Moments before the judge imposed his sentence, Elward stood at the lectern alongside his attorney and said if he could go back in time, he would go back “to seven years ago, to the first time I saw this behavior.”
“I’m not a man of excuses. I fought hard with myself ever since that night. A lot of people are only mad when they get caught … I have to live every night with what I’ve seen and what I’ve done,” Elward said. At that point, he asked the judge if he could address the victims directly, and then turned to make eye contact with both men.
At that moment, Jenkins stopped chewing his gum and glared at Elward, which made the disgraced former deputy break eye contact and pause in his testimony.
Elward’s voice was shaking and he was wiping away tears as he addressed Jenkins, who is still learning how to speak again after the shooting. “Mr. Jenkins, I see you every day and every night. I’m so doggone sorry,” Elward said.
“I don’t want to get too personal with you, Michael,” he told him. “There’s no telling what you’ve seen. I’m so sorry that I caused that. I hate myself for it. I hate that I gave you that. I accept all responsibility.”
Jenkins nodded. Parker stood up and replied: “We forgive you, man.” Elward was taken aback by Parker’s forgiveness, as if he couldn’t believe it.
Following Elward’s testimony, his lawyer told the court his client was “not a hateful and mean person” before he became a deputy, but the egregious conduct he and his co-defendants committed was “condoned and guarded until it became the new norm. In other words, it became institutional.”
Elward also awaits sentencing on state charges of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, home invasion and aggravated assault.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the actions of the former officers will not be tolerated.
“It is my hope and prayer that we can help these victims on their healing journey, and we can restore confidence in our criminal justice system,” Fitch said in a statement. “We look forward to sentencing in state court to achieve the fullest measure of justice.”
‘I fear I will be attacked again and even killed’
The victim impact statements of Jenkins and Parker cited their battle with the trauma of the night.
Parker said the actions of the six former officers “severely impacted me and left a scar on me that will last forever.”
“I don’t know if I will ever be able to sleep at night. I fear I will be attacked again and even killed,” Parker’s statement said, as read by Shabazz. “The humiliation and embarrassment from the sexual assault is too great for me to talk about. Therefore, I am in therapy now and in the future.”
Shabazz also read a statement from Jenkins, who said, “I don’t think I’ll ever be the person I was.”
“I never thought a night hanging out with friends would almost cost me my life,” Jenkins’ statement said. “I’m hurt, I’m broken, I’m ashamed and embarrassed by the entire situation. They tried to take my manhood from me. They did some unimaginable things to me and the affects of it will forever linger in my life.”
Jenkins’ mother, Mary Jenkins, also gave a victim impact statement and addressed the judge directly.
“I want the same consideration for these people as they gave my son when they put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger,” she said. “Although my skin is Black, that doesn’t make me any less of a woman or any less of a mother.”
Elward’s parents, Edward Elward and Terrie Elward, also took the stand to testify before the judge imposed their son’s sentence.
“Nothing prepares a parent for this,” Edward Elward said. “What happened shouldn’t have happened. There are many more victims than the people in this room. Hunter is going to take and own what he did. I hope there is some mercy along the way, so he can get back to his family, get back to his three sons.”
The former officer’s mother was in tears and her voice was quivering as she addressed the court. “I couldn’t have been more proud of him when he said he was going to be a Rankin County Sheriff’s deputy. And I’m still proud of him,” she said.
“The remorse Hunter has had for this is unbearable … Nothing would have told me he was a racist,” the mother said. At that point, there was audible laughter in the courtroom. As Terrie Elward walked away from the stand, she looked her son in the eyes, softy smiling and nodding at him gently.
After the hearing, the victims, their families and attorneys, as well as supporters, spoke outside of the courtroom.
“I picture my worst enemy. I couldn’t do this to nobody. I couldn’t stand to watch this being done to nobody. Anyone has to hold compassion and has the power to step up and do something about it,” Jenkins’ older brother, Eric Jholar, told CNN.
More sentencing to come
Elward and Middleton, along with fellow former Rankin County deputies Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon and Daniel Opdyke, 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.
Dedmon and Opdyke will be sentenced Wednesday and Hartfield and McAlpin on Thursday. Federal prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentences for the officers.
McAlpin, Dedmon, Opdyke and Hartfield each face up to 20 years in prison.
Parker and Jenkins, their families and their attorneys told reporters Monday they hoped for the maximum sentences for all six men, whose actions both victims say were motivated by their race.
“The day of justice has finally come for the Rankin County ‘Goon Squad,’” Shabazz said. “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.
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.”
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, 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
New details are emerging about another disturbing case that several of the ex-officers have also pleaded guilty to.
Dedmon, Elward and Opdyke pleaded guilty in federal court to felonies related to a separate incident in December 2022, according to the Justice Department.
On Tuesday, Elward was sentenced for a federal charge of deprivation of rights under the color of law related to the December 2022 incident. The other two former officers are expected to be sentenced this week.
The three former deputies pleaded guilty to the incident involving a person only referred to as “A.S.” in court documents.
The victim was identified by federal prosecutors in court on Tuesday as Alan Schmidt, who previously told The New York 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 was read by federal prosecutors in court during sentencing hearings for the “Goon Squad.”
“I pray every day that I can forgive them. I know I’m not their only victim. It will take years to live a somewhat normal life,” the statement from Schmidt said.
As details describing the sexual assault Schmidt endured that night by Dedmon were read aloud in court, Elward was visibly uncomfortable, leaning back in his chair and whispering to his attorney.
“I thought the assault would go on forever. The harder I prayed, the harder I was beaten,” the statement said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
