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<p>Six former law enforcement officers in Mississippi, who are all white, have pleaded guilty to state charges related to the torture and sexual assault of two Black men.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">RELATED: <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/mississippi-cops-fired-400m-lawsuit-tortured-two-men/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Multiple Mississippi Cops Fired After $400M Lawsuit Claims They Tortured, Sexually Assaulted Two Men</a></h5>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Some Of The Former Mississippi Cops Reportedly Called Themselves The &#8220;Goon Squad&#8221;</h3>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.wjtv.com/news/local-news/plea-hearing-held-for-ex-mississippi-officers-in-assault-on-2-black-men/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WJTV</a>, the ex-officers pleaded guilty at the Rankin County Circuit Court on Monday (Aug. 14).</p>
<p>Five of the defendants — <strong>Hunter Elward</strong>, <strong>Christian Dedmon</strong>, <strong>Brett McAlpin</strong>, <strong>Jeffrey Middleton</strong>, and <strong>Daniel Opdyk</strong> — are former employees of the Rankin County Sheriff&#8217;s Office. The sixth, <strong>Joshua Hartfield</strong>, is an ex-investigator for the Richland Police Department.</p>
<p>All of the former officers pleaded guilty to conspiring to obstruct justice and hinder prosecution. Other charges levied against select defendants include aggravated assault, home invasion, and first-degree obstruction of justice.</p>
<p>We should also point out that, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/14/us/mississippi-goon-squad-cops-guilty-plea/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>, a charging documents notes that some of the officers in question <strong><em>&#8220;called themselves &#8216;The Goon Squad&#8217; because of their willingness to use excessive force and not to report it.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Ex-Officers Will Face Their Federal Sentencings In November</h3>
<p>As <strong>The Shade Room</strong> previously reported, the matter came to light earlier this year thanks to a <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/mississippi-cops-fired-400m-lawsuit-tortured-two-men/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$400M civil rights lawsuit</a>.</p>
<p>The situation stems from a Jan. 24 incident that involved the then-officers illegally raiding the home of <strong>Michael Jenkins</strong> and<strong> Eddie Parker</strong>. Over 90 minutes, the six then-officers brutally terrorized Jenkins and Parker, with one eventually shoving his gun inside Jenkins&#8217; mouth before pulling the trigger in what was deemed a <strong><em>&#8220;mock execution.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
<p>Once a federal lawsuit and probe were launched, the men were fired, and the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/six-mississippi-law-enforcement-officers-plead-guilty-torturing-and-abusing-two-black-men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Department of Justice</a> ultimately released a statement on the matter earlier this month. Within the press release, the department acknowledged that all six ex-officers pleaded guilty to the federal charges against them.</p>
<p>With the new update regarding the state charges, the next step is to sort out sentencing.</p>
<p>For the plea deals over the state charges, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-deputies-goon-squad-guilty-pleas-a04261f338812a0aaf43b4b7efa8c944#:~:text=Each%20agreed%20to%20sentences%20recommended,they%27ll%20receive%20in%20November." target="_blank" rel="noopener">AP News</a> reports that prosecutors recommended individual sentences ranging from five to 30 years behind bars. The men will serve these sentences concurrently with their federal ones, which will arrive in November.</p>
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