A U.S. judge handed down a 40-year prison sentence on Wednesday to another of six white Mississippi police officers who admitted to orchestrating group torture of two Black men early last year.
The judge, Tom Lee, imposed the maximum term the former officer Christian Dedmon faced, the highest of four sentences already handed down for the torture of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, according to local outlets. Lee described Dedmon, then 29, as having carried out “the most shocking, brutal, and cruel acts imaginable,” while prosecutors noted he sexually assaulted the victims, CNN reports.
Dedmon and the other five Rankin County officers who nicknamed themselves the “thug squad” pleaded guilty in August 2023 to charges including deprivation of rights, assault, and obstruction of justice.
Lee sentenced Dedmon to 40 years in prison and also handed down 17.5 years for Daniel Opdyke; the judge issued 20 years yesterday for Hunter Elward and 15.5 years for Jeffrey Middleton. The sentences for the remaining two ex-officers, Brett McAlpin and Joshua Hartfield, are expected tomorrow.
The group entered the home of the victims without a warrant after someone called authorities to say two Black men were staying at a white woman’s house.
As part of the tortures, the officers fired a taser at the victims, beat them, poured alcohol over their faces, and forced them to bathe together, according to court records.
The incident came to light after the victims filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the group last summer.