- Written by Nadine Yousif & Brandon Drennon
- bbc news
The former police officers could face decades in prison.Christian Dedmon (top center) and Daniel Opdyke (bottom center) will be sentenced on Wednesday.
A former Mississippi police officer has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for torturing two black men inside his home.
Christian Dedmon, 29, is one of six police officers convicted in the January 24, 2023 assault.
Three other former police officers were sentenced to a total of more than 54 years in prison for the attack.
Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker were beaten, shocked with stun guns and sexually assaulted by police.
In a statement read out by his lawyer in court, Mr Jenkins said Mr Dedmon was the “most evil” of his attackers.
“Officer Dedmon is the worst example of a police officer in America,” Jenkins said. Dedmon was planting drugs in an attempt to frame Mr. Jenkins.
He still has difficulty speaking after being shot in the mouth as part of a mock execution during his ordeal.
Officers responded to a call in the Rankin County town of Braxton after a neighbor reported suspicious activity and a black man staying at the home of a white woman.
Officers entered the home without a warrant.
Mr Jenkins and Mr Parker were handcuffed, beaten and taunted with racial slurs during the attack, which lasted an hour and a half.
U.S. District Judge Tom Lee said Dedmon carried out “the most shocking, brutal and brutal attack imaginable” on two black men and a white man during a traffic stop several weeks ago.
Hours before Dedmon learned his fate on Wednesday, Daniel Opdyke was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison.
The last former officers convicted in the case, Brett McAlpin and Joshua Hartfield, are scheduled to be sentenced Thursday.
Five were former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies, and the sixth, Hartfield, was with the Richland Police Department. They called themselves the “Goon Squad.” they are all white.
Dedmon’s family appeared in court, some closing their eyes and crying as prosecutors recounted his actions.
He apologized and said he would never forgive himself, but did not directly address the victims, as the three former police officers before him did.
During the sentencing, a tearful Opdyke told the two victims that she was remorseful for “the monster I turned into that night.”
“I will be haunted every day by the gravity of my actions and the harm I caused,” he said.
Hunter Elward and Jeffrey Middleton were the first to be sentenced Tuesday.
Elward, who shot and killed Mr Jenkins during a mock execution, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Middleton, the leader of the so-called “Goon Squad”, was sentenced to just over 17 years in prison.
The group pleaded guilty in August to violating federal civil rights laws.
They were charged with conspiracy to violate rights, obstruction of justice, deprivation of rights under color of law, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Rankin County Sheriff Brian Bailey, where the officers worked, is facing a separate $400m (£314m) lawsuit for failing to properly train his officers.
