CNN
From left, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker speak to CNN on Aug. 4, 2023.
CNN
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Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins spent months trying to tell people about the brutal violence and torture they endured at the hands of six white law enforcement officers one night last year, but they were often not believed. , ultimately said Mr. Jenkins was shot. mouth.
Details of the Jan. 24, 2023 incident were finally revealed when the two men, both Black, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in June. Many of the claims were subsequently substantiated by federal prosecutors, as six former Mississippi police officers pleaded guilty in August to 13 felony charges related to the torture and abuse of the two men.
Parker and Jenkins, along with their families and attorneys, spoke at a news conference Monday afternoon in Jackson ahead of federal sentencing proceedings for the former officers, with both victims saying they were responsible for their actions. He claims his race was a motive. Federal prosecutors say some officers were so willing to use excessive force that they called themselves a “rogue squad” but failed to report it.
“The day of justice has finally arrived,” said Malik Shabazz, lead attorney for Parker and Jenkins. “We want capital punishment.”
“The public is watching. The police are watching. The family is watching. And they want justice,” Shabazz added.
Former Rankin County Sheriff's Deputies Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Daniel Opdyke, Jeffrey Middleton, and former Richland Police Department Officer Joshua Hartfield were granted rights in August. Pleaded guilty to conspiracy and deprivation of rights under law. conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice in connection with the incident;
Parker and Jenkins are scheduled to testify in federal court this week.
At a press conference Monday, Shabazz spoke of their “hope for justice” as he read the case summary and court documents.
Eddie Parker said of the verdict: “Everything was done wrong, so we need to do everything right.”
Michael Jenkins added: “This past year has been very difficult for me and for us. We are waiting for justice.”
Jenkins' mother, Mary Jenkins, asked for the strongest possible sentence. She added: “I want them to receive the same consideration that they gave my son when they broke into that house. I want them to receive the maximum sentence.”
Shabazz told CNN that his team met with the Justice Department on Friday ahead of sentencing proceedings in Jackson, Southern District of Mississippi, by Judge Tom Lee of the Southern District of Mississippi.
“Kristen Clark, the Assistant U.S. Attorney for Civil Rights, has just reached out to Michael Jenkins, Eddie Parker and their families,” Shabazz told CNN on Friday. “Mr. AAG Clark expressed his commitment to civil rights and eliminating racial intimidation under Mississippi law.”
“We are deeply grateful for her department's historic legal efforts,” he continued.
Elward and Middleton will be sentenced on Tuesday. Dedmon and Opdyke on Wednesday. and Hartfield and McAlpin on Thursday. Federal prosecutors are seeking the maximum penalty for the officers.
Details about what the six defense attorneys are seeking in the sentencing proceedings were not immediately available.
Elward faces the most serious federal charge stemming from the January incident: discharging a firearm during a violent crime. He could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison, according to federal charging documents. McAlpin, Middleton, Dedmon, Opdyke and Hartfield each face up to 20 years in prison.
The incident occurred on January 24, 2023 in Braxton, Mississippi, southeast of Jackson. Jenkins and Parker allege in their lawsuit that the officers illegally entered their home, handcuffed them, kicked them, waterboarded them, taped them, and attempted to sexually assault them over the course of about two hours, before the officers arrested them. One of the men allegedly put a gun in Jenkins' mouth and fired.
The complaint says the deputies “repeatedly used racial slurs during the course of the violence and were oppressive and hateful towards the African American victims.” “The defendants were motivated by the race and color of the person they assaulted.”
Three of the officers, Dedmon, Elward and Opdyke, also pleaded guilty in federal court to additional felonies related to separate incidents in December 2022, according to the Department of Justice. If convicted of these charges, all three could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Dedmon faces up to life in prison on the weapons charge.
The six former police officers also pleaded guilty to state charges stemming from the same January 2023 incident. Each officer was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, according to the Mississippi Attorney General's Office.
Dedmon is charged with burglary and Elward is charged with burglary and aggravated assault. McAlpin, Middleton, Opdyke and Hartfield each face additional charges of first-degree obstruction of justice. They are awaiting sentencing on state charges.