Mississippi deputy facing 27 years for torturing black men seeks leniency, says he was only in the truck but admits he never stopped abusing them

A former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy convicted in 2023 of torturing two black men asked a federal judge to commute his 27-year sentence, arguing that he simply waited in his truck while his fellow officers committed the crime.

Brett McAlpin is one in all six white former law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty in 2023 in reference to breaking right into a Jackson home with no warrant and participating in a brutal attack that lasted several hours.

The officers were convicted in March and received sentences starting from 10 to 40 years in prison.

McAlpin, 53, was the lead investigator for the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office at the time of the crime.

He is serving a 27-year sentence, the second longest amongst the defendants, at a federal prison in West Virginia.

Just months into his sentence, McAlpin claims in legal papers that his sentence was “unjustified” because he remained in his truck and did indirectly participate in the torture of Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker.

McAlpin’s attorney, Theodore Cooperstein, filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the fifth Circuit on Aug. 23, arguing that McAlpin was merely present when other officers committed heinous acts, hoping it might mitigate his punishment.

“Brett was drawn into the scene as events spiraled out of control but maintained his distance as the other officers operated,” Cooperstein wrote. According to Associated Press Press Agency

The other former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies are Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke, in addition to former Richland Police K-9 officer Joshua Hartfield.

The lawsuit asked for a lenient sentence despite McAlpin doing nothing to assist victims during the tragedy and playing a job in transporting the crew to and from the scene.

“While Brett did not stop what he saw and knew was wrong, he did not order, initiate, or participate in the brutal abuse of the two victims,” the motion stated.

The lawsuit asks the appeals court to overturn McAlpin’s conviction and order the district judge to impose a lesser sentence.

Cooperstein argued that the cumulative impact of those atrocities overshadowed McAlpin’s individual role, causing him to bear the brunt of collective condemnation, and that court and public perception of the events unfairly exacerbated his punishment.

McAlpin’s appeal doesn’t specify the exact variety of years he is searching for to have his sentence reduced.

The motion significantly downplays McAlpin’s involvement, but his appeal for relief stands in stark contrast to Mississippi’s strict sentencing guidelines for violent crimes, including torture.

Mississippi law places an emphasis on the liability of those that aid in the commission of great crimes, and McAlpin’s argument doesn’t change the undeniable fact that his actions played a major role in the crimes against Jenkins and Parker.

The January 24, 2023 attack included beatings, the use of stun guns, multiple assaults with a sex toy and ended with one victim being shot in the mouth in a botched mock execution when the gun misfired.

The crime was so heinous that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned it.

“The vileness of the crimes committed by these defendants cannot be overstated,” Garland said after a gaggle of former officers received federal sentences.

Before he was sent to jail on March 21, McAlpin apologized in open court, but did so without making eye contact along with his victims.

“This was all wrong, very wrong. This is not how people should treat each other, and more importantly, this is not how law enforcement should treat people,” McAlpin said. “I’m truly sorry that I was a part of something that made law enforcement look so bad.”

Earlier, federal prosecutor Christopher Perras had sought the maximum sentence, arguing that while McAlpin was not a direct member of the Goon Squad, he played a key role in shaping the group into brutal law enforcers.

One of the victims also described McAlpin as a “mafioso chieftain” who was in charge of the officers throughout the attack.

Prosecutors noted that junior officers often tried to impress McAlpin, and Daniel Opdyke’s lawyer revealed that his client treated McAlpin like a father figure.

Perras said a few of the officers involved initially “wanted to be good law enforcement officers” but ultimately “turned into monsters.”

“How did these deputies learn to treat another human being this way? Your Majesty, the answer is right there,” Perras argued during the hearing, pointing to McAlpin.

Prosecutors said the nightmare story began when a neighbor contacted McAlpine to complain about two black men living with a white woman in the small town of Braxton.

Although no crime had been committed, McAlpin passed the information on to Deputy Sheriff Christian Dedmon, who then contacted an alleged group of white officers often called “The Goon Squad” — known for their brutality and excessive use of force.

On the night of the attacks on Jenkins and Parker, police broke into the home with no warrant, turned off the body cameras on the victims and started brutally beating them, hurling racial slurs at them.

They handcuffed them, shocked Parker and Jenkins dozens of times with stun guns, after which poured milk, alcohol, and chocolate syrup over their heads.

They then forced the victims to undress and shower together in an try and wash away the evidence.

Jenkins survived the gunshot wound to the mouth, but the gunshot wound damaged his tongue and broke his jaw.

The police tried to cover up the crime, but when the attack was discovered, it backfired on everyone.

During the investigation, it was discovered that members of the group had been exchanging disturbing text messages on WhatsApp in which they described shocking individuals with stun guns in the face and personal parts, joked about having sex with individuals who had committed suicide, been murdered or died in automotive accidents while showing photos of their bodies, and planned a simulated murder of a person involved in a road accident in which the perpetrator fled the scene.

The gruesome details of the case are a painful reminder of Mississippi’s history of racist abuse by law enforcement. But this time, the perpetrators faced serious consequences for their actions, attorneys for the victims said.

District Judge Tom Lee condemned the former officers’ actions as (*27*) and imposed sentences near the maximum allowed under federal guidelines for five of the six men involved in the attack.

Six former officers also pleaded guilty to the charges against them and were convicted in April.

Hartfield, a former Richland police officer who was not a part of the sheriff’s department or the “Goon Squad,” was the only defendant to receive a sentence below the maximum advisable by federal guidelines. Judge Lee sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Dedmon was sentenced to 40 years, Opdyke and Middleton to 17.5 years, and Elward received a 20-year sentence.