First officer sentenced in Miss. torture case

‘Goon Squad’ member gets 20 years in prison

One of six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who called themselves the “Goon Squad” was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday, months after he and his co-defendants pleaded guilty to federal civil rights offenses for torturing and sexually assaulting two Black men and a third white man who has remained anonymous until now.

Hunter Elward, the deputy who shot one of the victims in the mouth, received the maximum penalty allowed under his plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

Elward broke down in tears as he stood before a U.S. District Court judge, Tom Lee, and apologized to the victims and their family members. Elward turned to face Eddie Parker, 36, and Michael Jenkins, 33, who were tortured and sexually assaulted by the officers during a raid on Parker’s home.

“I hate that I was involved in this,” he said. “I hate what’s happened to them.”

As Elward left the podium, Parker stood up and said he forgave him.

During the hearing, Elward said he had witnessed brutal conduct by other deputies throughout his seven years at the department, which his lawyer, Joe Hollomon, said was “the culture of Rankin County sheriff ’s department.”

Over the next two days, the other officers involved in the incidents, who each could be sentenced to a decade or more in prison, will appear in federal court in Jackson, Miss. Prosecutors are expected to detail the officers’ violent actions, and victims will have an opportunity to share their stories.

The sheriff ’s department in Rankin County came to national attention last year after five Rankin County deputies and a Richland Police detective raided the home of Parker and his friend, Jenkins, following a tip about suspicious activity.

The officers handcuffed and tortured the men by shocking them repeatedly with Tasers, beating them and sexually assaulting them with a sex toy. Elward put his gun into Jenkins’ mouth and shot him, shattering his jaw and nearly killing him.