White lawmen in Mississippi plead guilty in case where they tortured black men; lawyer says first such verdict in state

Brett McAlpin, chief investigator for the sheriff's office, got the call
and gave the initial order to investigate. (Photos by Mississippi Today)

Six white former law enforcement officers charged with beating, torturing and sexually abusing two handcuffed black men and shooting one of them pleaded guilty Monday to hindering prosecution, in what appears to be a landmark case in a state with a deep history of racism.

“To my knowledge, never in the history of Mississippi have, in particular, white officers been held to account for brutality against Black victims,” Trent Walker, attorney for Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins, told Mississippi Today. They were living with, and providing care to, a white woman in Rankin County, which is a destination for many whites leaving Hinds County, to the south.

"Goon Squad" members carried this coin. (Mississippi Today)

The six were "part of a 'Goon Squad' operation aimed at getting African Americans to 'go back' to the predominantly Black city of Jackson . . . nicknamed because of the group’s willingness to beat people up during arrests," Mississippi Today reports. "The officers previously pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges related to the beating, torture, unwarranted search and coverup. Sentencing hearings are set for mid-November." The sentence recommendations range from 80 to 120 years. State sentence recommendations are five to 15 years. The hindering-prosecution charge stems from the officers' attempted cover-up, Michael Goldberg of The Associated Press reports.

Nate Rosenfield, Jerry Mitchell and Brian Howey of Mississippi Today relate the details, starting with: "On the evening of Jan. 24, a white neighbor informed McAlpin that 'several Black males' were living in the home of a white woman in the neighborhood. According to the criminal information, the neighbor claimed he had seen “suspicious behavior” in the home. Without a warrant, they kicked the doors down. The officers shouted orders that the two men complied with, according to the criminal information" filed against the defendants.