Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers, who admitted to subjecting Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker to racially motivated torture, are awaiting sentencing by a federal judge starting Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Tom Lee will preside over the proceedings, with two defendants scheduled for sentencing each day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
These officers face the potential of decades behind bars for their heinous acts.
The crimes, which occurred in January 2023, involved a group of six officers bursting into a Rankin County home without a warrant and assaulting Jenkins and Parker with stun guns and other objects.
The incident began with a racist call for extrajudicial violence, prompting the officers to handcuff the victims, pour milk, alcohol, and chocolate syrup over their faces, and subject them to racial slurs and electric shocks.
Jenkins and Parker suffered severe injuries, with Jenkins sustaining a lacerated tongue and broken jaw, affecting his ability to speak and eat.
Ahead of sentencing, both victims called for the harshest possible penalties for their assailants because of the emotional and physical toll of the ordeal.
The sentencing hearings hold significance beyond the individual case, as attorney Malik Shabazz stated, suggesting national implications.
The outcome will send a message to law enforcement across America that such criminal conduct will be met with severe consequences.
The officers, including members of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department and a Richland police officer, pleaded guilty to charges such as conspiracy against rights, obstruction of justice, and discharge of a firearm under a crime of violence.
They face lengthy prison sentences and substantial fines for their actions.
These events have drawn attention to Mississippi’s troubled history and raised questions about accountability within law enforcement.
Despite promises of reform from Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, Jenkins and Parker have called for further action, including Bailey’s resignation and a civil lawsuit against the department.
