A US judge sentenced this Wednesday to 40 years in prison another of the six white Mississippi police officers who admitted having gang tortured two black men early last year. The magistrate, Tom Lee, handed down the maximum sentence he faced against former police officer Christian Dedmon, and the highest of the four he has already imposed for the torture of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, according to local media.

Lee said Dedmon, 29, committed “the most surprising, brutal and cruel acts that can be imagined“, while prosecutors said he sexually assaulted the victims, CNN indicates. Dedmon and the five other Rankin County police officers, who called themselves the “goon squad,” pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights charges. , assault and obstruction of justice, among others, in August 2023.

Lee sentenced Dedmon to 40 years in prison and also dictated 17.5 years for Daniel Opdyke; yesterday he handed down 20 years for Hunter Elward and 15.5 years for Jeffrey Middleton. The sentencing of the two remaining former agents, Brett McAlpin and Joshua Hartfield, is expected tomorrow. The group of police officers entered the house where the victims were without a warrant after a person called the police alerting them that two African Americans were staying at the house of a white woman.

As part of the torture, the officers shot the victims with a stun gun, beat them, poured alcohol on their faces and forced them to bathe together, court documents detail. The incident came to light after The victims will file a federal lawsuit, for violation of civil rights, against the group of agents in the summer of last year.