3rd of 6 former officers in Mississippi gets 17.5 years for racist torture of 2 Black men

By Michael Gordon | The Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A third former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced for his part in the racist torture of two Black men by a group of white officers who called themselves “the Goon Squad.” Daniel Opdyke was sentenced Wednesday to 17.5 years in federal prison. Opdyke, 28, cried profusely as he spoke in court before the judge announced his sentence. Turning to look at the two victims, he said his isolation behind bars has given him time to reflect on “how I transformed into the monster I became that night.” “The weight of my actions and the harm I’ve caused will haunt me every day,” Opdyke told them. “I wish I could take away your suffering.” One of the victims, Eddie Terrell Parker, rested his head in his hands and closed his eyes, then stood up and left the courtroom before Opdyke finished speaking. The other, Michael Corey Jenkins, said he was “broken” and “ashamed” by the cruel acts visited upon him. U.S. District Judge Tom Lee said Opdyke may not have been fully aware of what being a member of the Goon Squad entailed when Lt. Jeffrey Middleton asked him...