‘I deeply regret all the pain’: Third of 6 Mississippi ex-officers sentenced to prison for the torture of 2 Black men

Jackson, Mississippi (CNN) — Daniel Opdyke, the third of six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty in the torture of two Black men last year, was sentenced by a federal judge Wednesday to more than 17 years in prison after a highly emotional and tense hearing.The former Rankin County Sheriff’s Office deputy pleaded guilty in August to federal charges of conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under color of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice related to the violent attacks in January 2023.Opdyke was part of a squad of White Mississippi law enforcement officers who raided a home without a warrant, subjected the two Black men – Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins – to racist vitriol, tased them after they had already been handcuffed, beat them with various objects and then shot Jenkins in the mouth.The former officers left Jenkins on the floor to bleed as they planted a gun on the victims and plotted their cover story, officials said. Now, each of those six former officers is paying the price for what the FBI director described as “atrocious” acts of “pure hell.”A visibly emotional Opdyke addressed the court and the victims directly as he...