Yesterday was a day for justice as U.S. District Judge Tom Lee sentenced Brett McAlpin to serve 327 months in prison for his role in the torture and framing of two black men in Braxton last year. McAlpin is the former Chief of Investigations for the Rankin County Sheriff's Office.
McAlpin pleaded guilty in August 2023 to three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and two counts of conspiracy of rights. McAlpin, four Rankin County deputies, and a Richland Police officer raided a Braxton home without a warrant last year. Naming themselves the Goon Squad, the law enforcement officers tortured Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker. Jenkins was shot in the mouth. McAlpin and company filed bogus charges against the two men, including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer (after planting a BB gun), and attempted to coverup the torture session. A synopsis of the case is published at the bottom of this post.Chained in irons, Brett McAlpin shuffled to the defense table, clad in a faded black jumpsuit, still sporting the shaved scalp that was his trademark look over the years.
Judge Lee opened the hearing by addressing an objection to the prosecution's application for a sentencing enhancement for McAlpin. McAlpin's lawyer, Aafrim Sellers, strongly objected to the enhancement. Judge Lee allowed Sellers to present his case.
Sellers showed why he is considered to be one of the better criminal defense attorneys in Mississippi as he ably defended his client. He called U.S. Probation Officer Allie Whitten to the stand to explain several discrepancies between her pre-sentencing report and witness testimony.
The attorney pointed out although several witnesses said McAlpin called Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins n*****s, the two victims as well as her report said he did not do so. Whitten agreed he did not use the word. Sellers said although the prosecution said McAlpin was armed and hit Eddie Parker with a piece of wood, she reported he did not do so nor was he armed. Whitten could not explain the discrepancy.
Sellers sparred with Whitten and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Chalk for the better part of an hour over discrepancies between her report and what the prosecution claimed took place the night of January 24, 2023. He said McAlpin was not present during most of the torture and is the one who ordered his charges to clean Jenkins and Parker up after the Goons poured food all over the two men. He said McAlpin was the one who later called an ambulance after Jenkins was shot in the mouth. Of course, Jenkins lay on the floor for nearly an hour after Hunter Elward shot him in the mouth before anyone checked on him.
Whitten defended her recommendation that McAlpin earned a sentencing enhancement. She said as Chief of Investigations, he had authority over all Rankin County Sheriff's personnel present at the scene. Sellers tried to argue he was off-duty but Whitten said even off-duty, he had the power to stop the torture as he was the fourth-ranking person in the. hierarchy of the Rankin County Sheriff's Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christophe Perras pushed back against the Sellers attack. He said McAlpin was present when racial slurs were used. He was the highest ranking officer on the scene. He was the one who told the two men to "go back to their side of the river" to Jackson.
Aggravated enhancement was warranted, Perras argued, because McAlpin exercised decision-making authority and recruiting authority. He knew this was an illegal raid and directed Dedmon to go to the house and lock these guys up before they had any evidence of crimes even though there was no evidence of any crimes. He watched Dedmon pull out a gun near Parker's head and fire it to coerce a confession. He could have stepped in and ordered them to stop torturing the two men but instead chose not to do so.
Perras said an investigation found McAlpin did stuff like this with "Dedmon and others before." There was a simple reason why he did not tase or shoot anyone. The prosecutor said McAlpin got " a bunch of younger officers to do his dirty work. While the Goons tortured the victims, McAlpin heard their screams. "What was he doing? Using the bathroom in a closet to further degrade the victims," Perris said. Parker called McAlpin a (Mafia) Don in his testimony.
Sellers argued Dedmon was in control of the scene. It was Dedmon who started tasing the victims. The victims were already handcuffed when McAlpin arrived. It was Dedmon who kicked in the door and started it all. As Chief of Investigations, he sits behind a desk and lets investigators such as Dedmon do the work and bring him reports. Middleton was the shift leader and directly supervised these deputies. It was Middleton who threatened to kill any Goon who snitched on the raid.
The prosecution fired right back and said nice try, but none of that matters because McAlpin was the highest ranking officer on scene and could have saved Jenkins and Parker.
Judge Lee decreed there are various degrees of authority and control over officers. The prosecution just needed proof McAlpin supervised one or more of the defendants to be culpable. Thus the enhancement was properly applied. McAlpin just sat there, staring ahead at times while down at the table at other times as every passing moment doomed him even further.
It was time to hear the victims' impact statements. Attorney Malik Shabazz, Eddie Parker, Michael Jenkins, Melvin Jenkins, and other family members went to the podium to address Judge Lee.
The attorney read Michael Jenkins' statement as the victim stood by his side:
Brett McAlpin was the highest man in charge in this house, and it was not his first time being there. Brett McAlpin walked around the entire time, giving orders to all of the Goon Squad. The me and Eddie were called n******s, when me and Eddie were called monkeys, when me and Eddie were called other racial names, I, Michael Jenkins, specifically recall that Brett McAlpin was one of the main ones.
Brett McAlpin said to me, you all are going to take these charges. Brett McAlpin said he would pour gasoline around this house and set it on fire. Brett McAlpin sat on the couch and watched while the deputies tortured us. After the dildo was used on me and Eddie, and I messed all over myself, and we were stripped naked and had to shower with Eddie Parker, it was too embarrassing and horrific to take about but your honor, I felt like a slave.
Every time I eat, the pain in my jaw from where I was shot in the mouth reminds of this horror. Your honor, I was left to die like a dog.....
Jenkins and Shabazz stood away from the podium as Eddie Parker took his turn as he spoke in a stream of consciousness style.
Yesterday, I remember telling you all about I’ve been waiting about ten years for this, I’ve been waiting ten years to come face to to face with me. Iv’e got a friend I grew up with, he is on parole for 33 years, because he got tortured , Where there is no mystery and their chief investigations, God, I don’t know, but I think I could be a better investigator than Brett Mc.Alpin The shell casing they were looking for, I found it. So all the evidence they caused themselves picking up and get rid of it, that was a very sloppy job. It wasn’t about them and making everything cleaned up and was right, it was to coverup what they did. They didn’t even kill us right. They got criminals out here who do a better job than that. I’m a convict, I do a better job than that. We thought he was the mob, he looked the part but the shorts were a little too too tight and a little too short.
Parker continued to mock McAlpin and the abilities of the Rankin County Sheriff's Office for several more minutes before he retired.
Brett McAlpin looked ahead through it all, lacking the courage to face his victims as he spoke.
Mary Jenkins, the mother of Michael, said"
I want to speak because Mr. McAlpin wants to minimize what he did that night. Brett McAlpin lived in that neighborhood. They were there on his behalf. You witnessed everything in that house. You witnesses the screaming, the torture, the hazing, the sex toys. He was one of the senior officers who could stop this at any time. And you wanted to plant a gun on my son and get him 10-20 years. He deserves to get the maximum sentence because those deputies were there on his behalf in his neighborhood.
He’s like a Don. He didn’t have to participate because he trained these guys. He’s off duty, why is he there. My son, I think he was more mad at him, he said he was like some king, came in, crossed his legs and watched them brutalize us. He is chief investigator, what is he investigating? Beating up someone for hire?
Jenkins pointed out several defendants are "young men." "They were born this way," he said. "Someone had to teach them this hate," said the father. He blamed McAlpin for molding the deputies into what they are. He asked the Court to impose the maximum sentence on Brett McAlpin.
Finally, it was time for former RSCO Chief of Investigations Brett McAlpin to make his plea for mercy. McAlpin said:
Michael and Eddie, I want you to know I'm sorry for what both of you went through on January 24. Michael, when I was told you were dead, I'm sorry I didn't get to you quicker. I'm sorry to your families. I have three boys and I know I would feel the way you do. ...
It's not the way people should treat each other.... Michael, Eddie, your family, I know what I can't say, I can't make up for the pain you've gone through.... I truly sorry, I am. Your honor, I'm really sorry for being a part of something that made part of law enforcement look so bad (as his voice broke.)
The attorneys returned to center stage as Gerras asked the Court to sentence McAlpin to serve 327 months in prison (27.25 years). Gerras said although the defendant was not part of the Goon Squad, he recruited them and trained them. He picked big tough guys who were willing to do the work of others. Middleton was willing to lend out his men. Without McAlpin, the Goon Squad would not exist. He molded them into the men they became. McAlpin has a total offense level of 39. He has experienced a lot of trauma as a police officer. I don't doubt that. Some of it is horrible, it may help inform on how he turned into the man he became but it doesn't excuse it. Brett McAlpin has been inflicting trauma on the citizens of Rankin County for decades.
McAlpin had a corrosive effect on the Rankin County Sheriff's Office. This was not the first time these men have done something. Some of these men are pretty young. Who taught them how to do stuff like this? Our investigation revealed it was Brad McAlpin. Young men who joined the Rankin County Sheriff's Office wanted to be like Brett McAlpin.McAlpin didn't sit at a desk. He beat people, forced confessions, trashed houses, and he tried to cover it up. This week, you saw Elward, Opdyke, and Dedmon try to wrap their heads around how they turned from good law enforcement officers into monsters. How did they learn to treat people this way? Your honor, your answer is sitting right there (as he pointed at McAlpin).
Sellers said the sentencing should be fair, there should not be a disparity. Taking the bull by the horns, Sellers addressed the issue of McAlpin allegedly not wanting black people in his community:
There is a character letter from Xavian Setephens. He was as student and football player at Belhaven that lost both parents. He had to still try to find a way to navigate through Belhaven University. He said McAlpin was his father figure and took him into his home. Xazien Stephens is Black. McAlpin has always looked at me and said Aafram, I’ve not used the N word. His crime is he shouldn’t have been there.
McAlpin stood before football team at Belhaven University and said I was wrong. He said if you ever come in that situation you have a choice. You do the right thing. You help the people who need it. Learn from me. At the crossroad of right and wrong, do right. I believe he stands by that.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred on January 24th, 2023, at approximately 11:45 p.m. near 135 Conerly Road in Braxton, Mississippi.
Rankin County Sheriff’s Department deputies were conducting a narcotics investigation when they encountered a subject that displayed a gun towards the deputies. The subject was transported to a nearby hospital. The officers received no injuries.
MBI is currently assessing this critical incident and gathering evidence. Upon completing the investigation, agents will share their findings with the Attorney General’s Office.
39 comments:
Bailey might not know “who struck John” but you can bet he knew John was toting an ass whipping. McAlpin was Baileys “handle business” man.
It's mind boggling that Elward didn't receive the same sentence as Dedmon.
Fruits of a poisonous tree is not a remote concept when it comes to revisiting any case that this bunch was involved in.
The only thing the Goons are sorry for is getting caught. There is no telling how many times this sort of thing was done in the past and how many more times the Goons would have done it again. It's a shame that they can't spend their prison time among the general population at Parchman.
I am officially saturated with Goon Squad news.
Damn Kingfish, your really hate that guy with all your extra adjectives! McAlpin violate you? Dedmon hem you up at the old courthouse gym in the “sauna”? Let it go man
I went to school with Brett. I was a couple of years older than him. He was raised right! I dont know what happened to him. He played sports, he might have lettered in at least 3? His dad was our HS principal. He was very well thought of. All the kids loved his dad. I never saw anything that would make me think Brett was a bad apple growing up. His whole family are good people. I know 2 of his cousins and both of them are fine upstanding men/leaders in their communities. I won’t say much about his family because they will be singled out and they surely don’t deserve that. I really hate that Rankin county taxpayers will be on the hook for probably hundreds of millions of dollars. Where is the leadership in Rankin County?!?!. Where are the BOS’s?!?! Good ole boys do exist!!! Just disgusted more in Bailey right now, more so than Goon squad. He didn’t police his own. Sadly his promotion of it, absence of any real checks and balances, makes him a co-conspirator in my opinion. That is a crime. He should have to carry the burden financially in this as well.
I strongly agree with 4:03 PM. This terrible incident wasn't their first rodeo. How many innocent people copped a plea on trumped up charges?
Monsters make monsters.
But who hired, trained, and promoted these monsters?
Oh, the "duly elected" ("eff u Rankin, I ain't stepping down") Bailey. Pissed. Really, really pissed. Stand up BOS. Stand up, Tater. Stand up, Miss. Chiefs of Police COP and Miss Sheriff's Association. Where are the men?
I was behind a fancy expensive car today with a Rotary Rankin tag. Their motto is Service before Self.
Where are you community leaders? Working on a recall petition, or hiding your head in the sand?
Because it seems Bailey puts Self Service before all other things.
ACT. Despite these horrors, there are great men and women in Law Enforcement who can do far, far, far better. Find them and remove Bailey and let's elect a great new Sheriff.
Bailey has publicly stated that his role models are Lloyd Jones and Irldean Rhodes.
5:23
There are a few ! Unfortunately most wouldn’t listen when the alarm was sounded awhile back , he had them hoodwinked with the taking the trustee’s to church shtick !
And that midget goon Bailey is still loose on the public
mc alpin was chief of investigations with rankin s . o.
chief of investigations!!!
let that sink in a moment............
and that little weasel sheriff , brian bailey, has the nerve to tell the public he had no idea what his chief of investigations did from one day to the next.
my cat coughs up better stuff than what bailey has to say.
Money bets Bailey kept Brett out of trouble enough that it’s time to pay the piper and take one for the team. Brett is a team player and will not snitch like the week other deputies did, other wise we wouldn’t be in this situation.
5:23 is on the mark. Where is the outrage from Rankin County leaders, judges, DA’s, from fellow sheriffs and fellow chiefs of police? What about other high ranking law enforcement officers some of whom have professed great respect for and almost idolatry for Sheriff Bailey? Looking at you Madison PD! The silence of fellow leaders in law enforcement really speaks volumes about their priorities. There are still plenty of monsters in blue who are leading and grooming future monsters. If this investigation into police misconduct and criminality stops with the goon squad, it will be a real shame as well as a huge missed opportunity to significantly reform law enforcement practices which regard the Constitution as an annoyance to be worked around.
1. I never have trusted the police/cops
2. I have never broken the law besides a speeding ticket and I always do what they ask
3. Most law enforcement officers are uneducated beings, there are a lot of successful uneducated people in the world. We shouldn’t give some of them guns and clubs much less a car with blue lights and siren.
KF, With all that being said what made the GS choose these 2 law abiding citizens? Suspects? Location? Skin color? Bored? Just a thing police do?
“How many innocent people copped a plea on trumped up charges?” said @5:20 PM.
And how many innocent people copped a plea on trumped up charges, told by their lawyers “This is the best deal I can make, you’d better take it now, right now, and don’t go to trial, because the jury always believes the cops”?
I sat on a jury — Texas — in which police testified. During deliberation, one juror questioned the veracity of that testimony to which another juror, a truck driver for the local Coca-Cola bottler, replied, “They cain’t lie. They the poe-leece.”
True story.
Question everyone every time.
Discrepancies in reports were more than likely proven by a lie detector test is my guess. Test are usually not permitted in court. Prayers for everyone involved in this, families, law enforcement, lawyers and judge. All of these have young and old family members both young and old affected by this now and in the future. Prayers that we can all move on & lead better, more productive lives to all show the life that Jesus want us to follow in his footsteps!
8:12 one victim admitted in the press conference after the verdict he was a felon. Even though they are required to check on felons and or report to authorities all of us have rights & should be treated with respect. Now is a great learning time for everyone to learn and live a better life.
Wow, 4:45PM! You've really told us a lot about YOURSELF. You're really a tortured & conflicted little individual, aren't you?
8:13
A neighbor to this house called the sheriffs dept about it.
" He molded them into the men they became. McAlpin has a total offense level of 39."
Anyone know what Total Offense level means?
The movie will be coming out on Netflix in 2025.
"Deliverance, Rankin County Style"
What they did was bad. Where do the monsters come from. They come from the fear of what they have seen the other monsters do. In their heads, they were fighting the monsters they feared.
People, this is Mississippi. People expect the cops to be crooks. Why do you think they became cops? Take a good look at the sheriff. Does he look or act like he cares about the people? He is in it for himself and if you would have ever talked to him you would know that. People complain about Mississippi being last. What can you expect when they choose losers like this for their law enforcement.
@10:56 AM - Google is your friend.
What about the ADA’s who prosecuted all the cases? What about all the people who took pleas because it was their word against and officers? Word at the water fountain is that the DA is not reviewing any cases of the person plead guilty. “They should have taken it to trial and went after the credibility of the officers”.. WHAT?! Show me the last time a Rankin County Jury found someone not guilty in a drug case???
REVIEW ALL THE CASES THESE OFFICERS WERE INVOLVED IN. GUILTY PLEA OR NOT.
10:56 AM - There was a huge discrepancy in federal court sentences for the same crimes all around the country. The courts wanted some national standards so that sentences were more uniform for the same crime. They came up with the federal sentencing guidelines. Judges are not bound by the guidelines, but they generally hold to them and if they don't, they usually explain why they didn't.
Here's a link:
Federal Sentencing Guidelines
The best thing for the wives and children of these men is to move. Not just to another street or county but to another state. Right or wrong they will be judged and treated based upon the actions of these men. The children will really come out on the wrong end and will be mistreated especially from people they thought were friends.
Thank you @12:57
@11:28 "Where do the monsters come from. They come from the fear of what they have seen the other monsters do. In their heads, they were fighting the monsters they feared."
Very edgy take, but that doesn't make it true. These men probably started on this path out of a misguided sense that what they did would keep their county safe. By the time this event came around, they had done things like this so much that they enjoyed it. They weren't fearful of these victims.
The Goons don't deserve people justifying their actions. You don't need to commit hate crimes to keep a jurisdiction safe.
10 years from now, there will be nothing left of Rankin county but a shell of itself. The thugs have won. Bring on the dope. Its coming. There will be no law in Rankin. I dont care if you like it or not. Truth is the truth.
Don't be shy, Kingfish, take a bow. This is a remarkably good piece of journalism at its best. I hope we can keep you around for a long time.
11:29
Just insert the word Politician where you have Sheriff and that pretty much sums up why we are at this point in time all across this country.
1227 - don't know where you are 'hearing' what the 'word is' - but I'll take ten to one odds that your word ain't even close.
Word I'm hearing is there there are not dozens, but dozens of dozens of cases that are being reviewed, dropped, or otherwise addressed.
Read page 9 of the sentencing recommendation for Deadmon - top of the page - where it references the 'sealed report' of other issues not included in the record pertaining to the two cases filed against him. Clearly the feds have information on other cases and incidents, and if the DA doesn't do something about them, the feds will.
Sheriff Bryan Bailey is either complicit or incompetent…either way, he has to be replaced. I have a strong feeling, some of these dirty deputies received lesser sentences due to what they have told about how the Rankin County Sheriff’s department is being run. I believe they told in a plea deal to receive less time in prison. With all they could have been charged with…torture,aggravated assault etc, they all should have received life in prison, no parole…if the DOJ/FBI did the right thing, the truth will come out.
"10 years from now, there will be nothing left of Rankin county but a shell of itself. The thugs have won. Bring on the dope. Its coming. There will be no law in Rankin. I dont care if you like it or not. Truth is the truth."
Probably. And sadly the Good Squad is fully to blame for that too.
These monsters think they were heroically saving the County, and in doing so they have ensured that no decent person will ever want to be in Rankin LEO and any honest LEOs will now face insane scrutiny and distrust because these thug cops could not manage to function within in the legal boundaries of their jobs.
Not to mention the financial burden these idiots created. I hope they all rot in prison.
Imagine what an office party would be like at a Rankin country sheriffs office. Everyone is loaded with weapons, drugs, and dildoes.
Karma will serve one the same poison you served to others. spend your time here treating others right. For each will have judgement day. They say its very hot in He&&.
I would think the crowding problem would be one reason for the heat.
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