Sentencing postponed again for Mississippi police officers who tortured two Black men
Crime
Sentencing postponed again for Mississippi police officers who tortured two Black men
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge has, for the second time, postponed sentencing for six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for torturing two Black men.
Sentencing had been set to begin on Jan. 16, but a court hearing schedule shows that U.S. District Judge Tom Lee has pushed back sentencing to March 19. In October, he granted motions from some of the former officers to delay sentencing after their attorneys said they needed more time to evaluate sentencing reports and prepare objections.
The men admitted in August to subjecting Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker to numerous acts of racially motivated, violent torture. In a January 2023 episode, a group of six officers burst into a home without a warrant and assaulted Jenkins and Parker with stun guns, a sex toy and other objects, prosecutors said in court, reading a lengthy description of the abuse.
After a mock execution went awry when Jenkins was shot in the mouth, they devised a coverup that included planting drugs and a gun. False charges stood against Jenkins and Parker for months.
