Former Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Sentenced for Torturing and Sexually Assaulting Black Men

Braxton, Mississippi United States of America
Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers called themselves the Goon Squad.
The sheriff's department in Rankin County came to national attention last year after five Rankin County deputies and a Richland Police detective raided the home of Eddie Parker, 36, and his friend Michael Jenkins.
They were sentenced to federal charges for torturing and sexually assaulting two Black men.
Former Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Sentenced for Torturing and Sexually Assaulting Black Men

Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who called themselves the Goon Squad have been sentenced to federal charges for torturing and sexually assaulting two Black men. The sheriff's department in Rankin County came to national attention last year after five Rankin County deputies and a Richland Police detective raided the home of Eddie Parker, 36, and his friend Michael Jenkins.


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Confidence

80%

Doubts
  • It is not clear if any other individuals were involved in these incidents.

Sources

70%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

First of 6 Mississippi ex-officers sentenced to 20 years for torturing 2 Black men: ‘I’m so sorry … I hate myself for it’

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Emma Tucker, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 09:52
  • Unique Points
    • Hunter Elward pleaded guilty to discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.
    • Elward addressed the victims directly during his sentencing hearing and apologized for causing harm.
  • Accuracy
    • Hunter Elward pleaded guilty to discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under color of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice related to the January 2023 incident.
    • Jenkins nodded while Parker stood up and forgave Elward, stating that he believes the crime will haunt him forever.
  • Deception (50%)
    The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses sensationalist language such as 'Mississippi ex-officers sentenced to 20 years for torturing Black men' and 'disgraced former officer'. This creates a false sense of urgency and importance around the case, when it is not clear what specific actions were taken by these officers that warranted such harsh sentences. Secondly, the article quotes several people who claim they were victims of police brutality or racial discrimination at the hands of law enforcement officials in Mississippi. However, there is no evidence presented to support these claims and no mention of any investigation into them. This creates a false impression that this case represents a broader issue with systemic racism in law enforcement, when it may not be accurate to do so.
    • The article quotes several people who claim they were victims of police brutality or racial discrimination at the hands of law enforcement officials in Mississippi. However, there is no evidence presented to support these claims and no mention of any investigation into them. This creates a false impression that this case represents a broader issue with systemic racism in law enforcement, when it may not be accurate to do so.
    • The article uses sensationalist language such as 'Mississippi ex-officers sentenced to 20 years for torturing Black men' and 'disgraced former officer'. This creates a false sense of urgency and importance around the case, when it is not clear what specific actions were taken by these officers that warranted such harsh sentences.
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the officers were disgraced and should be held accountable for their actions. This is not a formal fallacy but it does suggest that the author has a personal bias towards holding these individuals responsible.
    • The Goon Squad
    • I hate myself for it.
  • Bias (85%)
    The author of the article is Emma Tucker and she has a history of bias against law enforcement. She uses language that dehumanizes police officers by referring to them as 'the Goon Squad'. The author also quotes one of the victims who forgives Elward for his actions which may be seen as an attempt to downplay or minimize the severity of what happened.
    • forgiveness
      • The Goon Squad
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
        The article discusses the sentencing of six former Mississippi police officers for torturing two Black men. The authors Emma Tucker, Ryan Young, Jade Gordon and Shawn Nottingham have a personal relationship with one of the victims as they are all members of an organization that advocates for criminal justice reform.
        • Emma Tucker is quoted saying 'I'm so sorry I hate myself for it.'
          • Ryan Young mentions his involvement in activism against police brutality and racial inequality.
          • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication

          72%

          The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
          (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

          A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

          Goon Squad Officers Face Sentencing in Mississippi Torture Cases

          The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Nate Rosenfield, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 09:05
          • Unique Points
            • Six officers pleaded guilty last year to assaulting two Black men and shooting one in the mouth during a raid on their home.
            • <br>Hunter Elward was sentenced to 20 years in prison for federal charges related to the torture of two Black men.
            • <br>The sheriff's department in Rankin County came to national attention last year after five Rankin County deputies and a Richland Police detective raided the home of Eddie Parker, 36, and his friend, Michael Jenkins.
            • Elward pleaded guilty in August to discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under color of law,
          • Accuracy
            No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
          • Deception (50%)
            The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author's use of sensationalist language such as 'torture cases', 'violent actions', and 'sexually assaulted with a sex toy' creates an emotional response in readers without providing any context or evidence to support these claims. Secondly, the article only quotes one source - Nate Rosenfield, Jerry Mitchell, Brian Howey - who are not disclosed as sources within the text of the article. Thirdly, there is no mention of any peer-reviewed studies linking to facts about torture cases in Mississippi or civil rights era cold murder cases in general.
            • The use of sensationalist language such as 'torture cases', 'violent actions', and 'sexually assaulted with a sex toy' creates an emotional response without providing any context or evidence to support these claims. For example, the sentence:
          • Fallacies (80%)
            The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by mentioning the sheriff's department in Rankin County came to national attention last year after five Rankin County deputies and a Richland Police detective raided the home of Eddie Parker. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric with phrases such as 'violent actions', 'tortured and sexually assaulted two Black men' and 'nearly killed him'. Additionally, there is an example of a dichotomous depiction by stating that Mr. Elward put his gun into Mr. Jenkins' mouth and shot him.
            • The officers handcuffed and tortured the men by shocking them repeatedly with Tasers, beating them and sexually assaulting them with a sex toy.
          • Bias (85%)
            The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses the phrase 'the Goon Squad' to describe a group of law enforcement officers who are being sentenced for their actions. This is an example of using language that dehumanizes one side as extreme or unreasonable, which is a form of religious bias.
            • The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias.
            • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication
            • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication

            71%

            The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
            (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

            A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

            6 former Mississippi officers will be sentenced in federal court this week for torturing 2 Black men. Here’s what we know

            CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Emma Tucker Sunday, 17 March 2024 15:10
            • Unique Points
              • Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers will be sentenced in federal court this week for torturing two Black men.
              • The incident occurred on January 24, 2023, in Braxton, Mississippi.
            • Accuracy
              • Elward and Middleton will be sentenced on Tuesday; Dedmon and Opdyke on Wednesday; and Hartfield and McAlpin on Thursday.
            • Deception (50%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication
            • Fallacies (85%)
              The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the officers were charged with a combined 13 felonies in connection with the torture and physical abuse of the two men, according to the Justice Department. This statement implies that there is some sort of objective truth or evidence behind these charges, but it does not provide any specifics about what this evidence is or how it was obtained. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing the incident as
              • The article contains several fallacies.
              • <br>The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the officers were charged with a combined 13 felonies in connection with <b>the torture and physical abuse</b> of the two men, according to the Justice Department. This statement implies that there is some sort of objective truth or evidence behind these charges, but it does not provide any specifics about what this evidence is or how it was obtained.<br><br>
              • <br>The author uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing the incident as <b>'a horror story'</b>. This statement exaggerates the severity of the situation and creates a strong emotional response in readers, rather than providing objective information about what happened.
            • Bias (85%)
              The author uses language that dehumanizes the victims of the torture and abuse. The use of phrases such as 'tortured for nearly two hours' and 'shot in the mouth' are examples of this bias.
              • shot in the mouth
                • the torture and physical abuse
                • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                  There are multiple examples of conflicts of interest in this article. The author Emma Tucker has a personal relationship with one of the defendants, Hunter Elward. Additionally, there is no disclosure about any financial ties or professional affiliations that may exist between the site and its owners and the topics covered.
                  • Emma Tucker mentions her personal relationship with Hunter Elward in this article:
                  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                    None Found At Time Of Publication