0:10

The dimly lit courtroom , echoing

0:12

the profound silence of somber onlookers

0:15

, was blanketed in an oppressive

0:17

tension . Six men

0:19

ex-law enforcement officers

0:21

stood like ghostly figures , chained

0:24

in dawning , the dark shades of prison jumpsuits

0:26

, the coarse fabric rustled

0:29

with each breath they took the jagged

0:31

edges of silver duct tape , cloaked the

0:33

names of the county jails where they resided

0:35

, a futile attempt to hide

0:37

their newfound shame . Every

0:40

soul in that room was fully aware of

0:42

the monstrous acts these officers had committed

0:45

earlier that year against two black

0:47

men in Braxton , mississippi . Their

0:50

pleas resonated like a mournful requiem

0:52

, admitting guilt to both state

0:54

and federal charges , accusations

0:56

made all the more heinous by the believed

0:59

racial motivations . The

1:01

haunting whispers of their names Christian

1:03

Deadman , hunter Ellward , brett McAlpin

1:06

, jeffrey Middleton , daniel Oppdike

1:08

and Joshua Hartfield echoed

1:10

, like specters from the past , the

1:13

roles they had played in the incident . Seemingly

1:15

guided by shadowy intentions , accusations

1:18

swirled home invasion

1:20

, aggravated assault and

1:22

obstruction of justice . Word

1:25

had spread that they had acted without

1:27

warrants and rumors whispered

1:29

that they had self-proclaimed themselves as

1:32

the Goon Squad , a

1:34

chilling moniker reflecting a willingness

1:36

to exact brutality without conscience

1:38

or consequence . Outside

1:41

the courtroom's heavy doors , the Justice Department

1:43

issued a bleak news release detailing

1:46

the combined 13 felonies Inside

1:49

CNN's attempts to extract

1:51

. Comments from the attorneys were met mostly

1:53

with silence , a wall of hushed

1:56

resistance . Jeffrey Reynolds

1:58

, attorney for Oppdike , released a

2:00

heavy sigh . His voice trembling , he

2:03

acknowledges his grave mistakes

2:05

. Every night he is haunted

2:07

by the faces of Mr Jenkins and Mr

2:09

Parker . Their memories

2:11

remained stark and painful the

2:13

torment they faced , the handcuffs

2:15

biting into their skin , the chilling sensation

2:18

of water used to drown out their voices and

2:20

the hateful racial slurs that acted as

2:22

the soundtrack to their nightmare . The

2:25

chilling climax of the horror occurred

2:27

when Ellward , with a sinister calm

2:29

, forced Jenkins onto his knees

2:31

, placing the cold barrel of his gun

2:33

into his mouth , firing it not once

2:35

but twice . Jenkins'

2:38

pain was palpable the searing

2:40

bullets slicing through his tongue , shattering

2:43

his jaw and exiting his neck

2:45

. The officers

2:47

, as if acting in a sinister play , discussed

2:49

fabricating a cover story In

2:52

the dim night , with the sinister silhouette

2:54

of the woods looming . Soiled clothes

2:57

were discarded , evidence was destroyed

2:59

and the memory of their dark

3:01

deeds attempted to be drowned in a nearby

3:03

creek . The story

3:05

became even murkier when Rankin

3:07

County Sheriff Brian Bailey , with

3:10

a sorrowful gaze , announced the termination

3:12

of several deputies , without revealing specifics

3:15

. Hartfield , whose

3:17

role in the darkness had stained the Richland

3:19

Police Department , tendered his resignation

3:21

. Despite the gloom , bailey

3:23

clung to a sliver of hope , wishing

3:25

for justice for the victims . His

3:28

voice echoed . The Rankin County

3:31

Sheriff's Office continues its endeavors

3:33

to mend its fractured soul . He

3:36

yearned for a time where the shadows of January's

3:38

tragic events would never darken their

3:40

doorsteps again . In

3:42

the midst of this brooding tale , bailey

3:45

announced his intention to run for re-election

3:47

. A glimmer of hope perhaps for

3:49

a community yearning for light amidst

3:51

such darkness .