Records reveal 57 Georgia prison inmates slain

Georgia State Prison at Reidsville, seen here in 2005, has seen five inmates slain over the past 22 months, according to a new AJC investigation into inmate deaths across Georgia's prison system. (Renee' Hannans Henry / AJC file)

Credit: AJC

Credit: AJC

Georgia State Prison at Reidsville, seen here in 2005, has seen five inmates slain over the past 22 months, according to a new AJC investigation into inmate deaths across Georgia's prison system. (Renee' Hannans Henry / AJC file)

Editor’s note: This story, first published in November, has been updated throughout to include new information the AJC obtained on homicides in state prisons.

In the past two years, at least 57 inmates of Georgia state prisons have been victims of homicides, according to records The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained. The total breaks down to 29 homicides in 2020 and 28 in 2021.

Many of the deaths were listed in the state’s death certificate database and specified the cause of death. Other deaths were classified by the Georgia Department of Corrections or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as homicides but causes of death have not yet been reported.

The 57 homicides for 2020-2021 nearly triple the total for 2018-2019, when 21 homicides in Georgia prisons were documented by the Department of Corrections. Fourteen of the homicides occurred in 2019 and seven in 2018.

Augusta State Medical Prison is the flagship of Georgia’s correctional healthcare system. (Georgia Department of Corrections)

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Augusta State Medical Prison

Eddie Gosier, 39, May 2, 2020, ligature strangulation

Thomas Henry Giles, 31, Oct. 28, 2020, inhalation of products of combustion

Terry Lee Bennett II, 43, Jan. 10, 2021, blunt impact to the head

Ali Lamont Tanner, 45, July 2, 2021, stabbed

Baldwin State Prison in Milledgeville is a medium-security facility. During a two-month stretch over the summer, four Baldwin inmates died in separate incidents labeled homicides by the Department of Corrections. (Georgia Department of Corrections)

Credit: Contributed

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Credit: Contributed

Baldwin State Prison

Joshua Williams, 22, July 3, 2020, multiple sharp force injuries

Jose Martin Ibarra Garcia, 41, June 15, 2021, multiple stab wounds to the head

Edward McCloud, 40, July 23, 2021, sharp force injury to the neck

Jamari McClinton, 21, August 11, 2021, stabbed

Bedarius Clark, 26, August 21, 2021, homicide. Cause not reported.

Coastal State Prison in the Savannah area (Georgia Department of Corrections)

Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections

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Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections

Central State Prison

Joshua Carl-Haynes Lester, 34, July 28, 2021, stab wound to the chest

Coastal State Prison

Kion Parks, 31, Sept. 15, 2021, stabbed

Rufus Lee, 27, Dec. 14, 2021, homicide. Cause not reported.

Coffee Correctional Facility in Nicholls (Georgia Department of Corrections)

Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections

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Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections

Coffee Correctional Facility

Kendall Cromer, 31, Nov. 30, 2020, stab wound of the neck and chest

Georgia State Prison in Reidsville (AJC file)

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Georgia State Prison

Raul Bailon Garcia, 45, April 21, 2020, positional asphyxia and suffocation due to assault

Joctavious Artez Newsome, 25, Nov. 4, 2020, stab wound

Demetrius Stubbins, 38, Dec. 21, 2020, stab wound to the chest

Christopher Dewayne Mathis, 37, Feb. 26, 2021, blunt force trauma to head

Fabian Garcia-Mata, 27, Sept. 10, 2021, multiple stab wounds

Troy Harvey, 34, Sept. 12, 2021, stab wound of the chest.

Hancock State Prison (Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com)

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Hancock State Prison

Cesar Arnold Pastrana Morales, 33, March13, 2020, stab wound of the chest

Rashad Bolton, 29, Jan. 4, 2021, puncture wound to the chest with sharp object

Dwayne Zackery Jr. 22, Feb. 12, 2021, stab wound to the chest with homemade knife

Hays State Prison, in northwest Georgia, near Trion (Georgia Department of Corrections)

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Hays State Prison

Anthony L. McGhee Jr., 34, March 29, 2020, complications of blunt force head trauma and sharp force trauma of torso and extremities

Jorge Renberto Ventura-Cabrera, 35, June 5, 2021, stab wounds of neck, torso and upper extremities

Johnson State Prison

Jerry Lee Brown, 61, Nov. 12, 2020, stab wounds to the head, blunt force injury to face

David Henegar, 44, Oct. 16, 2021, homicide. Cause not reported.

Macon State Prison, southwest of Oglethorpe, Ga. (Danny Robbins / AJC File)

Credit: AJC File

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Credit: AJC File

Macon State Prison

Johnny Eugene Young, 24, Jan. 27, 2020, sharp force injury of mouth/tongue

Rafael Blas Becerra, 36, March 7, 2020, stab wounds to the upper torso

Carrington Jwon Frye, 23, March 20, 2020, stab wounds of the neck and chest

David Dennis, 34, May 13, 2020, multiple sharp force injuries

Coty Dustin Silvers, 39, May 23, 2020, asphyxia

Bobby Edward Lee Jr., 38, July 13, 2020, ligature strangulation

Robbie B. Brower, 58, Oct. 4, 2020, blunt and sharp force injuries to the head and neck

Raul Villegas, 37, Dec. 13, 2020, homicide. Cause not reported.

Carlos Maurice Fisher Jr., 30, May 10, 2021, multiple sharp force injuries

Ryan Weston Darville, 37, Dec. 29, 2021, stab wounds of the chest.

Rutledge State Prison in Columbus (Georgia Department of Corrections)

Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections

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Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections

Phillips State Prison

David Stone, 61, Nov. 20, 2021, closed head trauma, delayed effects

Rutledge State Prison

Curtis Mincey, 74, July 22, 2021, blunt force trauma of the head, neck, torso and extremities

Smith State Prison in Glennville (Georgia Department of Corrections)

Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections

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Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections

Smith State Prison

Taylor Harrison Brooks, 26, April 10, 2020, multiple stab wounds

John Bretleir Reyes Cardona, 24, April 20, 2020, exsanguination from stab wound to neck

Justin Wilkerson, 25, Jan. 6, 2021, homicide. Cause not reported.

Desmond Hill, 35, April 9, 2021, strangulation

Hiwatha Abdulcah Hakeem Jr., 36, April 12, 2021, multiple stab wounds

Derrick Dionte Deshun Harvey, 26, June 25, 2021, stab wound to the chest

Christopher Reynolds, 38, July 1, 2021, homicide. Cause not reported.

Christopher Redwine, 45, Sept. 27, 2021, asphyxia due to manual strangulation

Telfair State Prison in Helena (Georgia Department of Corrections)

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Telfair State Prison

Cedric La’Troy Johnson Sr., 35, March 20, 2020, strangulation

Aldrich Norval Cain, 26, April 23, 2020, multiple stab wounds

Marcus Derrelle Ra Jr., 28, May 29, 2020, multiple stab wounds

Luis Garcia Palacio, 41, July 28, 2020, blunt impact injuries of the head

Juan Arguello-Revelles, 38, May 7, 2021, homicide. Cause not reported.

Valdosta State Prison (Georgia Department of Corrections)

Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections

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Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections

Valdosta State Prison

Prince Leonard Blige, 54, Feb. 12, 2020, stab wound to torso

Orvonta Tilman, 36, June 16, 2020, homicide. Cause not reported.

Bobby Carpenter, 31, Sept. 9, 2020, stab wound to chest

Ware State Prison

Robert Lee Wilson III, 31, July 17, 2020, multiple stab wounds

Christopher Arnett Rawls, 32, Sept. 5, 2020, strangulation

Christopher Gresham, 39, Sept. 29, 2021, stab wounds of back and lower extremities.

Data journalist Jennifer Peebles contributed to this report.