A lawsuit filed by the family of a man killed while serving time in a nearby prison ended this week for $4 million settlement with the state after David Henegar was killed by his cellmate at the Johnson State Prison in Wrightsville. The settlement was agreed upon just a little over a week before a federal jury was to hear the case.
Henegar was in the custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2021 when he told prison staff that he was afraid of his cellmate, but his family says those concerns were ignored by prison staff.
Sources say the complaint by Henegar’s family was filed two years ago in the Southern District Federal Court with the deceased inmate’s family describing that their family member was first chocked unconscious by the inmate with whom he shared a cell, and then a week later, on October 16, 2021, an hours long assault by the unidentified cellmate resulted in Henegar’s death.
The family’s attorney said Henegar’s cellmate suffered from severe mental illness and psychosis, but the prison could have prevented the murder from happening if they had taken the complaint seriously. Rachel Brady, who represented Henegar’s family, said prison officials cannot turn a blind eye to a known risk of serious harm to an inmate.
The suit named former Georgia Department of Corrections Commission Timothy Ward as one of the defendants along with four correctional officers. Each is charged with multiple violations of David Henegar’s civil rights. The defendants have made no admission of guilt in the charges.
This lawsuit is considered one of the largest settlements associated with the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Reports of inmate death in Georgia Prisons seem to be increasing with the fourth inmate at Hancock State Prison in Sparta this year reported this past Tuesday, and this follows a statewide lockdown at all Georgia Department of Corrections facilities last week following a gang-related altercation at Smith State Prison in Glennville.
By Kathy Hilt