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Beasley, Jacob
Status: active
Profile written August 2, 2026
This profile reflects positional accountability — this individual held the leadership roles shown during the dates shown, during which the listed deaths or lawsuits occurred. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding of personal culpability for any specific incident.
Tenure Summary
Jacob Beasley has served in the Georgia Department of Corrections since at least 2007, rising through the ranks from Correctional Officer to his current position as Warden of the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison. GPS records attribute a total of 57 deaths to facilities where Beasley held a leadership role as Deputy Warden or Warden. These deaths occurred across Telfair State Prison (14 deaths), Valdosta State Prison (7 deaths), Smith State Prison (17 deaths), and Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (19 deaths). During his career, Beasley has been named as a defendant in eight federal civil rights lawsuits; several of these cases have been terminated, while others remain pending.What happened on their watch
Beasley’s first leadership-tier posting was as Deputy Warden at Telfair State Prison, a role he held from 2019 through 2021. GPS records show 14 deaths attributed to the facility during this period. Among them, a coroner’s certificate for William Hiram Lumpkin listed the cause as sepsis and acute pancreatitis, but GPS reports and a witness account allege that Lumpkin complained of chest pain and was refused medical evaluation by a doctor. Per an Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) investigation, three of the deaths at Telfair were homicides, including Cedric Latroy Johnson, who died by strangulation, and Marcus Derrelle Pearson and Aldrich Norval Cain, who died from multiple stab wounds. A family member of Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano, who died at the facility under Beasley’s tenure, reached a $3.2 million settlement with the State of Georgia in 2026, according to 13WMAZ.In 2022, Beasley moved to Valdosta State Prison as Deputy Warden. Per GPS records, seven deaths are attributed to his single year at the facility. An AJC investigation documented two homicides: Hakeem Olajuwon Williams, who was fatally stabbed, and Dexter Jarrod Burnett, who died of a stab wound to the torso. A lawsuit and media reports later detailed that Officer Angela Butler locked a handcuffed Williams in a cell with an unrestrained inmate who then killed him. A federal judge later sanctioned the GDC for destroying video evidence of the incident. During Beasley’s tenure, multiple GDC officers were also indicted in Operation Skyhawk for allegedly smuggling contraband for an inmate, and a separate federal indictment targeted a methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking network directed from within the prison.
Beasley assumed his first Warden posting at Smith State Prison in 2023. Seventeen deaths are attributed to his two-year tenure there. Eight of the deaths in 2023 were homicides, per the AJC, including Quenton George Mayo (stab wounds), Calvin Darrell Denson (stab wound to chest), and Anthony Joseph Zino (asphyxia by neck compression). A GBI autopsy obtained by GPS determined that Lawrence Leon Woods died of acute peritonitis from a probable perforated ulcer, a condition GPS deemed survivable and categorized as medical neglect. The facility experienced severe systemic dysfunction preceding Beasley’s arrival; his predecessor, Warden Brian Adams, was later indicted on RICO charges for allegedly accepting bribes in a contraband scheme that the Georgia Virtue reported facilitated multiple murders from within the prison.
Beasley transferred in 2025 to his current role as Warden of Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, where GPS records attribute 19 deaths to his tenure as of the latest data. The deaths include a cluster of six inmates who died over eight weeks in early 2026: Christopher Lee, Trevone Lavelle Lovett, Novice H. Langston, James Thompson, Terry Junie Marshall, and Leonel Cedillo. A prisoner report for Lee alleged he was placed in a stripped cell and died from cold or exposure, but a later GBI autopsy ruled the manner natural, citing probable cardiac dysrhythmia. Mark Rutledge died in late June 2026; a user report notes he was beaten on Father’s Day. A separate AJC investigation documented that inmate David “Toro” Zavala had 35 cellphones seized from him while incarcerated at the facility.
Litigation
- Jackson v. Beasley, No. 4:23-cv-00198 (M.D. Ga. 2023): filed December 8, 2023, terminated January 8, 2024.
- Grier v. Jacob Beasley, No. 1:25-cv-00074 (N.D. Ga. 2025): filed January 7, 2025; pending.
- Daker v. Oliver, No. 1:25-cv-03191 (N.D. Ga. 2025): filed June 6, 2025, terminated March 30, 2026.
- Hamilton v. Beasley, No. 6:25-cv-00057 (S.D. Ga. 2025): filed July 22, 2025; pending.
- Miller v. Holt, No. 5:25-cv-00356 (M.D. Ga. 2025): filed August 25, 2025; pending.
- Humphreys v. Oliver, No. 1:25-cv-06100 (N.D. Ga. 2025): filed October 24, 2025, terminated December 10, 2025.
- Humphreys v. Oliver, No. 1:25-cv-07012 (N.D. Ga. 2025): filed December 9, 2025, terminated January 15, 2026.
- Pak v. Sprayberry, No. 4:21-cv-00113 (N.D. Ga. 2021): filed June 15, 2021, terminated March 4, 2022.
Sources
- GPS records — personnel positions, death totals, user reports, and witness claims
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation, contraband scheme reporting
- GBI Division of Forensic Sciences — autopsy reports for Christopher Lee, Lawrence Leon Woods, Walter Russell Wright, and Boris Ignacio Mejia
- 13WMAZ — $3.2 million settlement for Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano
- The Georgia Virtue — indictment and civil suit against former Smith Warden Brian Adams
- WRDW — flooded cell video incident at Valdosta State Prison
- WTOC — inmate death discovery delay at Valdosta State Prison
- In These Times — allegations of cruel and unusual punishment and staff contraband sales at Georgia prisons
- Court records via CourtListener — federal civil rights lawsuits naming Beasley as a defendant
- Telfair County Coroner — death certificates for William Lumpkin, Jeremy Williams, William Locust, Aldrich Cain, and Cedric Johnson
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Warden | GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON | 2025-07-16 → present |
| WARDEN 3 | GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| WARDEN 3 | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → 2024-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → 2021-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | HAYS STATE PRISON | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL SERGEANT | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 |
| CORRECTION ADMINISTRATION | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Unit Manager | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2014-01-01 → 2014-12-31 |
| Lieutenant | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2012-01-01 → 2012-12-31 |
| Sergeant | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2009-01-01 → 2009-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2007-01-01 → 2007-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:25-cv-07012 | GAND | 2025-12-09 | terminated |
| 1:25-cv-06100 | GAND | 2025-10-24 | terminated |
| 5:25-cv-00356 | GAMD | 2025-08-25 | pending |
| 6:25-cv-00057 | GASD | 2025-07-22 | pending |
| 1:25-cv-03191 | GAND | 2025-06-06 | terminated |
| 1:25-cv-00074 | GAND | 2025-01-07 | pending |
| 4:23-cv-00198 | GAMD | 2023-12-08 | terminated |
| 4:21-cv-00113 | GAND | 2021-06-15 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
57 people died at facilities under Beasley, Jacob's leadership.
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