Beasley, Jacob

Tenure Summary

Jacob Beasley entered the Georgia Department of Corrections as a correctional officer at Rogers State Prison in 2007, rose through sergeant and lieutenant ranks at Rogers, Telfair and Valdosta, and reached facility leadership as deputy warden at Hays State Prison in 2018. He was deputy warden at Telfair State Prison from 2019 through 2021, deputy warden at Valdosta State Prison in 2022, and WARDEN 3 at Smith State Prison across 2023 and 2024. In 2025 he moved to the warden post at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, where personnel records list him as active.

Forty-eight deaths are attributed to his leadership tenures, per the GPS death registry: 21 at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification, 14 at Telfair, 7 at Valdosta and 6 at Smith. The Georgia Department of Administrative Services risk-management settlement ledger records five liability payouts tied to facilities he led during those years — $9,811 at Telfair and $71 at Valdosta. Dockets naming him as a defendant are listed under Litigation.

What happened on their watch

Hays State Prison — Deputy Warden (2018). No deaths are attributed to Hays in these records. During that year a Hays officer, Voltaire Pierre, was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison after receiving $7,000 over four months for bringing marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine into the prison in noodle-soup containers, per the case account in these records.

Telfair State Prison — Deputy Warden (2019–2021). Fourteen deaths are attributed to this tenure. Records show a violent cluster alongside medical deaths: Cedric La'Troy Johnson Sr., 35, died March 13, 2020 by strangulation; Aldrich Norval Cain, 26, died April 23, 2020 of multiple stab wounds, with an incident report listing four other inmates involved; Marcus Derrelle Pearson Jr., 28, died May 29, 2020 of multiple stab wounds; Luis Garcia Palacio, 41, died July 28, 2020 of blunt impact injuries to the head; Juan Carlos Arguelles-Reveles, 37, died May 7, 2021 of a stabbing, with 11 other inmates listed as involved. The DOAS ledger shows payouts of $1,850 to David Morris (April 6, 2021), $5,361 to Darryl Thomas (Sept. 29, 2021) and $2,600 to Derrell Ruth (Oct. 5, 2021). In 2021, Sen. Josh McLaurin and other legislators were turned away from a prison they showed up to tour unannounced.

Valdosta State Prison — Deputy Warden (2022). Seven deaths are attributed here, all in 2022 and all of decedents aged 27 to 42. Hakeem Olajuwon Williams, 27, died Feb. 28, 2022 of a stab wound to the chest; a claim filed against the state alleged an officer placed him in a cell while handcuffed and he was attacked by a cellmate. Dexter Jarrod Burnett, 35, died Sept. 16, 2022 of a stab wound to the torso; a prisoner was indicted in February 2024 on a charge of killing him with a homemade knife. DOAS payouts: $1 to Jordan Hunter (Aug. 13, 2022) and $70 to Earl McClendon (July 14, 2022).

Smith State Prison — Warden (2023–2024). Six deaths are attributed to this tenure, all in 2024:

• Calvin Bernard Craft died December 14, 2024, at Smith State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 34.
• Orlando Jordan died September 13, 2024, at Smith State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 36.
• Richard Jermine Williams died September 7, 2024, at Smith State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 43.
• Jaydrekus Cartez Hart died June 16, 2024, at Smith State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Suicide, age 34.
• Gineli Antoine Gray died February 9, 2024, at Smith State Prison, age 31.
• Donquerius Lamonte Mahone died February 4, 2024, at Smith State Prison, age 37; a registry event records the death as a homicide.

On June 16, 2024, inmate Jaydrekus Hart shot and killed 24-year-old Aramark food service worker Aureon Shavea Grace in the prison kitchen before shooting himself, per AJC and GPB reporting; GDC placed all prisons on lockdown, and Gov. Brian Kemp announced a system-wide assessment by Guidehouse Inc. Correctional officer Robert Clark, 42, was killed June 21, 2024 after being assaulted by a prisoner with a homemade weapon, the death certificate recording multiple stab wounds. The Marshall Project reported in January 2024 that one officer was assigned to an area housing 600 men with no functioning fire extinguishers, and that staff failed to notice a decomposing body for five days. The AJC reported roughly two-thirds of correctional officer positions at Smith unfilled, a back gate without a metal detector, and 425 GDC employees arrested since 2018; Sen. Kim Jackson alleged to lawmakers in August 2024 that GDC failed to flag staffing as a driver of violence. AJC investigations described inmate Nathan Weekes running a contraband scheme from inside the prison, tied to the mistaken-identity murder of 88-year-old Bobby Kicklighter. A December 2023 AJC opinion piece refers to "the Smith State Prison warden" being charged; other AJC items identify the former warden as Brian Adams, alleged to have taken cash in the Weekes scheme. No charging document naming Beasley appears in the dockets listed here.

Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison — Warden (2025–present). Twenty-one deaths are attributed to this tenure:

• Wendell Thomas Cochran died September 22, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 68.
• Dru Eggebrecht died September 5, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 39.
• Thomas Harold Broach died August 22, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 81.
• Michael Wayne Forker died August 8, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 74.
• Tommy L Tucker died August 6, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 77.
• Walter Brown died August 3, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 66.
• Shaun Corey Farrell died July 13, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 48.
• James Nelson Hall died July 2, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 67.
• Leonel Cedillo died June 27, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 42.
• Mark Rutledge died June 26, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 72.
• Phillip Dwayne Rogers died June 14, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 66.
• Terry Junie Marshall died March 2, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 59.
• James Thompson died February 6, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 76.
• Christopher Lee died January 31, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 19.
• Novice H Langston died January 12, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 60.
• Trevone Lavelle Lovett died January 10, 2026, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 33.
• Juan Jose Rodriquez died December 10, 2025, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 53.
• Tabaya Marshall Gray died November 27, 2025, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 52.
• Charles Ramen Coppeak died November 19, 2025, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 26.
• Christopher Wayne Crook died August 5, 2025, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 49.
• Daniel Claude Callahan died July 26, 2025, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 72.

In the Rutledge case, GDC's Office of Professional Standards led the investigation and the body was sent to a GBI crime lab to determine cause, per the records. A registry entry dated October 24, 2025 describes "systemic failure in death reporting and investigation" at the facility, including deaths deleted from an inmate database, no autopsy ordered and disappeared witness statements. The AJC reported in January 2026 that officer Vera Jackson admitted receiving thousands of dollars to give death row inmate Eric Perkinson information on upcoming shakedowns and staff. On Sept. 11, 2026, Deivon Waller was sentenced to 240 months and a $2,000 fine for a drone-based contraband conspiracy, with inmates Tristahn Ash and Asa James Ward sentenced to 92 and 56 months respectively. A Sept. 17, 2026 Facebook post by the Human and Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia shared a video by former officer Kerri-Ann Crumbley describing a hospital-post incident in which things she could have done for an incarcerated patient were refused to her as against policy; accounts differ on whether she was fired or resigned. A federal civil rights suit by Ronald Allen, filed March 5, 2026, alleges medical neglect resulting in amputation of his left hand and permanent damage to his right. Execution scheduling for Stacey Humphreys ran through this tenure: a December 17, 2025 execution date was halted over alleged Board of Pardons and Paroles conflicts, a federal judge declined to halt it on Dec. 11, 2025, and a Sept. 16, 2026 date brought a clemency denial and a notice of appeal; the records show scheduling and litigation, not an execution date carried out.

Litigation

• Jackson v. Beasley, 4:23-cv-00198 (GAMD), filed Dec. 8, 2023, terminated Jan. 8, 2024 — filed while Beasley was warden at Smith State Prison.
• Pak v. Sprayberry, 4:21-cv-00113 (GAND), filed June 15, 2021, terminated March 4, 2022 — filed during his Telfair deputy warden tenure.
• Grier v. Jacob Beasley, 1:25-cv-00074 (GAND), filed Jan. 7, 2025, pending.
• Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order, 1:25-cv-03191 (GAND), filed June 6, 2025, terminated March 30, 2026.
• Hamilton v. Beasley, 6:25-cv-00057 (GASD), filed July 22, 2025, pending.
• Miller v. Holt, 5:25-cv-00356 (GAMD), filed Aug. 25, 2025, pending.
• Humphreys v. Oliver, 1:25-cv-06100 (GAND), filed Oct. 24, 2025, terminated Dec. 10, 2025.
• Humphreys v. Oliver, 1:25-cv-07012 (GAND), filed Dec. 9, 2025, terminated Jan. 15, 2026.

No outcome amounts are recorded in any of these dockets.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Smith State Prison staffing, contraband and Weekes coverage (2023–2024); GDCP officer-corruption report (January 2026)
• Georgia Public Broadcasting — Senate study committee testimony, drone contraband and Sen. Kim Jackson's allegations (August 2024)
• The Marshall Project — officer shortage and conditions at Smith State Prison (January 2024)
• WGXA — drone-smuggling sentencings tied to Georgia Diagnostic and Classification (September 2026)
• WRDW and The Georgia Virtue — Humphreys clemency and parole-board conflict reporting (September 2026)
• Facebook — Human and Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia, share of former officer Kerri-Ann Crumbley's video (September 2026)
• CourtListener dockets — GAND, GAMD and GASD case records listed above
• Georgia Department of Administrative Services Risk Management settlement ledger (open records) — Telfair and Valdosta liability payouts
• GPS death registry — dates, facilities, ages and causes for the decedents named above

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Nov 1, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.