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Butts, Melvin
Status: active
Profile written May 24, 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
Melvin Butts has worked within the Georgia Department of Corrections since at least 2015, moving from a Correction Operations role through Business Operations management before ascending to Deputy Warden — a facility-deputy accountability tier — beginning in 2018. His Deputy Warden posting is confirmed at McRae Women's Facility as of 2025. GPS records attribute 4 deaths to facilities during his leadership tenure, all at McRae Women's Facility. No lawsuits naming Butts as a defendant, no intel reports, and no news mentions appear in GPS records at this time.
What Happened on Their Watch
McRae Women's Facility — Deputy Warden (2025–present)
GPS records attribute 4 deaths at McRae Women's Facility during Butts's tenure as Deputy Warden there. The earliest recorded death is that of Jadia Corine Rozier, 23, on July 20, 2025; GPS research notes indicate her death prompted a related habeas corpus filing, and her obituary was published through Mathis Funeral Home. Cause category 3 is assigned to Rozier's death in GPS records. Beverly Suzanne Sipple, 59, died on March 16, 2026, with cause category 6 recorded. Two additional deaths followed in close succession: Shannon Rush on May 17, 2026, and Chasity King on May 18, 2026 — both assigned cause category 6 and both auto-promoted into GPS records from user reports (GPS-DEATH-2026-D61CA and GPS-DEATH-2026-882AA, respectively). Ages at death are not recorded for Rush or King. The concentration of four deaths within a roughly ten-month window — including two on consecutive days in May 2026 — is documented in GPS records, though no causal findings, investigations, or official determinations are reflected in the available data.
Sources
- GPS records — deaths attributed to McRae Women's Facility during Butts's Deputy Warden tenure (GPS-DEATH-2026-882AA; GPS-DEATH-2026-D61CA; Beverly Suzanne Sipple record; Jadia Corine Rozier record)
- GPS Research note — Jadia C. Rozier, Mathis Funeral Home obituary reference; related habeas corpus case noted
- GDC salary/position records — Butts career history, 2015–2025
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY | 2025-01-01 → present |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | 2018-01-01 → 2024-12-31 | |
| MGR, BUSINESS OPS | 2016-01-01 → 2017-12-31 | |
| CORRECTION OPERATIONS | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
4 people died at facilities under Butts, Melvin's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-18 | Chasity King | — | McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2026-05-17 | Shannon Rush | — | McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2026-03-16 | BEVERLY SUZANNNE SIPPLE | 59 | McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-07-20 | JADIA CORINE ROZIER | 23 | McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY | DEPUTY WARDEN |
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