Butts, Melvin

Tenure Summary

Melvin Butts has worked for the Georgia Department of Corrections since at least 2015, moving from a corrections-operations role through business management before ascending to Deputy Warden — a rank he has held continuously from 2018 through at least 2025. GPS records show that his most recently documented facility assignment is McRae Women's Facility (facility ID 165), where he held the Deputy Warden title during the 2025 salary year. Two deaths at that facility are attributed to periods when Butts held the Deputy Warden role there; no settled lawsuits naming him as a defendant appear in GPS records.

What Happened on Their Watch

McRae Women's Facility — Deputy Warden (2025–present)

GPS records attribute two deaths at McRae Women's Facility to periods when Butts held the Deputy Warden role. On July 20, 2025, Jadia Corine Rozier, 23, died at the facility; GPS records classify the cause under category 3 and note that a related habeas corpus case was filed. An obituary for Rozier was published through Mathis Funeral Home. On March 16, 2026, Beverly Suzanne Sipple, 59, died at the same facility; GPS records classify that death under cause category 6 and include no additional notes. No intel reports, news coverage, or lawsuits naming Butts in connection with either death appear in GPS records at this time. The facility houses women in state custody; the two deaths span a roughly eight-month window and involve individuals whose ages differ by 36 years, though GPS records do not document a shared cause category or other documented pattern between the two incidents.

Sources

• GPS records — career and salary data for Melvin Butts, 2015–2025
• GPS records — death records for Jadia Corine Rozier (July 20, 2025) and Beverly Suzanne Sipple (March 16, 2026), McRae Women's Facility
• GPS Research note — Rozier obituary, Mathis Funeral Home; related habeas corpus case filed

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on May 6, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.