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Carr, Willie E
Status: active
Profile written July 12, 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
Willie E. Carr’s career with the Georgia Department of Corrections began as a correctional officer at Dodge State Prison in 2007 and progressed through the ranks, largely at Johnson State Prison. After serving as a sergeant, lieutenant, and unit manager at Johnson between 2013 and 2020, Carr moved into an administrative analyst role before returning to the facility. In November 2024 he was appointed Deputy Warden of Security, and in 2025 he became Deputy Warden. According to GPS records, 30 deaths are attributed to his leadership tenure at Johnson State Prison — a concentration that includes multiple homicides, a high-profile beating death that prompted a $4 million state settlement, and allegations of staff inaction and unsafe living conditions documented by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other sources.What happened on their watch
Carr’s facility-deputy period at Johnson State Prison began November 2024. During the roughly nineteen months of his tenure that GPS has tracked, 30 deaths occurred at the prison. The deaths span several categories: at least five were homicides or deaths under violent or suspicious circumstances. Michael Peschel, 36, died on March 14, 2026 from 20 stab wounds inflicted by a cellmate; Paul Brewster, 48, was killed on June 9, 2025; Justin Hulett, 38, died on February 12, 2025; Kevin Kosturi, 29, died on December 13, 2024; and Phillip Byrd, 46, died on January 18, 2026 — inmate reports alleged he was beaten by gang members, forced outside in the cold, and injected with drugs until he overdosed. Martrese McKay, 30, died on April 18, 2026; initial reports suggested suicide, but a Telegram relay group indicated he collapsed suddenly, and the cause remains under investigation. Anthony Shivers, 41, died on February 11, 2026, with no cause category specified. The remaining deaths were predominantly among older individuals — many in their 60s, 70s, or 80s — with cause categories consistent with natural deaths.In April 2026, multiple GPS incident reports documented that contaminated food trays, linked to a failed dishwashing system, were causing illness among the incarcerated population. A GPS intelligence report noted “ongoing unsanitary food tray conditions” with photos of stained, dirty trays. Separately, on April 6, 2026, the state finalized a $4 million settlement with the family of David Henegar, who was beaten and strangled to death by his cellmate at Johnson in October 2021. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a lawsuit alleged staff ignored Henegar’s screams and the pleas of other prisoners during a five‑hour attack, and that he had been housed with a mentally ill cellmate who had previously assaulted him. Carr is not named as a defendant in that litigation, but the settlement and the broader death toll illustrate the conditions documented at the prison while he held the deputy warden role.
Litigation
No lawsuits naming Willie E. Carr as a defendant appear in GPS records.Sources
- GPS structured personnel and death records (facility‑level totals, incident dates, cause categories, notes)
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — reports on the Henegar lawsuit, settlement, and allegations of staff neglect (2026)
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — homicide list and litigation details (2025‑2026)
- GA Department of Administrative Services Risk Management settlement ledger — state liability payouts (Henegar, Brown, and others)
- Telegram relay group (AI‑classified) — inmate‑sourced death reports and claims (McKay, Byrd)
- GPS intelligence reports — food tray contamination and illness at Johnson State Prison (April 2026)
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | JOHNSON STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| Deputy Warden of Security | JOHNSON STATE PRISON | 2024-11-01 → 2025-03-31 |
| BUSI SUPPORT ANALYST 1 | JOHNSON STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → 2024-10-31 |
| BUSI SUPPORT ANALYST 1 | 2021-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | JOHNSON STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → 2020-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | JOHNSON STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | JOHNSON STATE PRISON | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
| Sergeant | JOHNSON STATE PRISON | 2014-01-01 → 2014-12-31 |
| Sergeant | DODGE STATE PRISON | 2013-01-01 → 2013-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | DODGE STATE PRISON | 2007-01-01 → 2007-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
30 people died at facilities under Carr, Willie E's leadership.
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