Carr, Willie E

Tenure Summary

Willie E. Carr began his GDC career as a correctional officer at Dodge State Prison in 2007, then built a long tenure at Johnson State Prison — rising from Sergeant (2013–2014 at Dodge, 2014 at Johnson) through Lieutenant, Unit Manager, and a multi-year stint as a Business Support Analyst before ascending to Deputy Warden of Security in November 2024 and Deputy Warden by 2025. GPS records show 44 deaths attributed to facilities during Carr's leadership-tier postings (unit supervisor and above) at Johnson State Prison, spanning 2020 through April 2026. The most consequential single case on record is the death of David Lamar Henegar, which resulted in a $4 million state settlement in April 2026, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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What Happened on Their Watch

Johnson State Prison — Correctional Unit Manager (2019–2020)

During Carr's tenure as Unit Manager, GPS records attribute 13 deaths at Johnson State Prison in 2020 alone. The majority fall into cause category 6 (unspecified/natural), spanning ages 30 to 79. One stands apart: Jerry Lee Brown, 61, died November 12, 2020, from stab wounds to the head and blunt force injury to the face, according to the AJC Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation. On the same date, Edward Neil Heath, 51, also died at the facility. The cluster of deaths in the fall of 2020 — three in November alone — is documented in GPS records.

Johnson State Prison — Deputy Warden of Security / Deputy Warden (November 2024–present)

Carr was serving as Deputy Warden of Security when five deaths occurred at Johnson State Prison between November 2024 and February 2025. Kevin Kosturi, 29, died December 13, 2024 — GPS research links his death to an obituary and notes the cause category as homicide (category 3). Justin Brandon Hulett, 38, of Statesboro, died February 12, 2025; per GPS research citing smallsfuneralhome.com and 13WMAZ, his death was subject to a GBI investigation. GPS records attribute an additional 22 deaths at Johnson State Prison between March 2025 and April 2026 during Carr's Deputy Warden tenure. Among these, Paul Russell Brewster, 48, died June 9, 2025, with notes listing the cause as homicide. Michael Elias Peschel, 36, died March 14, 2026, from what GPS records describe as 20 stab wounds administered by his cellmate — a user report alleges that cellmate had engaged in a prior confrontation with officers during visitation two weeks earlier and should have been housed alone. Joseph Lamar Sanders, 54, died January 27, 2026, and Phillip Lamar Byrd, 46, died January 18, 2026, both classified as homicides; a Telegram-sourced user report alleges Byrd was beaten, exposed to cold, and fatally injected with drugs by gang members, with his release date weeks away. Marries Mckay died April 18, 2026 (cause category 2); a separate April 18 death of an unidentified individual was AI-classified via Telegram relay, with initial reports of suicide contradicted by accounts that the person "just dropped dead," per GPS records.

The Henegar case — though the death occurred October 16, 2021, before Carr's deputy-warden tenure — generated intel reports that bear on the facility's systemic record. According to the AJC, a lawsuit alleged that David Lamar Henegar, 44, was hogtied, choked, and beaten over approximately five hours by cellmate Antone Hinton-Leonard while officers ignored screams from Henegar and neighboring prisoners; that Henegar had a disability and had previously been attacked by the same cellmate; that staff had received repeated reports about Hinton-Leonard's mental health and a prior choking incident one week before the fatal attack; and that an administrative delay kept Henegar incarcerated past his scheduled release date. The state settled that lawsuit for $4 million on April 11, 2026, according to the AJC — on the eve of trial.

Johnson State Prison also recorded a food safety inspection failure in December 2023, scoring 64/100, with rats, roaches, broken kitchen equipment, and contaminated trays documented in inspection reports. A source submitted photos of unsanitary food trays to GPS in April 2026. An escape from the facility occurred April 5, 2023; GPS records note GDC issued no news release.

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Litigation

• Smith v. Hospital Authority of Cobb County, No. 1:16-cv-04736 (N.D. Ga.), filed December 23, 2016; terminated March 16, 2017. Carr is listed as a defendant. No outcome amount recorded. Per CourtListener.
• Henegar family lawsuit v. GDC / Johnson State Prison (case number not in GPS records): Filed in connection with the October 16, 2021 death of David Lamar Henegar. Settled April 11, 2026 for $4,000,000, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Carr's specific role as a named defendant in this matter is not established in GPS records; the settlement is attributed to the state.

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Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides investigation; Henegar settlement reporting (April 2026)
• GPS records — deaths-during-tenure data, intel event log, user-submitted reports (GPS-DEATH-2026-EE37B, GPS-DEATH-2026-74DDE, GPS-DEATH-2026-E6DCB, GPS-DEATH-2026-E815C, GPS-260419-49FA28, GPS-DEATH-2026-3942C)
• 13WMAZ — Johnson State Prison death investigation (Justin Hulett, February 2025)
• smallsfuneralhome.com — Justin Brandon Hulett obituary
• Low Country Cremation (Reidsville, GA) — Kevin Kosturi obituary
• CourtListener — Smith v. Hospital Authority of Cobb County, Docket No. 7359363
• Johnson State Prison food safety inspection records (December 2023)
• Telegram relay group — AI-classified death report, April 18, 2026

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on May 10, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.