Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Cook, Matasha L
Cook, Matasha L
Status: active
Profile written May 31, 2026
Salary
$69,779
2025 · state payroll
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
Matasha L. Cook held multiple administrative and counseling positions within the Georgia Department of Corrections from 2015 through 2023, including Business Operation Specialist, Administrative Assistant Supervisor, Behavioral Health Counselor 2, and Financial Operations Generalist 3. In January 2024, Cook was appointed Deputy Warden at Lee State Prison, a role she held through at least the end of 2025. GPS records attribute a total of three in-custody deaths to the facility during her tenure as Deputy Warden. No lawsuits naming Cook as a defendant were identified in available court records.What happened on their watch
At Lee State Prison, during Cook’s tenure as Deputy Warden from 2024 onward, three deaths among incarcerated individuals were recorded by GPS. On January 16, 2024, Christopher Aaron Godfrey, age 40, died. On February 15, 2024, Daniel Emmett Ivey, age 26, died. On September 8, 2025, Quinton Pearson, age 45, died. In all three cases, GPS records list the cause category as 6. No additional details—such as manners of death, autopsy findings, or investigative outcomes—were provided in the available records, and no incident reports or allegations from inside sources at the facility were found that specifically mention Cook. No lawsuits were filed against Cook in connection with these deaths or during her time in the Deputy Warden role.Litigation
GPS records reflect no lawsuits naming Matasha L. Cook as a defendant during her tenure as Deputy Warden or any previous GDC role.Sources
- Georgia Prisoners' Speak intelligence records — personnel file, death-in-custody attributions, and facility-tenure data for Matasha L. Cook.
- GPS structured data — accounting of three deaths at Lee State Prison during Cook’s Deputy Warden tenure, with incident dates, names, ages, and cause categories.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | LEE STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → present |
| FINANCIAL OPS GENERALIST 3 | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 2 | 2020-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| ADMIN ASSISTANT SPV | 2016-01-01 → 2019-12-31 | |
| BUSINESS OPERATION SPEC(SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
3 people died at facilities under Cook, Matasha L's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-08 | QUINTON PEARSON | 45 | LEE STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-02-15 | DANIEL EMMETT IVEY | 26 | LEE STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-01-16 | CHRISTOPHER AARON GODFREY | 40 | LEE STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
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