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Foston, Jeremy Andrew
Status: active
Profile written May 31, 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
Jeremy Andrew Foston began his career with the Georgia Department of Corrections in behavioral health roles before becoming Deputy Warden at Hancock State Prison in 2019, a position he has held without interruption through at least 2025. During his leadership tenure in that facility, GPS records attribute 26 deaths to Hancock State Prison—the only facility where he held a leadership-tier position. The deaths are dominated by homicides, many documented as gang-related stabbings and beatings, and have drawn multiple lawsuits, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the murder of an LGBTQ prisoner, and a $600,000 settlement over a suicide. Foston is a named defendant in one pending federal lawsuit arising from violence at the prison.What happened on their watch
Foston served as Deputy Warden at Hancock State Prison from January 2019 onward. According to GPS records, 26 deaths occurred at the facility during his tenure as deputy. The deaths span cause categories: 18 are classified under cause category 3 (consistent with homicide), while 8 fall under category 6 (which can include natural causes, accidental, or undetermined). Notable homicides documented by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigation include Dwayne Zackery Jr. (stabbed by cellmate with a homemade knife, Feb. 12, 2021), Rashad Bolton (puncture wound to chest, Jan. 4, 2021), Charles Tristen McKee (stabbed 13 times after pleading to be moved from a dorm with hostile gang members, May 23, 2022), Terry Lee Bishop (beaten to death, Oct. 18, 2022), Norman Samples (blunt force head/torso injuries, Dec. 27, 2022), Roland Phillips (multiple sharp-force injuries, June 28, 2023), Francisco Melgar-Saldivar (strangulation and blunt force injuries, Aug. 12, 2023), Travon Walthour (stabbed, Oct. 13, 2024), Andre Weems (stabbed, Sep. 9, 2025), Corey Jose July (stabbed in prison yard, Jun. 17, 2025), Steven Wood (beaten by cellmate, Jan. 25, 2026), Jerrod Johnson (fatally stabbed, Feb. 18, 2026), Jaylin Bell (killed by roommate, Feb. 6, 2026), Jacorey Pearson (circumstances not released, Apr. 5, 2026), and a dual homicide on Jan. 30, 2025, when William Holeman and Prince Porter were found dead in the same dorm after gang-related violence. Additional deaths include Cesar Pastrana (stab wound to chest, Mar. 13, 2020), Xaysana Thao (2020, category 6), Michael Anthony Brown (2021, category 6), Terrill Howard (2021, category 6), Antione Bush (2022, category 6), Zackery Brown (2022, category 6), Timothy Hicks (2023, category 6), Ralph Thompson (2024, category 6), Brian Smith (2025, category 6), and John Childree (2025, category 6).The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Hancock State Prison operated with a 73.5% correctional officer vacancy rate as of October 2024, leaving only 49 officers for over 1,100 prisoners—conditions consultants described as “emergency levels” that make basic protocols impossible. Broken cell locks, gang control of housing units, and a culture of indifference were central findings of a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice report on Georgia prisons. During Foston’s tenure, the AJC also detailed a lawsuit alleging McKee was placed in a dorm with known gang members hostile to LGBTQ inmates despite his repeated warnings; the DOJ investigation found McKee tried to escape gang members by jumping through stair railings only to be stabbed further. A claim filed against the state alleged Melgar-Saldivar did not receive appropriate medical care after his attack. Bolton’s parents filed a lawsuit over his stabbing. A $600,000 settlement was paid for the March 2019 suicide of Amanuel Geberyesus, who was placed in a regular cell against a counselor’s advice after expressing suicidal thoughts.
In addition to the deaths, mass violence incidents occurred: a brawl on Jan. 12, 2026 left five inmates stabbed, two airlifted; a gang altercation in Jan. 2025 killed two and hospitalized a third; and records obtained by the AJC show seven prisoners were disciplined for a gang assault in September 2024. The prison also saw a drug-smuggling conviction of officer Jasmine Nicole Hall in 2019 and a 2021 federal indictment of a large drug-trafficking ring run from multiple prisons.
Litigation
* Spradlin v. Toby, No. 5:23-cv-00328 (M.D. Ga., filed Aug. 29, 2023) – pending; Foston is named as a defendant. Details of the specific allegations are not provided in GPS records, but the case arises from events at Hancock State Prison while Foston served as Deputy Warden.Sources
* Atlanta Journal-Constitution — “Georgia Prison Homicides” investigation listing homicides during Foston’s tenure (McKee, Bolton, Zackery, Bishop, Samples, Melgar-Saldivar, Phillips, etc.) and coverage of understaffing, DOJ report, and litigation * Union-Recorder — reporting on Steven Wood’s beating death and other Hancock incidents * 13WMAZ — reporting on homicides of Andre Weems, Corey Jose July, Travon Walthour * 41NBC — reporting on Jaylin Bell’s death after altercation with roommate * FOX 5 — reporting on Weems and July homicides * WGXA — coverage of Corey Jose July homicide * Human & Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia — statement on Walthour homicide * GDC death certificates and incident reports — cause-of-death data for multiple homicides * U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia — docket for Spradlin v. Toby (5:23-cv-00328) * GPS case submissions — Telegram relay reports of stabbings and gang attacks at Hancock SP * U.S. Department of Justice — 2024 report on violence, sexual assaults, and gang-run prisons in GeorgiaPositions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → present |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR SPV | 2017-01-01 → 2018-12-31 | |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 3 | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| BEH HEALTH/COUNSELOR (WL) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:23-cv-00328 | GAMD | 2023-08-29 | pending |
Deaths attributed during tenure
26 people died at facilities under Foston, Jeremy Andrew's leadership.
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