Harmon, Orbey

Tenure Summary

Orbey Harmon began their GDC career in 2015 as a correctional officer and rose steadily through the ranks — lieutenant (2016–2017), captain (2018), unit manager (2019–2021) — before being appointed Deputy Warden at Augusta State Medical Prison (ASMP) in 2022, a post Harmon has held continuously through at least 2025. ASMP is Georgia's primary medical prison, and GPS records show 168 deaths attributed to the facility during Harmon's tenure as Deputy Warden (2022–present), the overwhelming majority classified under cause category 6 (unspecified/pending). The record also includes confirmed homicides, a suicide, and deaths flagged by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's prison homicide investigation. Two federal lawsuits name Harmon as a defendant, both terminated. Broader systemic findings — a 2024 DOJ report, federal contempt findings against GDC, and an AJC investigation — overlap directly with Harmon's tenure at the facility.

What Happened on Their Watch

Augusta State Medical Prison — Deputy Warden, 2022–present

GPS records show 168 deaths at ASMP during Harmon's time as Deputy Warden, spanning from late 2022 through April 2026. The vast majority carry cause category 6 (cause unspecified or pending in GPS records); however, the record also documents at least four confirmed or alleged homicides and one suicide during this window. On March 30, 2023, Amos Bennett Huff Jr., 60, died by strangulation; per GPS records and the AJC's Georgia prison homicides investigation, his 26-year-old cellmate was charged with murder. On June 8, 2023, Randall Joey Futch, 61, died from delayed complications of blunt force head trauma, per GPS records. On May 25, 2024, Rodarick Lee Hayes, 29, died from a sharp force injury to the torso; per GPS event records, two prisoners and a correctional officer were charged with murder — the AJC alleges the officer aided in the attack, and a DOJ investigation found Hayes had been attacked on multiple prior occasions, suggesting a failure to protect him. On April 12, 2024, Thomas Preston Johnson, 56, died in what GPS event records classify as a homicide. On January 20, 2026, Jerry Wayne Merritt, 59, died after being stabbed with a sharpened object; a user report migrated into GPS records identifies a named suspect and describes the incident. On January 9, 2025, Kendius Hill died from what GPS records list as homicide, anoxic brain injury, and septic shock. On January 21, 2025, Stephen Prochaska died by hanging, listed as suicide in GPS records. On March 2, 2026, Sidney Dorsey, 86, died of natural causes per a user report.

The AJC's investigation, cited in GPS intel reports, also documents two deaths predating Harmon's deputy warden appointment but occurring at ASMP: Eddie Gosier, 39, strangled on May 2, 2020 after guards moved a prisoner with a documented strangulation history into his cell; and Thomas Henry Giles, 31, who died October 28, 2020 after being left in a smoke-filled cell for hours — a death the GBI ruled a homicide and which the state settled for $5 million, per GPS event records. These incidents predate Harmon's deputy warden role but are part of the documented pattern at the facility where Harmon now serves.

GPS intel reports — sourced to the AJC and GPS's own relay monitoring — document ongoing violence at ASMP during Harmon's tenure: an inmate stabbed in the eye in D building (April 2026); four incarcerated individuals arriving at ASMP with wired-shut jaws (April 2026); a severe beating reported in April 2026; and a February 2026 incident involving Anthony Shedd. A family member's website submission (March 2026) alleged extensive conditions at the facility. The 2024 DOJ report, per AJC reporting, described horrific violence, sexual assaults, and gang-run conditions within GDC enabled by a culture of indifference — findings that overlap with Harmon's tenure at ASMP. Separately, in February 2026, a federal judge chided GDC leadership for acting "above the law" after the department defied a court order on inmate email contacts; that contempt proceeding named GDC Commissioner Tyrone Oliver, not Harmon, but arose from conditions and litigation (Benning v. Oliver) tied to ASMP.

Among the 168 deaths, a notable number of decedents were elderly or medically vulnerable — consistent with ASMP's function as a medical facility — but GPS records also include individuals in their 20s and 30s, including Dequan Osborne, 33 (February 17, 2026), whose family, per a GPS user report, alleges the prison did not notify them until after he was removed from life support.

Litigation

• Martin v. Philbin, No. 1:18-cv-00212 (U.S. District Court, S.D. Ga.) — Filed December 10, 2018; terminated October 23, 2019. Harmon named as defendant. No outcome amount recorded. Per CourtListener.
• Martin v. Philbin, No. 1:19-cv-00216 (U.S. District Court, S.D. Ga.) — Filed December 17, 2019; terminated January 8, 2020. Harmon named as defendant. No outcome amount recorded. Per CourtListener.

Sources

• GPS records — 168 deaths attributed to Augusta State Medical Prison during Harmon's Deputy Warden tenure (2022–present); position and salary data (2015–2025)
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia prison homicides investigation documenting Amos Bennett Huff Jr. (strangulation), Eddie Gosier (ligature strangulation/cell placement), Thomas Henry Giles (smoke inhalation/homicide ruling), Rodarick Lee Hayes (stabbing/officer charged), and Jimmy Lucero (solitary confinement/medical neglect) at ASMP; AJC reporting on GDC contempt proceedings and federal judge's findings (February 2026)
• GPS event records — Documented homicides of Rodarick Lee Hayes (May 2024), Thomas Preston Johnson (April 2024), Randall Joey Futch (June 2023), Amos Bennett Huff Jr. (March 2023), Kendius Hill (January 2025); $5 million settlement in Thomas Henry Giles case; Benning v. Oliver litigation timeline
• GPS intel/relay reports — Violence incidents at ASMP (April 2026); family notification allegation re: Dequan Osborne (February 2026); family member conditions report (March 2026)
• U.S. Department of Justice — 2024 report on GDC violence, sexual assaults, and gang-run prisons (cited via AJC reporting)
• CourtListener — Martin v. Philbin, Nos. 1:18-cv-00212 and 1:19-cv-00216 (S.D. Ga.)
• GPS user reports — GPS-DEATH-2026-26E55 (Tristin Trimm); GPS-DEATH-2026-E04D8 (Dequan Osborne); GPS-DEATH-2026-DA0D1 (Jerry Wayne Merritt)

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.