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Hermann, Shelley Elizabeth
Status: active
Profile written July 19, 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
Shelley Elizabeth Hermann has been employed by the Georgia Department of Corrections since 2010, moving through administrative and financial roles before being appointed Deputy Warden of Administration at Pulaski State Prison on April 16, 2025. GPS records attribute seven in-custody deaths at the facility to her leadership tenure in this facility-deputy position. The deaths span a range of causes—from natural illness to deaths still under investigation—and occurred while Hermann served in a senior administrative role under a warden who, within months of starting, attracted widespread allegations of retaliation, intimidation, and unsafe conditions. The facility had already been the subject of a Department of Justice civil rights investigation that found systemic constitutional violations shortly before her appointment.What happened on their watch
Hermann began her role as Deputy Warden of Administration at Pulaski State Prison on April 16, 2025. Over the following fifteen months, GPS records identify seven women who died in custody. On May 22, 2025, Esmeralda Carillo Hernandez, 50, died of natural causes (cancer), according to Pulaski County Coroner Fred J. Clark III’s death investigation report. On June 11, 2025, Candace Lajon Morgan, 41, also died of natural causes (cancer), per the coroner. On December 12, 2025, Ronika Lashawn Carswell, 50, died; the coroner’s office sent her body to the GBI Crime Lab for autopsy, a step GPS notes is typically taken for suspected non-natural deaths, and the official cause remains pending.In 2026, the pace of deaths accelerated. On March 30, 2026, Deneccia Nichelle Randall, 28, died. A user report to GPS stated that she was in lockdown and died by suicide; GDC confirmed only one death at Pulaski on that date, and the suicide narrative remains the available account pending coroner records. On May 24, 2026, Karen Michelle Lindsey, 59, died—cause not yet determined in GPS records. On July 3, 2026, Monika Yvette Bradley died; GPS matched her to a GDC inmate record, but her cause of death is undetermined, and both the GDC Office of Professional Standards and the GBI have opened investigations. A separate family report dated July 9 described a Pulaski death on July 6 attributed to heat exhaustion and dehydration; whether this is the same death remains unresolved. On July 12, 2026, Kristi Perkins died. A user report alleged she had untreated diabetes, slipped and fell, and hit her head, characterizing the event as “systematic neglect.” The Office of Professional Standards is also investigating Perkins’s death.
These deaths occurred as the prison faced fresh reports of crisis. In early 2026, GPS received multiple accounts from incarcerated people and advocates describing a pattern of retaliation, extended lockdowns, staff intimidation, and a non-functional grievance process under newly appointed Warden Wendy Jackson—a period entirely within Hermann’s tenure as deputy warden. The facility had already been the subject of a U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation that, in a 2024 report, documented constitutional violations at Pulaski, including failures in medical care and protection from violence.
Sources
- Georgia Prisoners’ Speak death records and incident database (all seven deaths, DOJ investigation summaries, and reports on conditions under Warden Jackson)
- Pulaski County Coroner Fred J. Clark III death investigation reports (causes for Hernandez, Morgan, and referral of Carswell to GBI)
- GBI investigations into the deaths of Kristi Perkins and Monika Bradley (per GPS event records)
- GDC Office of Professional Standards investigations into Perkins and Bradley deaths (per GPS event records)
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting on constitutional violations and medical neglect litigation at Pulaski State Prison (cited in GPS intel reports)
- U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation findings, 2022–2023 (documented in GPS event records)
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy Warden of Administration | PULASKI STATE PRISON | 2025-04-16 → present |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | 2025-01-01 → present | |
| BUSI SUPPORT ANALYST 1 | 2023-01-01 → 2024-12-31 | |
| American Correctional Association Facility Compliance Specialist | DODGE STATE PRISON | 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| GCI Plant Manager | DODGE STATE PRISON | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 |
| FINANCIAL OPS GENERALIST 1 | 2017-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| Financial Operations Generalist I | DODGE STATE PRISON | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
| Maintenance Secretary | DODGE STATE PRISON | 2011-01-01 → 2011-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | PULASKI STATE PRISON | 2010-01-01 → 2010-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
7 people died at facilities under Hermann, Shelley Elizabeth's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-12 | Kristi Perkins | — | PULASKI STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-07-03 | Monika Yvette Bradley | — | PULASKI STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-05-24 | KAREN MICHELLE LINDSEY | 59 | PULASKI STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-03-30 | DENECIA NICHELLE RANDALL | 28 | PULASKI STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2025-12-12 | RONIKA LASHAWN CARSWELL | 50 | PULASKI STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2025-06-11 | CANDACE LAJON MORGAN | 41 | PULASKI STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2025-05-22 | ESMERALDA CARILLO HERNANDEZ | 50 | PULASKI STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
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