Johnson, Aiyesha

Tenure Summary

Johnson, Aiyesha entered the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2013 as a Correctional Officer II at Appling Integrated Treatment Facility. Over the next decade, Johnson held a series of administrative and financial roles — including time at Georgia State Prison in 2018 — before being promoted to Deputy Warden of Administration at Ware State Prison on January 16, 2026. That appointment marks their only facility-leadership position. GPS records show that during Johnson’s tenure as Deputy Warden, nine people died at Ware State Prison. No lawsuits name Johnson as a defendant.

What happened on their watch

Johnson assumed the Deputy Warden of Administration role at Ware State Prison in mid-January 2026. According to GPS records, the first death under Johnson’s watch came just over a week later: on January 24, 55-year-old Carlton Atkins Jones died (cause category 6). On February 12, Christopher Henry, a 48-year-old serving time for aggravated assault, died under cause category 3. A second cause-category-6 death followed on February 21, when 72-year-old Cody Humphrey died.

A cluster of fatalities struck the facility in May. On May 11, two people died — identified in GPS records as “Juice” (David Spottem) and “grover” — both listed under cause category 3. Jonathan Zimmons was killed by a cellmate on May 19. Two days later, 49-year-old Justin Dean Pulley died. The month ended with a May 31 incident in which, per case notes, an unidentified inmate fatally attacked his cellmate. In early June, the GDC’s Office of Professional Standards opened an investigation into a homicide at the prison, GPS records indicate.

The deaths occurred against a backdrop of long-standing violence at Ware. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that ten inmates were killed at the facility between July 2020 and August 2024, often involving multiple perpetrators. Georgia Public Broadcasting detailed an allegation by Narissa Wright, whose son DonTavis Mintz died at Ware in 2024, that staff failed to conduct adequate welfare checks, leaving his body undiscovered for days. GPS records also note that Ware State Prison experienced major disturbances in 2020 (including hostage-taking) and a riot in 2025.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Investigation documenting ten inmate homicides at Ware State Prison between July 2020 and August 2024.
• Georgia Public Broadcasting — Report on allegations by Narissa Wright that welfare checks were not performed at Ware State Prison.
• GPS records — Personnel history and death listings for Johnson’s tenure at Ware State Prison.
• GPS records — Intelligence event noting the GDC Office of Professional Standards investigation opened in June 2026.

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Jun 7, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.