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Johnson, Aiyesha
Status: active
Profile written August 2, 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
Aiyesha Johnson’s career in the Georgia Department of Corrections began as a Correctional Officer II at Appling Integrated Treatment Facility in 2013. After a series of administrative support and financial roles — including stints at Georgia State Prison and Bacon Transitional Center — she returned to Appling as a Financial Ops Generalist 3 in 2023, and later served as an Accounting Technician 3. On January 16, 2026, Johnson was appointed Deputy Warden of Administration at Ware State Prison. GPS records attribute eight deaths to the facility during her leadership tenure to date: five homicides, one suicide, and two natural deaths, all occurring between January 24 and June 30, 2026. None of the available records name Johnson as a defendant in a lawsuit.What happened on their watch
At Ware State Prison, eight incarcerated men lost their lives in the first six months of Johnson’s tenure as Deputy Warden of Administration. The deaths began on January 24, 2026, when Carlton Atkins Jones, 55, died of natural causes: hypoxic respiratory failure due to congestive heart failure, according to the Ware County Coroner’s office. On February 12, Christopher Henry, 48, died by homicide from blunt force injuries including strangulation, per the coroner. Nine days later, Cody Humphrey, 72, died of natural causes (acute myocardial infarction).Between May 11 and June 30, the pace and violence escalated. On May 11, Anthony Terrell Grover, 25, was killed by multiple sharp-force injuries; the coroner ruled the death a homicide. On May 20, two men died on the same day: Johnathan Cleo Hardman-Simmons, 36, was found hanging in an apparent suicide (autopsy pending, but the coroner has classified the death as suicide), and Justin Dean Pulley, 48, was killed by blunt force injuries and ligature strangulation, ruled a homicide. Hardman-Simmons had been identified as the named perpetrator in the February 2026 homicide of Christopher Henry. On May 31, Kojack Junior Thomas, 27, died of blunt head trauma and ligature asphyxia; the coroner classified his death as a homicide, and the GDC Office of Professional Standards launched a potential homicide investigation. The final death recorded in Johnson’s tenure so far is that of David Randolph Newcomer, 85, on June 30; the cause category is listed as “other” (cause code 6), and no further coroner detail is yet available.
These deaths unfolded at a facility that for years had drawn scrutiny. Reporting by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution documented ten inmate homicides at Ware between July 2020 and August 2024, while a 2020 mass disturbance involving hostage-taking and the use of 33 homemade weapons prompted internal records to describe events more severe than the GDC’s public “disturbance” label. In 2024, Georgia Public Broadcasting reported the allegation from Narissa Wright that her son’s body went undiscovered for days because no counts or welfare checks were performed. Although those incidents precede Johnson’s tenure, they form the violent institutional backdrop into which she stepped as deputy warden.
Sources
- Ware County Coroner / GBI DOFS records (ORR conversation dee3f317) — autopsy and cause-of-death determinations for all eight 2026 deaths at Ware State Prison.
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — “Ten inmates were killed at Ware State Prison between July 2020 and August 2024” investigation; reporting on the August 2020 hostage-taking/mass disturbance and alleged downplaying of its severity.
- Georgia Public Broadcasting — allegation that no counts or welfare checks were conducted at Ware, allowing an inmate’s body to go undiscovered for days.
- GDC Office of Professional Standards — investigation into potential homicide of Kojack Thomas Jr. (2026-06-02).
- Georgia Virtue — coverage of systemic allegations at Georgia State Prison (for broader GDC context, not tied to Johnson’s Ware tenure).
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy Warden of Administration | WARE STATE PRISON | 2026-01-16 → present |
| ACCOUNTING TECHNICIAN 3 | 2024-01-01 → present | |
| FINANCIAL OPS GENERALIST 3 | APPLING INTEGRATED TREATMENT FACILITY | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 |
| Financial Operations Generalist I | BACON TRANSITIONAL CENTER | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 |
| Administrative Support III | 2020-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| Administrative Support II | GEORGIA STATE PRISON | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| Administrative Support I | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 | |
| Correctional Officer II | APPLING INTEGRATED TREATMENT FACILITY | 2013-01-01 → 2013-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
8 people died at facilities under Johnson, Aiyesha's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | DAVID RANDOLPH NEWCOMER | 85 | WARE STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-05-31 | KOJACK JUNIOR THOMAS | 27 | WARE STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-05-20 | JOHNATHAN CLEO HARDMAN-SIMMONS | 36 | WARE STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-05-20 | JUSTIN DEAN PULLEY | 48 | WARE STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-05-11 | ANTHONY TERRELL GROVER | 25 | WARE STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-02-21 | CODY HUMPHREY | 72 | WARE STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-02-12 | CHRISTOPHER HENRY | 48 | WARE STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-01-24 | CARLTON ATKINS JONES | 55 | WARE STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
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