Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Keith, Tonja T
Keith, Tonja T
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
Tonja T. Keith began her career with the Georgia Department of Corrections as a Correctional Unit Manager in 2018, before being promoted to Deputy Warden at Telfair State Prison in 2019. According to GPS records, Keith has held that position continuously through at least the end of 2025, and deaths attributed to her tenure span from March 2020 through June 2026, indicating she likely remained in the role beyond the latest salary-year entry. Over the course of her watch at Telfair, GPS records attribute a total of 56 in-custody deaths to the facility. The deaths include homicides, suicides, drug overdoses, medical-neglect cases, and a notorious heat-exposure fatality that resulted in a $3.2 million settlement against the state. Keith was also named as a defendant in four federal lawsuits filed during her tenure.What happened on their watch
Keith has served as Deputy Warden at Telfair State Prison since 2019. During that period, GPS records attribute 56 deaths to the facility, with fatality causes ranging from violence to apparent neglect. Homicides form the largest cluster: at least 15 deaths listed in the available sample involve stab wounds, strangulation, or blunt-force trauma. Examples include Cedric La’Troy Johnson Sr., who was strangled in March 2020; Aldrich Norval Cain, killed by multiple stab wounds in April 2020; Marcus Derrelle Pearson Jr., who died of multiple stab wounds in May 2020; and Luis Garcia-Palacio, who succumbed to blunt impact head injuries in July 2020, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s prison-homicides investigation and Telfair County Coroner certifications. Later incidents in 2025 and 2026 continued the pattern of lethal inmate-on-inmate violence — Preston C. Phelps was stabbed during a reported gang fight in December 2025, and Malindzo Eddy Hatcher was stabbed in a common area in July 2025, per coroner records.One death drew widespread condemnation and a major financial payout: Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano, 27, died in July 2023 after officers placed him in an outdoor, fenced-in cage with no shade for roughly five hours while the heat index reached about 105°F. A lawsuit filed by the family alleged that an officer responded “if he dies, he dies” to Ramirez Bibiano’s pleas for help, according to 13WMAZ. The state settled the family’s claim for $3.2 million in 2026, per the GA Department of Administrative Services settlement ledger. GPS notes also classify the 2021 death of William Hiram Lumpkin, 74, as medical neglect: sources reported he complained of chest pain but was refused evaluation by medical staff; the coroner ruled natural causes, but GPS’s investigation upheld the neglect designation.
Other recorded deaths include suicides by hanging (Robert Baker in October 2025, Dustin Bowling in December 2022), accidental drug overdoses (William Allen Slaton, methamphetamine toxicity in December 2022), and numerous pending or unclassified causes. During Keith’s tenure, systemic deficiencies at Telfair were widely reported: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution documented that the prison had only 32 correctional officers for over 1,400 prisoners — a 79% vacancy rate — in 2024. Intake of contraband was facilitated by staff; Sergeant Desiree Briley was sentenced to 18 months in prison for helping an inmate smuggle methamphetamine into the facility over a two-year period. In March 2024, the warden himself was stabbed during a contraband shakedown, underscoring the volatile environment.
Litigation
- Thomas v. White (3:23-cv-00100, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia) — filed December 21, 2023, terminated February 23, 2024.
- Powell v. White (3:23-cv-00096, S.D. Ga.) — filed December 4, 2023, terminated March 28, 2024.
- Hall v. Mcfarlane (3:23-cv-00094, S.D. Ga.) — filed November 29, 2023, terminated March 4, 2024.
- Mckinney v. White (3:22-cv-00062, S.D. Ga.) — filed June 13, 2022, terminated September 8, 2022.
Keith was a named defendant in each of these suits, per GPS records. No settlement amounts were recorded for these particular cases.
Sources
- GPS records — personnel, death, and litigation databases.
- Telfair County Coroner records — multiple death certificates and investigation reports (2020–2026).
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — “Georgia Prison Homicides: A list of those killed in Georgia’s prison system” and associated investigative reporting on Telfair State Prison understaffing and violence.
- 13WMAZ — coverage of the Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano heat death and $3.2 million settlement.
- CourtListener — docket entries for Thomas v. White, Powell v. White, Hall v. Mcfarlane, Mckinney v. White.
- Georgia Department of Administrative Services Risk Management — settlement ledger (open records) showing state payouts for incidents at Telfair State Prison.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → present |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:23-cv-00100 | GASD | 2023-12-21 | terminated |
| 3:23-cv-00096 | GASD | 2023-12-04 | terminated |
| 3:23-cv-00094 | GASD | 2023-11-29 | terminated |
| 3:22-cv-00062 | GASD | 2022-06-13 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
56 people died at facilities under Keith, Tonja T's leadership.
Submit a correction
If you are the named individual or an authorized representative and dispute information on this page, submit details below. Substantiated corrections are applied promptly. Disputes that remain unresolved are flagged on the profile.