Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Kelley, Tina
Kelley, Tina
Status: active
Profile written June 7, 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
Tina Kelley’s career with the Georgia Department of Corrections spans more than two decades, beginning with a stint as a correctional officer at Smith State Prison in 2003 and again in 2015, followed by a series of behavioral health counselor positions at Georgia State Prison, Montgomery State Prison, and Emanuel Women’s Facility. On September 16, 2024, she was promoted to Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment at Rogers State Prison, a facility-deputy role with direct accountability for the well-being of incarcerated people. GPS records show that five deaths have been attributed to Rogers State Prison during her leadership tenure—all occurring between September 27, 2024, and February 19, 2026, while she held the rank of deputy warden. The first of those deaths, that of 29-year-old Taylor Anthony Hunt, has drawn persistent allegations in GPS intelligence records that his death, officially ruled a suicide, was in fact a homicide. None of the civil lawsuits naming Kelley as a defendant are tied to these custodial deaths.What happened on their watch
Kelley assumed the newly created Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment post at Rogers State Prison on September 16, 2024. Eleven days later, on September 27, 2024, Taylor Anthony Hunt, 29, died. GPS intelligence records contain multiple entries asserting that while the death was officially classified as a suicide, the physical evidence—including ligature marks, broken bones, bruises, and puncture or stab wounds—suggested a homicide. Per GPS records, the cause category remains uncategorized public, but the repeated intelligence flags underscore a contested official narrative.The following year brought three more deaths. David Woods (age not recorded) died on February 4, 2025; according to a Tattnall County coroner record, his death certificate lists coronary atherosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease complicated by influenza and parainfluenza virus, with a manner of natural. On June 26, 2025, Justin Waymon Hollingsworth, 43, died by suicide by hanging in his one-man cell; a coroner report details a ligature furrow and a GBI medical examiner’s limited autopsy confirming the manner. Randy Eugene Stewart, 60, died on July 17, 2025, after a hospital admission for E. coli peritonitis from a perforated duodenum; the coroner’s record notes underlying diabetes, hypertension, cirrhosis, and chronic hepatitis-C, with death pronounced at Memorial University Medical Center. The most recent death attributed to the facility under Kelley’s watch occurred on February 19, 2026, when John Meeks, 49, died—the cause category in GPS data is not further detailed, and no coroner summary was available at the time of reporting.
Aside from the deaths, GPS intelligence logs also flag an allegation of a “Guard Stabbing Incident” at Rogers State Prison, recorded on June 2, 2026, though no additional details about that claim were available in the provided extracts. No lawsuits have been filed against Kelley in connection with any death or incident at Rogers State Prison.
Litigation
Kelley is named as a defendant in five federal civil cases, all predating her deputy warden role and none related to custodial deaths:- Clervrain v. Fite, 3:22‑cv‑00030 (S.D. Ga., filed April 4, 2022; terminated May 10, 2022)
- Daker v. Bryson, 5:16‑cv‑00538 (M.D. Ga., filed Dec. 7, 2016; terminated June 9, 2017)
- Cunningham v. Fulton County Georgia, 1:16‑cv‑00533 (N.D. Ga., filed Feb. 19, 2016; terminated March 29, 2019)
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. Torchia, 1:15‑cv‑03904 (N.D. Ga., filed Nov. 10, 2015; status: pending)
- Taser International Inc v. Morgan Stanley Co Inc, 1:10‑cv‑03108 (N.D. Ga., filed Sept. 28, 2010; terminated July 27, 2011)
Sources
- GPS personnel and death‑attribution records — career timeline, total deaths attributed, facility breakdown, and the five individual decedent entries
- Tattnall County Coroner Records (Wave 1, loaded 2026‑05‑17) — death details for Randy Eugene Stewart, Justin Waymon Hollingsworth, and David Woods
- GPS intelligence reports — multiple entries concerning the death of Taylor Anthony Hunt (allegations of suspicious physical evidence contradicting suicide ruling) and the guard stabbing allegation at Rogers State Prison
- CourtListener — dockets for the five lawsuits in which Kelley appears as a defendant
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2024-09-16 → present |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR SPV | 2024-01-01 → 2024-09-15 | |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 3 | EMANUEL WOMEN’S FACILITY | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 3 | MONTGOMERY STATE PRISON | 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 2 | GEORGIA STATE PRISON | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 2 | 2019-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 2 | GEORGIA STATE PRISON | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 2 | 2016-01-01 → 2017-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER( AL) | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2003-01-01 → 2003-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:22-cv-00030 | GASD | 2022-04-04 | terminated |
| 5:16-cv-00538 | GAMD | 2016-12-07 | terminated |
| 1:16-cv-00533 | GAND | 2016-02-19 | terminated |
| 1:15-cv-03904 | GAND | 2015-11-10 | pending |
| 1:10-cv-03108 | GAND | 2010-09-28 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
5 people died at facilities under Kelley, Tina's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-19 | JOHN MEEKS | 49 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-07-17 | RANDY EUGENE STEWART | 60 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-06-26 | JUSTIN WAYMON HOLLINGSWORTH | 43 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-02-04 | David Woods | — | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-09-27 | TAYLOR ANTHONY HUNT | 29 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment |
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.