Kellom, Jimmy J

Tenure Summary

Jimmy J. Kellom began his GDC career as a correctional officer at Wilcox State Prison in 2005, returned there in 2015, and rose through the ranks to sergeant before transferring to Telfair State Prison in 2022. At Telfair, he served as Lieutenant (2022), Captain (2023), and Unit Manager (2024–2025) before returning to Wilcox as Deputy Warden of Security in May 2026. GPS records show 39 deaths attributed to facilities during Kellom's unit-supervisor tenures — all at Telfair State Prison between January 2022 and December 2025. Of those, at least 14 are recorded or reported as homicides. No lawsuits naming Kellom as a defendant appear in GPS records.

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What Happened on Their Watch

Telfair State Prison — Lieutenant (2022)

During Kellom's first year at Telfair, GPS records show six deaths at the facility. Xavier Lamar Warren, 32, died December 28, 2022 from a stab wound to the torso; per the AJC Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation, four other inmates were involved. The remaining five deaths in this period carry cause category 6 (unspecified/other). That same year, a Telfair sergeant — Desiree Briley — was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to helping a prisoner smuggle methamphetamine into the facility for at least two years, per the AJC. GPS records also note a homicide at Wilcox State Prison on October 3, 2022, during the same calendar year Kellom had departed that facility.

Telfair State Prison — Captain (2023)

GPS records attribute nine deaths to Telfair during Kellom's tenure as Captain. At least three are documented homicides. Deahmoz Oshmic Floyd, 29, died April 18, 2023 from exsanguination caused by a stab wound to the side of the neck, per the AJC investigation. A claim filed against the state alleges Floyd was stabbed by several prisoners at a time when no prison staff were present in the dorm, and further alleges he had renounced his gang affiliation, making him a prior target. Kwesi Jamal Stultz, 24, died December 22, 2023 from multiple injuries to the head, per the AJC. On July 20, 2023, Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano, 27, died after officers allegedly left him in an outdoor recreation cage for five hours during a 105-degree heat index; he arrived at the hospital with an internal body temperature of 107°F, per GPS records. GDC classified that death as natural causes. The AJC reported that Telfair was missing 76% of its essential workforce during this period, leaving approximately 36 correctional officers to supervise roughly 1,400 prisoners.

Telfair State Prison — Unit Manager (2024–2025)

The most lethal stretch of Kellom's documented tenure runs from January 2024 through December 2025, with GPS records attributing 24 deaths to Telfair during this period. At least nine are recorded or reported as homicides. Per the AJC investigation: Joey Lebron Kilgore, 45, was killed February 29, 2024; Lamar Jarmaine Wilson, 32, died June 1, 2024 from injuries suffered in a fight; Zoumana Madiou Sarre, 23, died July 5, 2024 from multiple sharp force injuries to the neck and torso; Eric Leigh Whitehead, 29, died September 18, 2024 after a fight; and Henry Earl Crump, 41, was killed September 2, 2024. Aaron Joshua Smith, 32, was found stabbed in his cell December 19, 2024, per 13WMAZ. In 2025, GPS records document homicides including Deandre Moody (strangulation, January 28), Ezra Dangelo Ford, 21 (March 25), Lester James Smith, 45 (June 2), Malindzo Eddy Hatcher, 42 — whose uncle told reporters, per 13WMAZ and WGXA, "He didn't have a death sentence but received one" — and Preston C. Phelps, 28, killed December 13, 2025 after an altercation with multiple inmates; GDC's Office of Professional Standards opened a homicide investigation. User reports allege the Phelps killing occurred amid a gang conflict between Muslims and Bloods. Tony Morales Adame, 32, died June 25, 2025 in what GPS records note as a drug overdose. The AJC reported that as of early 2025, Telfair had 79% of correctional officer positions unfilled — approximately 32 officers for a facility requiring at least 153. A DOJ report, referenced in AJC coverage, found Georgia's gang-run prisons were riddled with regular violence and sexual assault. GPS Telegram-relay intelligence reports also document multiple stabbing incidents and lockdowns at Telfair during this period, as well as an incident in which an inmate allegedly had a finger severed by another inmate in an adjacent unit.

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Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — AJC Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation; reporting on Telfair staffing vacancies, contraband smuggling (Briley sentencing), DOJ findings, and 2025 homicide rate
• 13WMAZ — Reporting on deaths of Aaron Joshua Smith, Preston Cato Phelps, and Malindzo Eddy Hatcher at Telfair State Prison
• WTOC / WGXA — Reporting on Preston Cato Phelps and Malindzo Eddy Hatcher deaths
• Solitary Watch — Allegations of tactical officer rampage and heat shutoff at Telfair State Prison (2010 incident)
• GPS Records / Telegram-relay intelligence — Stabbing incidents and lockdowns at Telfair State Prison and Wilcox State Prison, 2026
• HCRC-GA Facebook — Family statement regarding Malindzo Eddy Hatcher
• GDC Office of Professional Standards — Homicide investigation into death of Preston Cato Phelps, December 2025
• U.S. Department of Justice — Report on gang-run Georgia prisons (referenced in AJC, 2024)

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on May 6, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.