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King, Sheneca
Status: active
Profile written June 21, 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
Sheneca King began her Georgia Department of Corrections career as a Captain at Central State Prison in 2011 and advanced through unit-manager roles there before becoming a Deputy Warden. She held that post at Dooly State Prison (2019–2021), Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (2022–2024), and the Special Management Unit (2025). Since December 2025, she has served as Special Assistant to the Warden at the SMU. GPS records attribute 80 deaths to King’s leadership-tenure postings: 12 at Dooly, 66 at GDCP, and 2 at SMU. During her GDCP tenure, at least four homicides were documented by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the facility was later the subject of a federal civil-rights lawsuit over medical neglect. King herself is a defendant in one pending federal suit.What happened on their watch
Dooly State Prison — Deputy Warden (2019–2021) GPS records attribute 12 deaths to King’s tenure at Dooly. Among them was James Robb Yarbrough, 46, who died in August 2020. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation later reported that Yarbrough suffered from uncontrolled diabetes for months at the facility and died of ketoacidosis in a case alleging medical malpractice. Other decedents included David Hunter, Charles Busbee, Luckie Odis Miller, Andrew Harris, Nathaniel Troy Jr., Michael Devern Terry, Glenn Whorton, Shelton Luzester Donaldson, Kenneth Hicks, Terry Lee Mintz, and Charles Scott Blassingame. A coroner separately alleged that Carlos Omar Soldiew-Acosta may have been dead for more than 24 hours before his body was discovered at Dooly, according to the AJC. King’s tenure overlapped with severe staffing deficits; an investigation later found housing units with no officer present for hours or entire shifts.Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison — Deputy Warden (2022–2024)
GPS records show 66 deaths at GDCP during King’s deputy wardenship, making it the deadliest site in her career. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution identified at least four of these as homicides with violent causes: Boyd Williams died in October 2022 from manual strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head; Daniel Charriez suffered delayed complications of a traumatic brain injury; Elmer W. Pless was strangled in May 2023; and Carrell D. Johnson sustained chopping injuries of the head and sharp-force injuries of the torso in June 2023. The AJC also reported that Brandon Trace Burrell was assaulted while under the effects of methamphetamine and died of numerous stab wounds in January 2024. The prison, originally designed for 800, held 4,540 people — 568% of its design capacity — while a statewide correctional officer vacancy rate hovered near 50%. AJC investigations documented that almost every part of the facility had been vandalized, and contraband cellphones and weapons proliferated. A newly convicted inmate was found with a homemade shank and a cellphone within days of arriving, and an officer later admitted to providing a death-row prisoner with information on shakedowns and staff movements — signals of deep security failures during King’s tenure.
Special Management Unit — Deputy Warden (January–November 2025)
GPS records attribute two deaths to King’s time at the SMU: LaShion Boddie, 30, on September 2, 2025, and Michael Ogletree, 33, on October 31, 2025, both in cause category 6. The unit was under a federal DOJ investigation that uncovered falsified records and systemic neglect. The AJC reported that officials backdated prisoner review forms, and in one instance, records showed a deceased inmate, Ricardo Daughtry, attending activities after he had been pronounced dead. Another prisoner went unchecked for nearly seven hours, in violation of a policy requiring 15‑to‑30‑minute welfare checks. Warden Ahmed Holt was accused of making false statements under oath about out-of-cell time and staffing, the AJC found. While King transitioned to a Special Assistant role in December 2025, the two deaths occurred during her tenure as deputy warden.
Litigation
- Miller v. Holt, Case No. 5:25-cv-00356 (U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, filed Aug. 25, 2025). King is named as a defendant. The case remains pending. (Source: CourtListener)
Sources
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — multiple homicide reports and investigative pieces on Georgia prison deaths, including Yarbrough, Williams, Charriez, Pless, Johnson, Burrell; DOJ findings at GDCP and SMU; systemic falsification of records; facility overcrowding and security failures.
- GPS records — personnel and death data for Sheneca King.
- CourtListener — docket for Miller v. Holt.
- Wesh.com / News-journalonline.com / WALB — reports on inmate fraud schemes at Dooly.
- Georgia Public Broadcasting — coverage of staffing shortages and deaths in Georgia prisons.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Special Assistant to the Warden | SPECIAL MANAGEMENT UNIT | 2025-12-01 → present |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | SPECIAL MANAGEMENT UNIT | 2025-01-01 → present |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON | 2022-01-01 → 2024-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | DOOLY STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → 2021-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| CORRECTION ADMINISTRATION | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Unit Manager | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | 2013-01-01 → 2013-12-31 |
| Captain | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | 2011-01-01 → 2011-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:25-cv-00356 | GAMD | 2025-08-25 | pending |
Deaths attributed during tenure
80 people died at facilities under King, Sheneca's leadership.
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