Mahoney, Tamika

Tenure Summary

Tamika Mahoney's only recorded leadership post is Deputy Warden of Security at Hancock State Prison, effective July 16, 2026, with no end date listed. In that role she sits in the facility's security chain of command. GPS's registry attributes two deaths to her leadership tenure, both at Hancock State Prison. No lawsuits naming her as a defendant appear in the records.

The two deaths during her tenure are Albert Chapa, 57, who died July 30, 2026, and Devin Cole Edwards, who died October 30, 2026. GPS's registry lists the cause for both as Unknown/Pending, meaning the cause has not yet been established in the registry. Neither decedent's entry carries a public narrative, and no lawsuit or formal finding of fault against Mahoney appears in the records reviewed.

What happened on their watch

Hancock State Prison — Deputy Warden of Security (July 16, 2026–present)

The following people died during Mahoney's tenure as Deputy Warden of Security at Hancock State Prison:

• Albert Chapa died July 30, 2026, at Hancock State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. He was 57.
• Devin Cole Edwards died October 30, 2026, at Hancock State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. A GPS-recorded incident entry states that Edwards, 36, was found in his cell around 7:15 a.m. with signs of a recent fight and was pronounced dead at a hospital, and that he was serving a 30-year sentence for drug trafficking.

Reports logged at Hancock during her tenure describe a volatile period at the facility. A report dated July 17, 2026, the day after her appointment took effect, describes monitored inmate communications indicating a violent conflict between Muslim incarcerated individuals and a gang, with staff working to contain it. On August 4, 2026, a report describes the facility's IRT using force against an incarcerated person suspected of possessing a weapon, including striking the person against tables and doors. On September 15, 2026, a report describes a tactical team operation involving roughly 100 officers targeting multiple housing units and the annex; three days later, an anonymous tip reported the facility was off lockdown with semi-normal movement. On September 10, 2026, a report circulating in a Telegram group described a stabbing at the facility, an account its own author characterized as hearsay. On October 9, 2026, a report described an incarcerated person with untreated mental illness stabbing another incarcerated person while the victim slept; the victim was hospitalized and later returned to the dorm, and a social-media claim that someone had been killed was inaccurate, per that report.

Separately, news coverage and court records tied to Hancock during her tenure concern the June 2025 killing of incarcerated man Corey July, which predates Mahoney's posting. WGXA and 41NBC reported that Vershaun Smith chased July, cornered him at a locked gate and stabbed him multiple times in the prison yard; on September 16, 2026, a Hancock County jury convicted Smith of malice murder after being shown surveillance footage, and he was sentenced to life without parole, per the district attorney's office. A separate August 13, 2026 record entry also references that conviction and sentencing by Judge Alison T. Burleson.

Sources

• GPS death registry — death entries for Albert Chapa (July 30, 2026) and Devin Cole Edwards (October 30, 2026), both at Hancock State Prison, cause listed as Unknown/Pending
• GPS incident records — cell-fight death entry for Devin Edwards, October 30, 2026
• GPS case submissions — July 17, 2026 monitored-communications report; August 4, 2026 IRT use-of-force report; September 10, 2026 stabbing report; September 15, 2026 tactical operation report; September 18, 2026 lockdown-status report; October 9, 2026 stabbing report
• WGXA — report on the Vershaun Smith malice murder conviction and surveillance footage
• 41NBC — report on the stabbing of Corey July at Hancock State Prison
• Hancock County jury verdict and sentencing records — Vershaun Smith, malice murder conviction, life without parole, September 2026

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Nov 1, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.