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Mahoney, Tamikia Nicole
Status: active
Profile written July 12, 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
Tamikia Nicole Mahoney is a long‑serving Georgia Department of Corrections employee whose career trajectory moved from entry‑line staff into facility‑deputy leadership at Hancock State Prison, a close‑security prison that has been the focus of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation and sustained news coverage over endemic violence. GPS records show that 26 deaths are attributed to Mahoney’s leadership tenures at Hancock State Prison, where she held the roles of Correctional Assistant Superintendent (2019‑2024) and, later, Deputy Warden of Security (September 2024‑present). All 26 deaths occurred during her time in those facility‑deputy accountability tiers at Hancock. While Mahoney has not been named as a defendant in litigation, the period saw multiple civil claims and settlements tied to prisoner homicides, including a state payout of $424,710 for the 2022 killing of Charles McKee and a $600,000 settlement over the 2019 suicide of Amanuel Geberyesus.What happened on their watch
Mahoney served as a Correctional Assistant Superintendent at Hancock State Prison from 2019 through August 2024, and then as Deputy Warden of Security from September 2024 onward. Over that span, GPS records attribute 26 prisoner deaths to the facility. A review of the available death records reveals a persistent pattern of homicides, mainly by stabbing or blunt trauma. Among them: Rashad Bolton (January 2021, puncture wound to chest), Dwayne Zackery (February 2021, stab wound with a homemade knife), Charles “Tristen” McKee (May 2022, stabbed 13 times in the back and head), Norman Samples (December 2022, blunt force injuries of head and torso), Roland Phillips (June 2023, multiple sharp‑force injuries), Francisco Melgar‑Saldivar (August 2023, strangulation and blunt force injuries), Travon Walthour (October 2024, stabbed), Andre Weems (September 2025, stabbed; eight others charged), and Steven Wood (January 2026, beaten to death by a cellmate), among others. Atlanta Journal‑Constitution investigations have documented that McKee was placed in a dormitory with gang members known to be hostile to LGBTQ prisoners and that his repeated requests to be moved the day before his murder were ignored. A claim against the state also alleged that Melgar‑Saldivar was denied appropriate medical care after an attack.The fatalities unfolded amid what the AJC described as chronic understaffing: by October 2024, 73.5% of correctional officer positions at Hancock were vacant, leaving only 49 officers for over 1,100 prisoners. A 2024 U.S. Department of Justice report found a “culture of indifference” in Georgia prisons that allowed violence, sexual assaults, and gang control. Incidents during Mahoney’s tenure included gang‑related mass stabbings (five inmates stabbed in January 2026, two airlifted) and a brawl that left at least two injured. Consultants told the AJC that cell locks were broken at many facilities, letting gang members intimidate others. Within this environment, Mahoney served as a senior security official responsible for daily custody operations.
Litigation
- McKee settlement – State of Georgia paid $424,710 to resolve claims arising from the May 2022 homicide of Charles “Tristen” McKee at Hancock State Prison (GA DOAS Risk Management ledger via Open Records).
- Geberyesus settlement – A lawsuit over the March 2019 suicide of Amanuel Selassie Geberyesus, who was placed in a regular cell contrary to a counselor’s advice after expressing suicidal thoughts, was settled for $600,000 (AJC).
- Bolton lawsuit – The parents of Rashad Bolton, stabbed to death in January 2021, filed suit against the state alleging wrongful death (AJC).
- Melgar‑Saldivar claim – A pre‑suit claim asserted that the state failed to provide appropriate medical care after Francisco Melgar‑Saldivar was attacked and strangled in August 2023 (AJC).
Sources
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution – multiple investigations into Georgia prison homicides, including Hancock State Prison death data, DOJ findings, staffing shortages, and individual case narratives.
- U.S. Department of Justice – 2024 report describing rampant violence, sexual assaults, and gang control in Georgia prisons.
- Georgia Department of Administrative Services Risk Management settlement ledger – payout records for the McKee settlement.
- 41NBC – report on the death of Jaylin Bell at Hancock (February 2026).
- GPS internal records – position history, death records, and intel reports.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | AUGUSTA TRANSITIONAL CENTER | 2025-01-01 → present |
| Deputy Warden of Security | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2024-09-01 → present |
| CORRECTIONAL ASST. SUPT | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → 2024-08-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | AUGUSTA TRANSITIONAL CENTER | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR SPV | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| BEH HEALTH/COUNSELOR (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Chief Counselor | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2013-01-01 → 2013-12-31 |
| Counselor | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2011-01-01 → 2011-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | WILKES COUNTY PRISON | 2006-01-01 → 2006-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
26 people died at facilities under Mahoney, Tamikia Nicole's leadership.
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