Marcus, Charlie J

Tenure Summary

Charlie J. Marcus joined the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015 as a correctional officer and rose steadily through the ranks — sergeant (2016), lieutenant (2017–2019), unit manager (2020–2022) — before being appointed Deputy Warden at Valdosta State Prison in 2023, a post he continues to hold as of 2025. GPS records show 46 deaths attributed to Valdosta State Prison during his tenure as Deputy Warden (2023–present), spanning homicides, unclassified deaths, at least one suicide, and one medical incident. Two federal civil rights lawsuits naming Marcus personally were pending as of late 2024. His tenure at Valdosta has coincided with what the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has described as extreme staffing shortages, a large-scale contraband and corruption scandal (Operation Skyhawk), and a federal court sanctions order against GDC for destroying evidence related to a fatal stabbing at the same facility.

What Happened on Their Watch

Valdosta State Prison — Deputy Warden (2023–present)

Marcus has held the Deputy Warden role at Valdosta State Prison continuously since January 2023. GPS records attribute 46 deaths at the facility during this period. The homicide count is substantial: AJC investigation records document the July 2023 killings of Lance Montex Lampkin (multiple stab wounds to the torso) and Quoesent Bostwick (ruled homicide); the January 2024 ligature strangulation of Rufus Shawn Lane, found dead in his cell; the February 2024 sharp-force face and neck trauma death of Ricky Bernard Harris; the April 2024 stabbing death of Melvin Towns during what a GDC incident report describes as a disruptive event involving six disciplined inmates; and the May 2024 death of Shane Griffith, 32, from blunt force trauma to the head, torso, and extremities. Per AJC reporting, warrants allege 11 inmates beat Griffith with fists and a pole, kicked him, stood on his chest, and placed a burning object on his body over a period of potentially six or more hours, with staff discovering his body only during breakfast rounds. Griffith's family alleges he had sought protective custody and was placed in general population the day before his death; a notice of intent to sue the state was filed in January 2025, per GPS records. Into 2025 and 2026, homicides continued: Sinjuan Harmon was killed by strangulation in January 2025; Brandon McGee was found dead in April 2025 with his body sent to the GBI Crime Lab, per WALB; William Springer, 36, was stabbed in the face and head in September 2025 and was brain-dead at the hospital — inmates allegedly reported to WALB that jailers did not respond for hours, and Springer's family alleges GDC failed to contact them after the attack. Jevion Benham, 21, was found dead on December 24, 2025; the Lowndes County Coroner ruled his death a homicide by strangulation and determined he had been dead approximately two days before discovery. Coroner Austin Fiveash stated publicly, per GPS records sourced to Telegram and HCRC: "It seems unfathomable that a prison can miss someone for two days… Valdosta State Prison needs help." In early 2026, Kyle Samuel Burke was killed by his cellmate on April 19; a Telegram relay report alleges officers were aware of ongoing conflict between the two since the preceding Friday but failed to separate them. Robert Jordan Watkins, 38, was found dead on the J1 tier on March 18, 2026, with multiple sources reporting the body may have been deceased approximately two days before discovery, per GPS records.

Concurrent with the death toll, the AJC reported that Valdosta State Prison was operating with approximately 80% of its correctional officer positions vacant — a figure cited in multiple AJC reports covering this period. Operation Skyhawk, a two-year investigation announced by Governor Brian Kemp on March 28, 2024, resulted in 150 arrests and 1,000 criminal charges; seven correctional officers — six from GDC, including multiple Valdosta staff — were arrested for allegedly participating in a contraband scheme run by a Valdosta inmate, per GPS records and AJC reporting. The AJC separately reported that at least six officers allegedly aided inmate Kydetrius Thomas in smuggling drug-soaked paper, pills, and tobacco, with one officer allegedly having over 400 phone conversations with Thomas. A federal judge, Chief U.S. District Judge Leslie Gardner, sanctioned GDC on March 30, 2026, for destroying video evidence in bad faith in connection with the stabbing death of Hakeem Olajuwon Williams (a pre-Marcus-tenure death at the same facility) and sanctioned officer Angela Butler for lying under oath, per GPS records. The AJC also reported that Warden Ralph Shropshire was terminated for "misconduct," the details of which remain part of an open investigation.

Litigation

• Williams v. Marcus, No. 7:24-cv-00102 (M.D. Ga.), filed November 6, 2024 — pending. CourtListener
• Felder v. Marcus, No. 7:24-cv-00123 (M.D. Ga.), filed November 21, 2024 — pending. CourtListener
• Griffith family notice of intent to sue — filed January 2025 against the state; no case number in GPS records; status unknown.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — AJC Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation (multiple reports, 2024–2026), Operation Skyhawk coverage, staffing/corruption investigation at Valdosta State Prison
• WALB — reporting on William Springer stabbing (September 2025), Brandon McGee death (April 2025), Sinjuan Harmon killing (January 2025), Ryan Rumph death (March 2025)
• WTXL — Lowndes County coroner statement following Ryan Rumph death
• Lowndes County Coroner (Austin Fiveash) — public statement on Jevion Benham death, December 2025
• GPS records — deaths database, Telegram relay reports (AI-classified), user-submitted incident reports
• CourtListener — Williams v. Marcus, 7:24-cv-00102; Felder v. Marcus, 7:24-cv-00123
• GPS intel events — Operation Skyhawk arrests, federal court sanctions order (March 30, 2026), Griffith family notice of intent to sue

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.