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McDay, Courtney
Status: active
Profile written July 19, 2026
Salary
$74,325
2025 · state payroll
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
Courtney McDay began employment with the Georgia Department of Corrections as a Behavioral Health Counselor in 2015, holding that role at an unlisted facility through 2021. In 2022, McDay was promoted to Deputy Warden of Phillips State Prison, a position with facility-deputy accountability. GPS records show that 54 deaths have been attributed to Phillips State Prison during McDay’s tenure as deputy warden—a period spanning from 2022 through at least early 2026. At least one federal lawsuit naming McDay as a defendant was filed during this period.What happened on their watch
McDay served as Deputy Warden at Phillips State Prison from January 2022 onward. According to GPS death records, 54 people died in custody at the facility while McDay held that post. The documented causes of death span multiple categories: homicides, suicides, accidents, natural causes, and undetermined manners. Homicides make up a significant portion of the sample provided; recorded homicides during this period include the stabbing death of Alim Lovett in December 2022, the stabbing of Quafabian McBride in September 2022, the stabbing of Jacob Daniels in August 2022, the stabbing deaths of Sidney Nealey and Jamal Johnson earlier that summer, the blunt-force-trauma death of Arthur Wimbush in April 2023, the delayed blunt-force-trauma death of Randall Futch (originally listed as natural but later reclassified as homicide by the Richmond County Coroner), the stabbing of Timothy Hurley in September 2024, and the homicide of Jody Stokes in January 2025, among others. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported an allegation that officers arranged for McBride to be brought to a lockdown unit on the day he was killed in a gang-related stabbing; a Department of Justice investigation later found that the McBride homicide triggered a multi-facility gang war across GDC prisons, with 20 prisoners hospitalized. Suicides recorded during McDay’s tenure include those of Joseph Morrison, James Smith, Jerry Hunnicutt, William McClure, Christopher Hines, and Nile Young. Accidental deaths include John Garmon (2023) and Jonathan Rucker (2024). A contested case involving Leroy Brooks, whose family disputes a natural-causes finding and alleges a history of beatings, remains listed as undetermined. Deaths ranged widely in age, from 18-year-old Thomas Dean (natural, 2024) to 86-year-old John Neale (natural, 2024).Litigation
- Wright v. McDay, No. 1:23-cv-04358 (N.D. Ga., filed Sept. 25, 2023) — status pending; no outcome amount.
Sources
- GPS death and personnel records (deaths_by_facility, positions, deaths_during_tenure)
- Gwinnett County Coroner / GBI Medical Examiner reports (multiple individual case numbers cited in death notes)
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — report alleging officers arranged for McBride’s presence in lockdown on the day of his killing
- DOJ findings (as referenced in intel events) — gang war triggered by McBride homicide
- CourtListener — docket for Wright v. Mcday
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | PHILLIPS STATE PRISON | 2022-01-01 → present |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 2 | 2016-01-01 → 2021-12-31 | |
| BEH HEALTH/COUNSELOR (WL) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:23-cv-04358 | GAND | 2023-09-25 | pending |
Deaths attributed during tenure
54 people died at facilities under McDay, Courtney's leadership.
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