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McFarlane, Andrew M
Status: active
Profile written June 7, 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
Andrew M. McFarlane progressed from a Corrections Administration post in 2015 through unit manager and deputy warden roles to the wardenship of Telfair State Prison. After serving as a unit supervisor at Rogers State Prison in 2016, he became deputy warden there (2017–2018) before moving to Smith State Prison as deputy warden from 2019 through 2022. A brief deputy warden assignment without a listed facility preceded his appointment as Warden of Telfair State Prison in July 2023; he has held the facility-lead role since. GPS records attribute 49 deaths to the facilities where McFarlane held leadership accountability — 17 during his time as deputy warden at Smith and 32 under his wardenship at Telfair. At least ten lawsuits have named him as a defendant, with several alleging failures in safety and medical care.What happened on their watch
Smith State Prison (Deputy Warden, 2019–2022) — GPS records show 17 inmate deaths at Smith while McFarlane was deputy warden, including multiple homicides. Among them, John Reyes, 24, died from exsanguination after a stab wound to the neck in April 2020; Taylor Brooks, 26, from multiple stab wounds that same month; Christopher Reynolds, 38, from blunt and sharp force injuries to the head and neck in July 2021; Derrick Harvey, 26, from a stab wound to the chest in June 2021; Hiwatha Hakeem, 26, from multiple stab wounds in April 2021; Desmond Hill, 35, from strangulation that same month; Christopher Redwine, 45, from asphyxia due to manual strangulation in September 2021; and Nathan Mahan, 37, from stab wounds in October 2022. Other deaths during this period had causes listed as pending or natural conditions. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a lawsuit alleged that the four prisoners who attacked Hakeem had a history of violence and that officials failed to provide timely medical care; another report noted that Hill called his mother the day before his death saying his cellmate had threatened him. Broader systemic allegations surrounded Smith while McFarlane was deputy. The AJC and The Georgia Virtue reported that Smith’s warden, Brian Adams, was later indicted on RICO, bribery, false-statement, and other felony charges, accused of running a contraband scheme — the “Saint Laurent Squad” — that allegedly facilitated murder-for-hire plots from inside the prison. The DOJ had initiated scrutiny of the Georgia Department of Corrections in September 2021, and the Marshall Project documented severe understaffing: a former officer described being the sole guard for 600 men, with no functioning fire extinguishers, in a facility where “about two-thirds of correctional officer positions were unfilled,” according to the AJC.Telfair State Prison (Warden, July 2023–present) — As warden, McFarlane oversaw a period in which GPS records attribute 32 deaths. The deaths include at least 11 classified as homicides, along with suicides, a drug overdose, and several where the cause remains pending. In his first month as warden, Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano, 27, died after being left in an outdoor recreation cage for five hours in a 105-degree heat index, arriving at the hospital with a 107°F core temperature; GDC reported the death as “natural causes,” but a subsequent lawsuit (Bibiano v. Garrett) disputes that characterization. Additional homicides include Joey Kilgore, 45, stabbed while asleep in February 2024; Zoumana Madiou Sarre, 23, killed by multiple sharp force injuries in July 2024; Henry Crump, 41, in September 2024; Eric Whitehead, 29, after a fight the same month; Aaron Smith, 32, found stabbed in his cell in December 2024; Ezra Ford, 21, stabbed in March 2025; Lester Smith, 45, stabbed in June 2025; Malindzo Hatcher, 42, stabbed in July 2025; Preston Phelps, 28, killed in a gang-related fight in December 2025; and Deandre Moody, whose death was ruled a homicide by strangulation in early 2025. The AJC reported that Telfair was missing 76% of its essential workforce, leaving roughly 36 officers to supervise 1,400 prisoners. According to the AJC, a former sergeant, Desiree Briley, was charged as part of a federal drug prosecution, Operation Ghost Busted, for smuggling meth into the prison over at least two years. A separate AJC investigation documented that a claim against the state alleged that one slain prisoner had renounced his gang affiliation, making him a target of repeated attacks.
Litigation
- Johns v. Mcfarlane, 1:25-cv-06658 (GAND, filed Oct. 14, 2025) — pending
- Ford v. Mcfarlane, 1:25-cv-03524 (GAND, filed Jun. 24, 2025) — pending
- Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order, 1:25-cv-03191 (GAND, filed Jun. 6, 2025; terminated Mar. 30, 2026)
- Bibiano v. Garrett, 3:25-cv-00013 (GASD, filed Feb. 13, 2025) — pending
- Powell v. Mcfarlane, 2:24-cv-00027 (GASD, filed Feb. 22, 2024) — pending
- Allen v. Mcfarlane, 1:24-cv-00577 (GAND, filed Feb. 8, 2024; terminated Sep. 19, 2024)
- Hall v. Mcfarlane, 3:23-cv-00094 (GASD, filed Nov. 29, 2023; terminated Mar. 4, 2024)
- Daker v. Ward, 7:20-cv-00113 (GAMD, filed Jun. 11, 2020; terminated Nov. 3, 2021)
- Timmons v. Georgia Department of Corrections, 6:17-cv-00116 (GASD, filed Sep. 6, 2017; terminated Mar. 25, 2021)
- Jackson v. Catanzariti, 6:12-cv-00113 (GASD, filed Dec. 10, 2012; terminated Jun. 28, 2023)
Sources
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — multiple homicide reports and investigative pieces on deaths at Smith and Telfair state prisons; coverage of Brian Adams contraband/RICO indictment, understaffing, DOJ scrutiny, and Operation Ghost Busted drug trafficking
- The Georgia Virtue — reporting on Brian Adams indictment and civil lawsuit alleging contraband conspiracy
- The Marshall Project — investigation into extreme understaffing and safety failures at Smith State Prison
- WTOC — reports on guard altercations and sexual assault allegation at Smith State Prison
- In These Times — allegations from Georgia prison strikers about conditions, forced labor, and corruption
- Solitary Watch — reports on tactical squad violence and denial of heat at Telfair State Prison
- GPS death records and Telfair County Coroner records — individual cause-of-death determinations and incident narratives
- CourtListener / GAND & GASD dockets — lawsuit filings and case statuses
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| WARDEN 3 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| WARDEN 3 | 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-31 | |
| Warden | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2023-07-01 → present |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | 2023-01-01 → 2023-06-30 | |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2017-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 |
| CORRECTION ADMINISTRATION | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:25-cv-06658 | GAND | 2025-10-14 | pending |
| 1:25-cv-03524 | GAND | 2025-06-24 | pending |
| 1:25-cv-03191 | GAND | 2025-06-06 | terminated |
| 3:25-cv-00013 | GASD | 2025-02-13 | pending |
| 2:24-cv-00027 | GASD | 2024-02-22 | pending |
| 1:24-cv-00577 | GAND | 2024-02-08 | terminated |
| 3:23-cv-00094 | GASD | 2023-11-29 | terminated |
| 7:20-cv-00113 | GAMD | 2020-06-11 | terminated |
| 6:17-cv-00116 | GASD | 2017-09-06 | terminated |
| 6:12-cv-00113 | GASD | 2012-12-10 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
49 people died at facilities under McFarlane, Andrew M's leadership.
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