McFarlane, Andrew M

Tenure Summary

Andrew M. McFarlane entered the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015 in a general corrections administration role, rose to Unit Manager at Rogers State Prison in 2016, then Deputy Warden at Rogers (2017–2018), Deputy Warden at Smith State Prison (2019–2022), and was appointed Warden at Telfair State Prison in July 2023—a post GPS records show he continues to hold as of 2025. Across his two facility-deputy and facility-lead postings where deaths are recorded, GPS records attribute 67 death entries to his tenures (deduplicated: approximately 34 distinct individuals, as the structured data double-counts each death across two simultaneous role records). Those deaths span homicides, suicides, overdoses, natural/unknown causes, and at least one heat-related death. Six federal civil lawsuits naming McFarlane as a defendant are pending as of the date of this report; no settled amounts appear in the records.

---

What Happened on Their Watch

Smith State Prison — Deputy Warden (2019–2022)

McFarlane held the Deputy Warden role at Smith State Prison across four years during which GPS records and the AJC's Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation document at least 17 distinct deaths at the facility. Confirmed homicides during this period include: Taylor Harrison Brooks (26, multiple stab wounds, April 2020); John Brently Reyes (24, exsanguination from stab wound to neck, April 2020); Justin Wilkerson (25, asphyxia/neck compression, January 2021); Desmond Hill (35, strangulation, April 2021); Hiwatha Abdullah Hakeem (26, multiple stab wounds, April 2021); Derrick Dionte Harvey (26, stab wound to chest, June 2021); Christopher Reynolds (38, blunt and sharp force injuries to head and neck, July 2021); Christopher M. Redwine (45, asphyxia due to manual strangulation, September 2021); Nathan Michael Mahan (37, stab wounds, October 2022)—all per the AJC Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation. Additional deaths with cause listed as unknown or pending include Joseph Franklin Norris (55), Roderick A. Golden (51), Christopher Darnell Heath (43), Michael Lee Canty (35), Manuel Villagomez (24), Michael Lewis Turner (38), Jerome Tisdol (67), and Juan Miguel Orduna (39).

The AJC reported that Smith State Prison had approximately two-thirds of its correctional officer positions unfilled during this period, with only 53 officers at a facility designed for 160, according to AJC reporting. The Marshall Project reported that understaffing conditions at Smith were so severe that a single officer was assigned to an area housing 600 men, and that a decomposing body went undiscovered for days. The AJC further reported that inmate Nathan Weekes allegedly orchestrated murders from inside Smith using a contraband cell phone, and that then-Warden Brian Adams was arrested in early 2023 and charged under Georgia's RICO Act, bribery, and related counts for alleged participation in a contraband scheme—events that overlapped the tail end of McFarlane's deputy tenure. A lawsuit, Daker v. Ward (7:20-cv-00113, GAMD, filed June 2020, terminated November 2021), named McFarlane among defendants during this posting. Timmons v. Georgia Department of Corrections (6:17-cv-00116, GASD, filed September 2017, terminated March 2021) also remained active through part of this tenure.

Telfair State Prison — Warden (July 2023–present)

McFarlane assumed the Warden role at Telfair State Prison in July 2023. GPS records document at least 25 distinct deaths at Telfair during his warden tenure through March 2026. Confirmed homicides include: De'ahmoz Oshmic Floyd (29, stab wound to neck, April 2023—a claim filed against the state alleged no prison staff were present in the dorm, per AJC); Kwesi Jamal Stultz (24, multiple injuries to head, December 2023, per AJC); Joey Lebron Kilgore (45, homicide, February 2024, per AJC); Lamar Jarmaine Wilson (32, injuries from a fight, June 2024, per AJC); Zoumana Madiou Sarre (23, multiple sharp force injuries to neck and torso, July 2024, per AJC); Henry Earl Crump (41, homicide per incident report data, September 2024, per AJC); Aaron Joshua Smith (32, found stabbed in cell, December 2024, per 13WMAZ); Deandre Moody (age not recorded, alleged homicide by strangulation, assault in shower, January 2025, per Telfair County Coroner record); Ezra Dangelo Ford (21, assault/stabbing in B2 housing unit, March 2025, per Telfair County Coroner record); Lester James Smith (45, stab wound to torso in common area, June 2025, per Telfair County Coroner record); Malindzo Eddy Hatcher (42, stab wound to chest in common area, July 2025, per Telfair County Coroner record, captured on video); Preston C. Phelps (28, stabbed in gang fight, December 2025, per Telfair County Coroner record and 13WMAZ/WTOC/WGXA). Additional deaths include: Juan Carlos Ramirez (27, heat-related, July 2023—GPS records note he was left in an outdoor recreation cage for five hours in a 105-degree heat index and arrived at the hospital with an internal body temperature of 107°F; GDC reported the death as natural causes); Tony Morales Adame (32, classified as drug overdose, June 2025, per GPS records); Robert Baker (45, suicide by hanging at TSP annex, October 2025, per Telfair County Coroner record); and multiple deaths with cause listed as unknown or pending, including Eric Leigh Whitehead (29), Marc Avon Jr. Lefevre (39), Anthony James Mulder (40), Jerome Foster (65), Guillermo Nava (33), Tochi Andre Leak (35), Bobby Murray (51), Walter Rakim Jordan (53), William Clinton Worley (49), Thaddeus Jovell Perry (50), David Lane Campbell (44), Henry L. Gadson (60), Robert Wayne Messer (63), Gary Chad Thomason (53), Elvis Noe Garcia-Nelasco (38), Kenneth George Hinton (41), and Tavares Zavoyd Atwell (41).

The AJC reported that Telfair State Prison had 76–79% of its correctional officer positions unfilled, leaving as few as 32–36 officers supervising approximately 1,400 prisoners. The AJC also reported that a Telfair sergeant, Desiree Briley, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for helping an inmate smuggle methamphetamine into the facility for at least two years—an operation that overlapped McFarlane's warden tenure. A claim filed against the state alleged that De'ahmoz Oshmic Floyd had renounced his gang affiliation, making him a target, and that no staff were present when he was stabbed, per AJC reporting. Eric Whitehead's death was confirmed by GDC to a television station as resulting from a fight with another inmate, per AJC. The December 2025 killing of Preston Phelps was investigated by GDC's Office of Professional Standards as a homicide; the Telfair County Coroner record describes a gang fight at 23:12 in which the victim was stabbed by others.

---

Litigation

• Timmons v. Georgia Department of Corrections, 6:17-cv-00116 (GASD), filed September 6, 2017; terminated March 25, 2021. No outcome amount recorded.
• Jackson v. Catanzariti, 6:12-cv-00113 (GASD), filed December 10, 2012; terminated June 28, 2023. No outcome amount recorded.
• Daker v. Ward, 7:20-cv-00113 (GAMD), filed June 11, 2020; terminated November 3, 2021. No outcome amount recorded.
• Hall v. McFarlane, 3:23-cv-00094 (GASD), filed November 29, 2023; terminated March 4, 2024. No outcome amount recorded.
• Allen v. McFarlane, 1:24-cv-00577 (GAND), filed February 8, 2024; terminated September 19, 2024. No outcome amount recorded.
• Powell v. McFarlane, 2:24-cv-00027 (GASD), filed February 22, 2024; pending as of report date. No outcome amount recorded.
• Bibiano v. Garrett, 3:25-cv-00013 (GASD), filed February 13, 2025; pending. No outcome amount recorded.
• Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order, 1:25-cv-03191 (GAND), filed June 6, 2025; terminated March 30, 2026. No outcome amount recorded.
• Ford v. McFarlane, 1:25-cv-03524 (GAND), filed June 24, 2025; pending. No outcome amount recorded.
• Johns v. McFarlane, 1:25-cv-06658 (GAND), filed October 14, 2025; pending. No outcome amount recorded.

---

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — AJC Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation (multiple homicide cause-of-death attributions at Smith SP and Telfair SP); reporting on Smith SP contraband scheme, warden Brian Adams arrest, understaffing, Nathan Weekes allegations, Telfair staffing levels, Desiree Briley sentencing, De'ahmoz Floyd claim, Ramirez heat death, Grace shooting
• Telfair County Coroner Records — death circumstances and pronouncements for Garcia-Nelasco, Thomason, Messer, Gadson, Campbell, Perry, Hatcher, Adame, Smith, Ford, Moody, Worley, Baker, Phelps (2025 records release, GPS archive)
• 13WMAZ, WTOC, WGXA — reporting on Phelps homicide (December 2025), Hatcher homicide (July 2025)
• The Marshall Project — reporting on Smith SP understaffing, officer conditions, decomposed body discovery
• Georgia Public Broadcasting — reporting on drone contraband smuggling, Senate committee testimony
• Solitary Watch — allegations of tactical officer conduct and heat shutoff at Telfair SP (2010 strike)
• In These Times — Georgia prison strike allegations regarding medical care, labor conditions, contraband
• CourtListener / PACER — all ten civil case records cited in Litigation section
• GPS records — position history, salary data, death-tenure matching, cause-category classifications

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on May 10, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.