McKenzie, Lachaka Nicole

Tenure Summary

Lachaka Nicole McKenzie began her GDC career as a correctional officer at Macon State Prison in 2005, progressed through counselor and behavioral health roles at Macon and Dooly State Prisons, and rose to Deputy Warden at Macon State Prison — a post she held from 2017 through 2022. She transferred to Central State Prison in 2023 as a Correctional Unit Manager, was elevated to Deputy Warden there in early 2025, and has held the title of Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment at Central State Prison since May 2025. GPS records show 55 deaths attributed to facilities during McKenzie's leadership-tier tenures: 35 at Macon State Prison (2017–2022) and 20 at Central State Prison (2023–present). Four federal civil rights lawsuits name her as a defendant.

What Happened on Their Watch

Macon State Prison — Deputy Warden (2017–2022)

McKenzie held the Deputy Warden role at Macon State Prison across six years during which GPS records attribute 35 deaths to the facility. Of those, at least 14 are classified as homicides (cause category 3), per the AJC Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation and GPS records. Documented homicide causes include stab wounds to the neck and chest (Carrington Jwon Frye, 23, March 2020), ligature strangulation (Bobby Edward Lee Jr., 38, July 2020), asphyxia (Cody Dustin Silvers, 39, May 2020), multiple sharp force injuries (David Travis Dennis, 34, May 2020; Carlos Maurice Fisher, 30, May 2021), blunt and sharp force injuries to the head and neck (Robbie Lee Brower, 58, October 2020), stab wound to the torso (Raul Villegas, 37, December 2020), stab wounds to the chest (Ryan Weston Darville, 37, December 2021), multiple stab wounds (Joseph Walter Brown, 36, July 2022), stab wound of the neck (Dan Brooks, 50, August 2022), blunt force head injury (Kendrick Milike Brown, 25, October 2022), and stab wounds to the torso (James Cornelius McLeroy, 26, December 2022). The remaining deaths during this period are classified as natural causes. According to the AJC, Macon State Prison was critically understaffed — with the coroner reporting only five to eight officers staffing the entire facility when responding to deaths, and approximately two-thirds of correctional officer positions unfilled as of October 2024. The AJC further alleges that low staffing allowed gangs to exert influence, that most locks did not work, and that prisoners could easily fabricate weapons from wall and ceiling materials. In the case of Bobby Edward Lee Jr., the AJC alleges that officials placed him in a cell with a prisoner who had previously killed a fellow parolee despite Lee's pleas for protection, and that no officers responded until after he was strangled to death. Kendrick Brown's mother alleged, per the AJC, that her son was placed in a cell with a prisoner known to be dangerous shortly before his scheduled release. The AJC also alleges that four gang members ran past an officer to a kitchen area and fatally stabbed a prisoner, indicating a failure to prevent the assault. A GPS intel report (AI-detected via Telegram relay) notes an incident in which an inmate, Glen Christian Krauch, was allegedly tortured and left for dead under a bunk at Macon State Prison for approximately three weeks around June 2024 — after McKenzie's departure but illustrating the facility's ongoing conditions.

Central State Prison — Correctional Unit Manager / Deputy Warden / Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment (2023–present)

GPS records attribute 20 deaths to Central State Prison during McKenzie's tenure there, spanning her roles as Unit Manager (2023–2024), Deputy Warden (January–April 2025), and Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment (May 2025–present). Among these, at least three are classified as homicides: Hollis Alan Bryant, 28, died December 17, 2023 from sharp force trauma to the left femoral artery; Marquis Lamar Johnson, 26, died December 18, 2023 after being stabbed in the prison barbershop and suffering cardiac arrest secondary to the stabbing; and Leon Culver Kelly, 47, was stabbed to death on December 9, 2024, with multiple stab wounds confirmed by the coroner, per 13WMAZ. According to the AJC, three other prisoners were criminally charged in connection with Bryant's death. One death is classified as an accidental overdose: Joseph Hamm, 36, died October 8, 2025; a GPS source report alleges he was found with a balloon of opiates that had burst in his mouth while being transferred from segregation, and states the official cause of death would likely be listed as a heart attack caused by opiate overdose. A GPS Telegram relay report classifies the death of Miguel Angel Duran, 44, on March 1, 2026 as a suicide in the segregation unit. The remaining deaths are classified as natural causes, including Matthew Maddox (cerebral herniation due to extremely high blood pressure, January 2025) and Ricky Eugene Rogers, 68 (noted as "Natural/Drug OD," April 2025). According to Georgia Public Broadcasting, severe staff shortages have allowed gang members to effectively run Georgia state prisons, contributing to rising violence and deaths, and families of incarcerated people who die are routinely left without information about what happened. Per 13WMAZ, three former Central State Prison guards were accused of beating an inmate and attempting a cover-up in March 2025, and a guard faced charges in December 2025 for falsely imprisoning four DFCS employees over child support payments.

Litigation

• Smith v. Ward, No. 1:19-cv-03871 (N.D. Ga.), filed August 12, 2019; terminated June 7, 2023. No outcome amount recorded. (CourtListener)
• Bey v. Georgia Department of Corrections, No. 5:19-cv-00236 (M.D. Ga.), filed June 14, 2019; terminated September 30, 2022. No outcome amount recorded. (CourtListener)
• Tucker v. Wellpath LLC, No. 5:24-cv-00215 (M.D. Ga.), filed July 3, 2024; pending as of GPS records. No outcome amount recorded. (CourtListener)
• Tucker v. Holt, No. 5:24-cv-00360 (M.D. Ga.), filed October 16, 2024; terminated June 11, 2025. No outcome amount recorded. (CourtListener)

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation (multiple homicide cause-of-death attributions at Macon State Prison and Central State Prison)
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — "Prison homicides soar as Georgia legislators focus on fixes" (staffing vacancy allegations, understaffing at Macon State Prison)
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — "Prison system failures cost Georgia taxpayers millions" (Bobby Edward Lee Jr. strangulation allegations; Macon State Prison)
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — "Georgia prison homicides outpacing last year" (overcrowding and family notification allegations; Macon State Prison)
• Georgia Public Broadcasting — "Six people have died in Georgia state prisons in the past month" (staffing crisis, gang control, family notification failures; Central State Prison)
• Georgia Public Broadcasting — "The federal Department of Justice: deliberate indifference, violence in Georgia" (medical care allegations; Dooly State Prison)
• 13WMAZ — Leon Kelly stabbing death, December 2024 (Central State Prison); guard misconduct allegations, March 2025 (Central State Prison)
• GPS records / GPS Case Management — deaths-during-tenure table; Joseph Hamm overdose report (GPS-DEATH-2025-E7CD5); Miguel Angel Duran suicide report (GPS-260301-CFA0ED); Glen Christian Krauch torture incident
• CourtListener — Smith v. Ward (1:19-cv-03871); Bey v. Georgia Department of Corrections (5:19-cv-00236); Tucker v. Wellpath LLC (5:24-cv-00215); Tucker v. Holt (5:24-cv-00360)

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.