McKenzie, Lachaka Nicole

Tenure Summary

Lachaka Nicole McKenzie entered the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2005 as a correctional officer at Macon State Prison, then held counselor posts at Dooly State Prison (2007) and Macon State Prison (2010). After serving as a behavioral health counselor and then behavioral health counselor supervisor at Macon (2015–2016), McKenzie became deputy warden at Macon State Prison for the 2017 through 2022 salary years. In 2023 McKenzie moved to Central State Prison as a correctional unit manager, records list a deputy warden title at Central for January–April 2025 alongside the unit manager role, and from May 1, 2025 McKenzie has served as Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment at Central.

According to GPS's death registry, 43 deaths are attributed to McKenzie's leadership tenures — 32 at Macon State Prison and 11 at Central State Prison. During the Macon years, the Georgia Department of Administrative Services Risk Management settlement ledger (obtained through Open Records) records state liability payouts tied to Macon State Prison, including $1,375,000 tied to the 2020 death of Bobby Edward Lee and $750,000 tied to the 2020 death of Coty Silvers. McKenzie is named as a defendant in four federal lawsuits, three terminated and one pending.

What happened on their watch

Macon State Prison — Deputy Warden, 2017–2022. GPS attributes 32 deaths at Macon State Prison to this tenure; the registry's most recent Macon entries run from January 2020 through December 2022. Among the 14 most recent, the registry lists five as homicides, four as natural/medical, two as suicides and three as unknown/pending. Incident descriptions recorded in the registry include Kendrick Malik Brown, 25, who died October 16, 2022 of a blunt-force head injury, and whose mother said he was due for release in a month but was placed in a cell with a prisoner known to be dangerous; Carrington Juwon Frye, 23, whose mother told Georgia lawmakers he bled for more than half an hour before help arrived; and Bobby Edward Lee Jr., 38, who died July 13, 2020 of ligature strangulation and whose federal lawsuit alleges he was strangled by his cellmate, a convicted murderer. The risk management ledger records settlements tied to Macon in this period for Robin Kimbrel ($32,500), Bavarious Nelson ($6,250), Frank Gillis ($450), Javante Harris-Evans ($98,000), Bobby Edward Lee ($1,375,000) and Coty Silvers ($750,000).

Deaths named in GPS's registry during this tenure include: James Cornelius Mcleroy died December 19, 2022, at Macon State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 26. Victor Louis Britt died December 18, 2022, at Macon State Prison; the cause is Unknown/Pending, age 64. Lee E Johnson died December 7, 2022, at Macon State Prison; Natural/Medical, age 75. Clinton Vondell Jackson died October 19, 2022, at Macon State Prison; Suicide, age 31. Kendrick Milike Brown died October 16, 2022, at Macon State Prison; Homicide, age 25. Herbert Cornell Stephens died October 7, 2022, at Macon State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 53. Dan Brooks died August 21, 2022, at Macon State Prison; Homicide, age 50. Antonio Sentelle Lee died August 13, 2022, at Macon State Prison; Natural/Medical, age 42. Joseph Walter Brown died July 26, 2022, at Macon State Prison; Homicide, age 36. Larry Groeber died June 12, 2022, at Macon State Prison; Natural/Medical, age 70. Antwain Lacraig Miller died June 12, 2022, at Macon State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 49. Paul Dewayne Warren died April 8, 2022, at Macon State Prison; Suicide, age 51. Ryan Weston Darville died December 29, 2021, at Macon State Prison; Homicide, age 37. Larry Joe Butler died October 22, 2021, at Macon State Prison; Natural/Medical, age 62.

Central State Prison — Correctional Unit Manager, 2023–2025. Records list McKenzie in the unit manager role at Central State Prison from 2023 into 2025, with a deputy warden title also recorded for January 1–April 30, 2025.

Central State Prison — Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment, from May 1, 2025. GPS attributes 11 deaths at Central State Prison to McKenzie's leadership tenures, all dated between July 2025 and July 2026 in the registry. Deputies include: Steve Allen Burk died July 20, 2026, at Central State Prison; Homicide, age 38. Demetris Raynard Keller died July 17, 2026, at Central State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 38. Mickey Barrett died July 11, 2026, at Central State Prison; Natural/Medical, age 64. Raemonte Gentale Harris died July 3, 2026, at Central State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 39. Richard Palmer died June 2, 2026, at Central State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 57. Michael Lane Brooks died April 19, 2026, at Central State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 77. Miguel Angel Duran died March 1, 2026, at Central State Prison; Suicide, age 44. Ronald Goss died October 23, 2025, at Central State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 60. Joseph Hamm died October 8, 2025, at Central State Prison; Overdose, age 36. James Theodore Miller died September 22, 2025, at Central State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 64. Ricky D Ring died July 16, 2025, at Central State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 56.

Reports logged during this tenure include an external report of a 2026 death at Central initially described as a heart attack, and a separate report of a death after which a video of the body circulated on social media and a tactical/incident response team was observed in the housing unit. Other reports describe two stabbings during a lockdown, multiple stabbings with a concurrent medical emergency and multiple ambulances responding, six people hospitalized during a statewide lockdown in May 2026, and skeleton-crew staffing that a report linked to delays in serving meals. A family member or witness reported that an incarcerated person showing stroke symptoms was denied timely medical attention, with a significant delay before transport to a hospital. Staff-related allegations include a Central State Prison officer, Only Souffrance, charged in October 2026 with aggravated battery, false statements and violation of oath (charged, not convicted); accounting technician Zacarra Oliver, charged with sexual contact with a person in custody and trading with inmates without the warden's consent (charged, not convicted); a guard charged with falsely imprisoning four DFCS employees in December 2025; and three former guards accused of beating an inmate and attempting a cover-up.

Litigation

• Tucker v. Holt, No. 5:24-cv-00360 (GAMD), filed October 16, 2024; terminated June 11, 2025. McKenzie listed as a defendant; no outcome amount recorded.
• Tucker v. Wellpath Llc, No. 5:24-cv-00215 (GAMD), filed July 3, 2024; pending. McKenzie listed as a defendant.
• Smith v. Ward, No. 1:19-cv-03871 (GAND), filed August 12, 2019; terminated June 7, 2023. McKenzie listed as a defendant.
• Bey v. Georgia Department of Corrections, No. 5:19-cv-00236 (GAMD), filed June 14, 2019; terminated September 30, 2022. McKenzie listed as a defendant.

Sources

• GPS death registry — death records and homicide incident descriptions at Macon State Prison and Central State Prison
• Georgia Department of Administrative Services Risk Management settlement ledger (Open Records) — liability payouts tied to Macon State Prison, 2020–2022
• CourtListener dockets — Tucker v. Holt, Tucker v. Wellpath Llc, Smith v. Ward, Bey v. Georgia Department of Corrections
• 13WMAZ — reports on Central State Prison staff arrests and the inmate fight hospitalization
• Bibb County Sheriff's Office inmate search — booking records for Only Souffrance and Zacarra Oliver
• GPS case submissions — external and inmate reports from Central State Prison, 2026

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Oct 25, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.