Messer, ADA Y

Tenure Summary

ADA Y Messer began their Georgia Department of Corrections career in procurement roles before assuming the position of Deputy Warden at Johnson State Prison in 2018, a role they continue to hold through at least 2025. During that leadership tenure, GPS records attribute 88 deaths to the facility—all occurring under Messer’s watch as Deputy Warden. Those deaths include multiple homicides documented by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as suicides, undetermined deaths, and fatalities classified as natural by GDC. The state has paid out millions of dollars in settlements tied to deaths and incidents at Johnson State Prison during this period, most notably $4 million for the 2021 killing of David Lamar Henegar, after a federal lawsuit alleged deliberate indifference by prison staff.

What happened on their watch

Messer’s entire facility-leadership tenure has been at Johnson State Prison. GPS records show 88 people died there between 2018 and mid‑2026 while Messer served as Deputy Warden. The causes documented span multiple categories: at least six deaths are recorded as homicides—Jerry L. Brown (2020, stab wounds to the head), David Lamar Henegar (2021, manual strangulation and blunt head trauma), Donald Prescott Lee (2023, blunt force trauma), Michael Todd Page (2023, homicide), Kenneth Adam Robinson (2024, homicide per incident data), and Paul Russell Brewster (2025, alleged homicide per a prisoner report). Allegations filed in federal court and reported by the AJC state that officers ignored screams and failed to intervene during Henegar’s prolonged beating by a mentally ill cellmate, and that staff had ignored prior warnings about the assailant. The state settled the Henegar family’s lawsuit for $4 million on the eve of trial in 2026.

Other deaths include two suicides (Richard Lawrence Forrest, 2021, and Russell Scott Silman, 2020, as coded by GDC), several deaths classified as “undetermined” by GDC, and a large number of deaths listed with cause‑category “6” (no published cause). A former GDC CERT commander publicly recounted a spring 2024 incident at Johnson where the 1,400‑man compound operated with only four staff; he described having to use a taser alone and accept help from incarcerated people to restrain a man in crisis, while the responsible sergeant never filed a use‑of‑force report. That whistleblower account also detailed female officers relying on inmate “bodyguards” and a prior attack in which a female officer running lockdown showers alone was stabbed.

Systemic deficiencies documented at the facility during Messer’s time include a failing food‑safety inspection score of 64 out of 100 in December 2023, citing rats, roaches, and broken kitchen equipment. In April 2026, multiple reports described contaminated food trays causing illness, with dishwashing equipment failed and a manual chemical‑dunk process in use. An escape occurred in April 2023, though GDC issued no public notice.

Litigation

• Wade v. Morgan, No. 3:23‑cv‑00073 (S.D. Ga., filed Aug. 31, 2023) – pending. The case is connected to the death of David Lamar Henegar and names ADA Y Messer as a defendant. The lawsuit alleges that prison staff failed to protect Henegar from a known violent cellmate and ignored his cries for help, resulting in his homicide. The state settled the underlying family claim for $4 million in early 2026.

Sources

• GPS internal death records and facility‑specific databases
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution – “Ga. prison homicides: A list of those killed in Georgia’s prison system” (homicide listings for Henegar, Brown, Lee, Page, Robinson)
• UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project custodial mortality dataset (GDC cause codings for several deaths, obtained via open records)
• Tyler C. Ryals YouTube channel – whistleblower account of staffing and safety failures at Johnson State Prison, spring 2024
• Georgia Department of Administrative Services Risk Management settlement ledger (open records) – settlement payouts for incidents at Johnson State Prison
• CourtListener – docket for Wade v. Morgan, 3:23‑cv‑00073

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Aug 9, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.