Nicholson, Nequeva

Tenure Summary

GPS records attribute 11 deaths at Dooly State Prison to the period of Nicholson’s leadership at the facility. All occurred after she assumed the deputy warden role in 2025. The deaths include multiple homicides, suspected suicides, and drug‑related fatalities. Nicholson’s time at Dooly has been marked by acute staffing collapses, severe overcrowding, and a cascade of gang‑driven violence that forced a statewide prison lockdown.

What happened on their watch

Macon State Prison (2015–2019, correctional officer & sergeant)

Dooly State Prison (2023–present: lieutenant ➔ captain ➔ deputy warden roles)

The deaths on her deputy‑warden watch include:

• Joshua Parrott, 45, strangled to death on Jan. 12, 2025 (cause category: homicide/strangulation).
• Horario Philmore, 58, died Feb. 2, 2025, listed as “Homocide.”
• Timothy Glenn Williams, 56, died April 17, 2025, from a natural/drug overdose.
• Darrow Brown, 58, stabbed to death on Nov. 7, 2025, while being escorted back to his building — a user report indicates he was killed by a gang member.
• Paul Counts, 60, died Oct. 30; Willie Mote, 70, died Oct. 14; Marshall Davis Crews, 69, died Sept. 19; Orlando Perez Glass, 49, died Aug. 17; Dexter Andres Levy, 32, died Nov. 16; Samuel Jacob Blackmon, 40, died Jan. 19; and Martez Desmond Terry, 42, died April 29. Most fall into cause categories consistent with suicide, suspected overdose, or unclassified deaths.

The deputy‑warden period also brought a torrent of violent incidents and systemic breakdowns. According to GPS intelligence events, Dooly State Prison operated at 212% of its original design capacity (1,593 people in a facility built for 750) while facing a statewide correctional‑officer vacancy rate of approximately 50%. Investigations documented housing units that went without any officer present for hours or entire shifts. A gang‑related fight in March 2026 injured five inmates; a subsequent gang clash in April 2026 sent six inmates to hospitals, three of them by Life Flight. On May 22, 2026, a gang‑related altercation injured nine inmates and prompted a statewide lockdown of all GDC facilities; Dooly’s Memorial Day weekend visitation was canceled.

Contraband and staff misconduct further eroded safety. A correctional officer cadet, Julius Deshawn Williams Jr., was arrested in December 2025 after being found with 640 grams of pure methamphetamine he intended to smuggle to an inmate. A news report from Wesh.com detailed inmate Abraham Rivas’s admission that he used fraud proceeds to purchase marijuana inside the prison and that correctional staff were “aware of the activity.” Anonymous social‑media posts alleged that the commissary was severely understocked for weeks, with the Deputy Warden of Administration (nicknamed “Miss Nichols” — likely Nicholson) named as responsible, though these claims remain unverified.

Litigation

Sources

• GPS records — death listings and facility‑tenure data for Nequeva Nicholson
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — multiple homicide reports and prison‑system failure investigations referencing Dooly State Prison
• 13WMAZ — coverage of prison contraband cellphone‑driven drug trafficking, inmate guilty pleas, and gang‑related fights at Dooly
• WGXA — reporting on gang‑related fight that injured five inmates and the arrest of a cadet smuggling meth into Dooly
• Wesh.com — interview with inmate Rivas alleging staff knowledge of scams and marijuana purchases at Dooly
• WALB — reporting on phone‑fraud scheme operated from Dooly and inmate statements regarding staff awareness
• Georgia Public Broadcasting — allegation of medical indifference contributing to a death at Dooly
• Solitary Watch — reporting on earlier strike and conditions at Macon State Prison (background context)

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Jul 12, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.