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Odum, ROY Matthew
Status: active
Profile written June 14, 2026
Current Position
Correctional Sr. Mgr
Salary
$111,179
2025 · state payroll
This profile reflects positional accountability — this individual held the leadership roles shown during the dates shown, during which the listed deaths or lawsuits occurred. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding of personal culpability for any specific incident.
Tenure Summary
Roy Matthew Odum’s career with the Georgia Department of Corrections spanned nearly two decades, beginning as a Correctional Officer at Smith State Prison in 2007 and advancing through lieutenant and unit manager roles before moving into facility leadership. He served as Deputy Warden at Ware State Prison from 2019 to 2020, then as Warden at the same facility from 2021 through 2023. Following a brief period in a warden‑level assignment without a designated facility, Odum became Warden of Valdosta State Prison in October 2024, a post he held until at least July 2025. Across these leadership‑accountability tenures, GPS records attribute 57 deaths to the facilities he oversaw — 47 at Ware State Prison and 10 at Valdosta State Prison. Two civil‑rights lawsuits naming Odum as a defendant were filed in 2025 and remain pending in federal court.What happened on their watch
Ware State Prison (Deputy Warden 2019–2020, Warden 2021–2023)
During Odum’s year as Deputy Warden, eight people died in custody at Ware. Among them, two deaths were classified as homicides according to an Atlanta Journal‑Constitution investigation: Christopher Rawls, 32, died by strangulation in September 2020, and Robert Lee Wilson, 31, died from multiple stab wounds in July 2020. After being promoted to Warden in 2021, Odum presided over an additional 39 deaths at the facility. The trend of homicides continued; GPS records and AJC reporting identify at least six more incarcerated men killed by violence during his warden years — including Christopher Eli Gresham (stab wounds, 2021), Vadarian Laviana Carr (stab wound to chest and back, 2022), Kyle Anthony Strother (stab wound to chest, 2022), Thomas Jerome McCoy (stab wound to chest, 2023), and Alfonso Marquez Moore (blunt impact injuries to the head, 2023). The AJC later documented that ten inmates were killed at Ware State Prison between July 2020 and August 2024, a stretch that coincides entirely with Odum’s deputy‑warden and warden tenures, with multiple inmates involved in several of the homicides according to GDC incident reports.Valdosta State Prison (Warden, Oct. 2024 – Jul. 2025)
GPS records show that ten individuals died at Valdosta State Prison while Odum served there as Warden. The deaths included at least one homicide: Sinjuan Harmon was killed by strangulation on January 12, 2025, according to WALB reporting. Two months later, Brandon Dominique McGee, 33, was found dead in his cell; the GBI crime lab investigated, and WALB described the death as a homicide. The death of Ryan Cornelius Rumph, 34, in March 2025 prompted the Valdosta County coroner to state that “Valdosta State Prison needs help,” per WTXL. One suicide was recorded: Anthony Vashern Prothro, 34, died in April 2025. Chet Elliott Kent, 45, died in March 2025, with the note “died in the hole.” During Odum’s wardenship, reports from advocates exposed what they described as inhumane conditions — including people being held in cages without toilet access — and alleged gang control of kitchen operations and food extortion. A sweeping federal drug‑trafficking investigation targeted an inmate at Valdosta, leading to the indictment of seven people in May 2025 on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl; law enforcement seized 35 kilograms of suspected crystal meth, 3.5 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, and $145,000. The probe had begun in July 2024, shortly before Odum arrived as Warden.Litigation
- Brown v. Odum, Case No. 5:25-cv-00062 (S.D. Ga., filed June 30, 2025) — status: pending.
- Jackson v. Odum, Case No. 5:25-cv-00051 (S.D. Ga., filed June 9, 2025) — status: pending.
Sources
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation, documenting cause‑of‑death details for multiple homicides at Ware State Prison and identifying ten inmates killed there between July 2020 and August 2024.
- WTOC — Coroner Austin Fiveash’s statement regarding the delay in discovering a body at Valdosta State Prison (though the death occurred after Odum’s tenure, the criticism reflects conditions during his period).
- WALB — Reporting on the death of Brandon McGee, the homicide of Sinjuan Harmon, and the death of Ryan Rumph.
- WTXL — Valdosta coroner’s comment that “Valdosta State Prison needs help” after Rumph’s death.
- GPS records — position histories, death‑count data (total_deaths_attributed, deaths_by_facility), and the sampled list of deaths during tenure.
- Federal court dockets (CourtListener) — lawsuits Brown v. Odum and Jackson v. Odum.
- Yahoo News / federal indictment filings — details of the drug‑trafficking conspiracy and seizure of drugs and cash at Valdosta.
- Advocate reports — allegations of inhumane caging conditions and gang control of food operations at Valdosta State Prison in April 2025.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| CORRECTIONAL SR. MGR | 2025-01-01 → present | |
| Warden | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2024-10-16 → 2025-07-15 |
| WARDEN 3 | 2024-01-01 → 2024-10-15 | |
| WARDEN 3 | WARE STATE PRISON | 2021-01-01 → 2023-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | WARE STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → 2020-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | GEORGIA STATE PRISON | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | GEORGIA STATE PRISON | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Lieutenant | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2011-01-01 → 2011-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2007-01-01 → 2007-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:25-cv-00062 | GASD | 2025-06-30 | pending |
| 5:25-cv-00051 | GASD | 2025-06-09 | pending |
Deaths attributed during tenure
57 people died at facilities under Odum, ROY Matthew's leadership.
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