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Owens, Robert
Status: active
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
Robert Owens joined the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015 as a Corrections Officer and advanced steadily through the ranks — Sergeant (2016), Lieutenant (2017–2018), Captain (2019–2020), and Unit Manager (2021–2023) — before reaching his first facility-level leadership post as Deputy Warden at Metro Reentry Facility (MRF) in DeKalb County, a position he has held since January 2024. GPS records show 17 deaths attributed to MRF during Owens's tenure as Deputy Warden, all falling under cause category 6. A notable ancillary incident also occurred at MRF in January 2026, when an inmate transferred from a riot at Washington State Prison died upon arrival.
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What Happened on Their Watch
Metro Reentry Facility — Deputy Warden (January 2024–present)
GPS records attribute 17 deaths at MRF during Owens's tenure as Deputy Warden. The deaths span January 2024 through March 2026 and all share cause category 6 (cause not further specified in available records). The individuals ranged in age from 36 (Joshua Jean Hanks, December 2024) to 85 (Benjamin August Harter, September 2024), with a notable concentration of older individuals: at least ten of the seventeen were 54 or older at time of death. Four deaths occurred in a compressed window in October 2025 alone — Wilson Beavers (66), John Whitfield (61), Stephen Mott (52), and Rodney Corbin (55) — dying between October 5 and October 23. Three additional deaths were recorded in the first two months of 2026: Robert Rodriguez Johnson (46, January 1), Donald Woods (65, January 31), and Samuel Dennis Hunt (64, March 1).
Separately, GPS records document that on January 17, 2026, Silas Westbrook — an inmate transferred to MRF after sustaining injuries in a January 12 disturbance at Washington State Prison — suffered a medical emergency upon arrival and was pronounced dead. The GDC's Office of Professional Standards opened an investigation into Westbrook's death, and his body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab to determine the official cause of death, per GPS records. Westbrook's death is recorded as a distinct intel event and is not among the 17 deaths listed above.
No intel reports specific to MRF are on file with GPS for Owens's tenure, and no news mentions are recorded in the structured data.
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Litigation
The lawsuit records associated with Owens include cases that, based on party names and filing dates, do not clearly name him as a defendant in his GDC capacity or overlap with his facility-deputy tenure at MRF. The structured data lists him as a defendant of record in the following matters; GPS has not independently verified the nature of each connection:
- Seibert v. Owens, 1:12-cv-00327 (GAND) — filed 2012-01-31; terminated 2014-09-30
- Smith v. Owens, 6:13-cv-00115 (GASD) — filed 2013-12-30; terminated 2016-08-24
- Daker v. Head, 6:14-cv-00047 (GASD) — filed 2014-05-19; terminated 2022-09-30
- Buske v. Owens Corning Corp, 1:16-cv-00709 (GAND) — filed 2016-03-04; terminated 2017-12-18
- United States v. Lockett, 5:21-cr-00003 (GAMD) — filed 2021-01-12; pending
- Cheek v. Gl Nv24 Shipping Inc, 2:22-cv-00086 (GASD) — filed 2022-09-06; terminated 2024-06-25
- Moore v. Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, 1:23-cv-01109 (GAND) — filed 2023-03-14; pending
- Robert M Taylor III v. Piedmont Healthcare Inc, 1:24-cv-00019 (GASD) — filed 2024-02-16; pending
- United States v. Beckham, 2:26-cr-00001 (GASD) — filed 2026-01-06; pending
No outcome amounts are recorded for any matter. GPS notes that several case names (e.g., Buske v. Owens Corning Corp, Cheek v. Gl Nv24 Shipping Inc) do not on their face name Owens as a party; the basis for their inclusion in his defendant record has not been specified in available data.
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Sources
- GPS records — 17 deaths attributed to Metro Reentry Facility during Owens's Deputy Warden tenure, 2024–2026
- GPS intel events — Silas Westbrook death and GDC Office of Professional Standards investigation, January 2026
- CourtListener — docket records for all nine listed cases (case numbers and dates as cited above)
Deaths attributed during tenure
17 people died at facilities under Owens, Robert's leadership.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | METRO REENTRY FACILITY | 2025-01-01 → 2025-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | METRO REENTRY FACILITY | 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL CAPTAIN | 2020-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL CAPTAIN | 2019-01-01 → 2019-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL SERGEANT | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:26-cr-00001 | GASD | 2026-01-06 | pending |
| 1:24-cv-00019 | GASD | 2024-02-16 | pending |
| 1:23-cv-01109 | GAND | 2023-03-14 | pending |
| 2:22-cv-00086 | GASD | 2022-09-06 | terminated |
| 5:21-cr-00003 | GAMD | 2021-01-12 | pending |
| 1:16-cv-00709 | GAND | 2016-03-04 | terminated |
| 6:14-cv-00047 | GASD | 2014-05-19 | terminated |
| 6:13-cv-00115 | GASD | 2013-12-30 | terminated |
| 1:12-cv-00327 | GAND | 2012-01-31 | terminated |
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