Sampson, Gregory L

Tenure Summary

What happened on their watch

Central State Prison (2021)
As Correctional Superintendent, Sampson oversaw a facility where 6 deaths were recorded during his year‑long tenure. Among the decedents sampled, Joshua Carl Lester died from a stab wound to the chest, per an Atlanta Journal‑Constitution investigation of prison homicides. The AJC also reported that the DOJ documented the stabbing death of prisoner Hollis Alan Bryant at the prison and the criminal charging of three others. Broader GDC‑wide reporting at the time, cited by Georgia Public Broadcasting, described severe staff shortages that allowed gangs to exert control and endanger lives.

Dooly State Prison (2023‑2024)
Sampson served as Warden 1 while 21 deaths occurred at Dooly. Several were homicides: Brian Lee Wainwright (blunt force), Chad Taylor Roadifer (delayed complications of blunt head trauma), and Dimitri Merci Jackson (stab wound), all identified by the AJC. GPS case records note that Zeary Davante Davis died by homicide in September 2024, while a family‑submitted report claims he bled to death on a dorm floor. The AJC also reported that a coroner alleged Carlos Omar Soldiew‑Acosta’s body may have lain undiscovered for more than 24 hours, raising questions about medical oversight. Although many of the documented gang fights, mass stabbings, and severe understaffing reports date to 2025‑2026, GPS research indicates that Dooly was chronically overcrowded, eventually operating at 212% of its design capacity, and that correctional‑officer vacancy rates across the state averaged 50% during the same period.

Macon State Prison (2025‑2026)
During Sampson’s tenure as Warden from February 2025 to mid‑January 2026, 23 deaths were attributed to the facility—the highest count under his leadership. The sampled deaths include at least six homicides: Sanchez Jackson (reportedly a gang attack), Xavier Anthony Adams, Lukas Lance Way (killed in a security‑housing unit), Pierre Cedric Scott (killed by a roommate in the “hole”), D’Andrius Brown (homicide in the hole), and Marquel Smith. Two suicides were recorded: Calvin Earl Noble (hanging in a tier dorm) and Cassiem Mahlon Johnson. The AJC found that about two‑thirds of correctional‑officer positions were unfilled as of October 2024; the Bibb County coroner reported that often only five to eight officers were present to secure the entire facility. A DOJ‑cited incident described four gang members running past an officer to fatally stab a prisoner in the kitchen. Contemporaneous press accounts and GPS intelligence reports detail a cascade of security breakdowns: staff arrests, coordinated drug‑trafficking operations run from inside the prison using contraband cellphones, and a May 2025 allegation by the family of Sanchez Jackson that the warden provided only a brief, unfulfilled promise of follow‑up after his death. A federal lawsuit, Banks v. Sampson, was filed in May 2025 and remains pending.

Metro Reentry Facility (2025 and 2026)
Sampson held a short Warden 3 post in January 2025, then returned as Warden on January 16, 2026. Three deaths are attributed to his leadership at the facility in 2026: Donald Woods (65), Samuel Dennis Hunt (64), and Cedric Clement Pierce (61). Each is classified under cause‑category 6 (natural/undetermined) in GPS records; no violent incidents were documented there during his tenure.

Litigation

• Mcneal v. Sampson, No. 5:26‑cv‑00039 (M.D. Ga. filed Jan. 27, 2026). Status: pending.
• Banks v. Sampson, No. 1:25‑cv‑02981 (N.D. Ga. filed May 30, 2025). Status: pending.
• Fox v. Weeks Marine Inc., No. 4:22‑cv‑00054 (S.D. Ga. filed Mar. 7, 2022, terminated Oct. 3, 2022). Sampson was a defendant; the case involved matters unrelated to the Department of Corrections.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — multiple homicide reports and DOJ investigative findings covering Central State, Dooly, and Macon State Prisons; facility understaffing and contraband reporting.
• GPS intelligence and death records — facility‑level death totals, decedent names, cause‑categories, and allegations from direct reports.
• Georgia Public Broadcasting — reporting on systemic staff shortages and gang influence in Georgia prisons.
• 13WMAZ / WGXA / WALB — incident reports on gang fights, staff arrests, and drug trafficking at Macon and Dooly facilities.
• CourtListener dockets — Mcneal, Banks, and Fox case filings.

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Jun 21, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.