Tillman, Alexander

Tenure Summary

Alexander Tillman spent two decades in Georgia Department of Corrections roles, moving from Behavioral Health Counselor at Emanuel Probation Detention Center (2005–2011) through social services and counseling positions before landing at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (GDCP). He rose through GDCP's ranks as a Behavioral Health Counselor 2 (2021), Social Services Program Consultant (2022), Correctional Unit Manager (2023–mid-2024), and Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment (July 16, 2024–August 31, 2025). GPS records show 39 deaths attributed to GDCP during Tillman's two accountability-tier postings there: 38 during his combined Unit Manager and Deputy Warden tenures, plus one additional death recorded in the intel events. One lawsuit names him as a defendant and is currently pending.

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What Happened on Their Watch

Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison — Correctional Unit Manager (January 1–December 31, 2023)

GPS records show 26 deaths at GDCP while Tillman held the Unit Manager role. The overwhelming majority fall under cause category 6 (unspecified/other); three are documented homicides. According to the AJC Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation, Carrell D. Johnson, 32, died June 6, 2023 from chopping injuries to the head and sharp-force injuries to the torso; Elmer W. Pless, 65, died May 15, 2023 by strangulation. GPS records also flag Desmond Layne Hattaway, 27, who died April 16, 2023 — intel events describe his death as a suicide in GDCP's mental-health dormitory following placement in segregation with inadequate monitoring. Decedents ranged in age from 25 to 68. The AJC reported during this period that nearly every part of GDCP had been vandalized by prisoners and that the facility faced widespread infrastructure failures. A separate AJC investigation reported that a newly convicted inmate, Shane Tassi, was photographed with a homemade shank and contraband cell phone within days of arriving at GDCP — an incident the AJC characterized as evidence of serious security failures. The AJC also reported that inmate David "Toro" Zavala had 35 cellphones seized from him at the time of his guilty plea, illustrating the scale of contraband infiltration at the facility during this period.

Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison — Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment (July 16, 2024–August 31, 2025)

GPS records show 15 deaths at GDCP during Tillman's tenure as Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment. Thirteen fall under cause category 6; two are recorded as homicides. William Rhodes, 38, died February 20, 2025 — GPS records note the cause as homicide. Jacob Scott Wilcox, 27, died June 28, 2025 — GPS research notes an obituary placed by Shawn Chapman Funeral Home in Chatsworth, Georgia. Decedents ranged in age from 27 to 76; Albert Stinson was 76 at death, Daniel Claude Callahan was 72. Intel events during this tenure document that inmate Ronald Allen allegedly suffered severe cold injuries to both hands — resulting in amputation of his left hand and permanent damage to his right — after being ordered to handle frozen meat with inadequate protective equipment during a prison riot response around April 2024; a federal civil rights lawsuit against GDC and twelve defendants was filed on his behalf in March 2026. Intel events also describe the death of Mark Smith, 53, on June 7, 2025, with multiple GPS event records alleging he suffered from advanced Parkinson's disease, was denied a medical unit transfer, and was found dead in his cell after hours without security rounds — though no official cause determination is cited in the records. Separately, the AJC reported that officer Vera Jackson had previously pleaded guilty to accepting thousands of dollars from death row inmate Eric Perkinson in exchange for advance notice of shakedowns at GDCP. GPS records also document that GDCP held approximately 4,540 incarcerated people as of early 2026 — 568% of the facility's original 1968 design capacity of 800 — with medical, kitchen, shower, and counseling infrastructure unchanged since the facility's original construction.

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Litigation

• Miller v. Holt, No. 5:25-cv-00356 (M.D. Ga.), filed August 25, 2025 — pending. Tillman is named as a defendant. No outcome or settlement amount recorded.
• Curling v. Raffensperger, No. 1:17-cv-02989 (N.D. Ga.), filed August 8, 2017 — terminated March 31, 2025. Tillman is listed as a defendant. No outcome amount recorded.
• Cunningham v. Fulton County Georgia, No. 1:16-cv-00533 (N.D. Ga.), filed February 19, 2016 — terminated March 29, 2019. Tillman is listed as a defendant. No outcome amount recorded.
• Lewis v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, No. 1:14-cv-03838 (N.D. Ga.), filed December 2, 2014 — terminated August 11, 2015. Tillman is listed as a defendant. No outcome amount recorded.

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Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation (homicide cause-of-death records for Johnson and Pless at GDCP, 2023)
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — reporting on contraband, security failures, and infrastructure conditions at GDCP (Shane Tassi incident; David "Toro" Zavala cellphone seizures; Vera Jackson guilty plea; Broady assault; GDCP vandalization/infrastructure report)
• GPS records — deaths-during-tenure table, 2023–2025, GDCP
• GPS intel events — Ronald Allen injury and federal lawsuit (March 2026); Mark Smith death allegations (June 2025); GDCP overcrowding reports (2025–2026); Brandon Trace Burrell death (January 2024); Desmond Layne Hattaway suicide (April 2023)
• CourtListener — Miller v. Holt, 5:25-cv-00356; Curling v. Raffensperger, 1:17-cv-02989; Cunningham v. Fulton County Georgia, 1:16-cv-00533; Lewis v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, 1:14-cv-03838

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on May 10, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.