Turner, Dennis J

Tenure Summary

Dennis J. Turner spent roughly a decade in GDC's training ranks — progressing from Public Safety Trainer (2015–2020) to Trainer 3 (2021–2022) — before moving into facility leadership as a Correctional Unit Manager in 2023 and then Deputy Warden at Central State Prison beginning in 2024, a post he continues to hold as of 2025. GPS records show 16 deaths attributed to Central State Prison during Turner's tenure as Deputy Warden, spanning February 2024 through March 2026. The deaths span multiple cause categories: at least seven classified as natural causes (cause category 6), two as drug-related (cause category 5), one as homicide by stabbing (cause category 3), and one as suicide (cause category 2). Three lawsuits are associated with Turner in federal court records, though none appear directly tied to his GDC leadership role based on available information.

What Happened on Their Watch

Central State Prison — Deputy Warden (2024–present)

Turner has held the Deputy Warden role at Central State Prison, in Macon, Georgia, across a period GPS records document as one of sustained mortality and recurring violence at the facility. Sixteen deaths are recorded at Central State Prison during his tenure. The earliest, DeAnthony Terrell Fleming (37) and Adel Eackles (64), both occurred in February 2024 and are classified as natural causes. Leon Culver Kelly, 47, was stabbed to death on December 9, 2024; according to GPS research citing 13WMAZ, the coroner confirmed multiple stab wounds. Additional natural-cause deaths recorded during Turner's tenure include Jeremiah Eugene Taylor (41, April 2024), Thomas Dewayne Kiker (49, June 2024), Anthony Le Ray Baugher (68, October 2024), Brandon Jamal Pool (38, December 2024), Matthew Maddox (age not recorded, January 2025 — notes indicate cerebral herniation due to extremely high blood pressure), LaMancha Ware (48, March 2025), Travis Jamal Gaither (41, April 2025), Ricky D Ring (56, July 2025), James Theodore Miller (64, September 2025), and Ronald Goss (60, October 2025). Two deaths are classified as drug-related: Ricky Eugene Rogers (68, April 2025), whose GPS case notes indicate "Natural/Drug OD (C-bldg)"; and Joseph Hamm (36, October 2025), whose GPS case report alleges he was found with a burst balloon of opiates in his mouth during a facility transfer from segregation, with a source inside the dorm stating the official cause would likely be listed as heart attack caused by opiate overdose. A death by suicide is recorded for Miguel Angel Duran (44) on March 1, 2026, in the segregation unit; that incident was AI-detected via a Telegram relay and the identity was being determined at the time of reporting, per GPS records.

The facility's broader context during and immediately preceding Turner's tenure is documented by multiple outlets. According to Georgia Public Broadcasting, severe staff shortages have allowed gang members to effectively run Georgia state prisons, contributing to rising violence and deaths, and families of incarcerated people who die are routinely left without information about what happened. GDC's own data, as reported by GPB, identified 2023 as the most violent year for Georgia prisons since before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution citing a DOJ report, two stabbing deaths — Hollis Alan Bryant (28, December 17, 2023) and Marquis L. Johnson (26, who was stabbed in the prison barbershop December 8, 2023, and died December 18, 2023 after cardiac arrest secondary to the stabbing) — occurred at Central State Prison in December 2023, the month before Turner assumed the Deputy Warden role. Per 13WMAZ, three former prison guards at Central State Prison were accused in March 2025 of beating an incarcerated person and attempting to cover it up. Separately, 13WMAZ reported that a Central State Prison guard faced charges in December 2025 for falsely imprisoning four DFCS employees over child support payments. GDC is documented as investigating an inmate fight at the facility in January 2026, per GPS records.

Litigation

• Gumm v. Jacobs, No. 5:15-cv-00041 (U.S. District Court, M.D. Ga.) — filed February 12, 2015; terminated May 7, 2019. No outcome amount recorded in court records.
• Tucker v. Joseph, No. 1:16-cv-00378 (U.S. District Court, N.D. Ga.) — filed February 8, 2016; terminated April 13, 2016. No outcome amount recorded in court records.
• Auto Owners Insurance Company v. Turner Ragan American Legion Georgia Post, No. 5:18-cv-00222 (U.S. District Court, M.D. Ga.) — filed June 21, 2018; terminated January 21, 2020. No outcome amount recorded in court records.

Note: Based on available records, none of these cases appear to arise from Turner's GDC leadership duties. The connection between Turner and these cases is drawn solely from court record matching; GPS has not independently confirmed the basis for each listing.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — reporting on Georgia prison homicides, including Bryant and Johnson deaths at Central State Prison; DOJ report citations
• 13WMAZ — Leon Kelly stabbing death (December 2024); guard assault/cover-up allegations (March 2025); guard false imprisonment charges (December 2025)
• Georgia Public Broadcasting — systemic reporting on Georgia prison staffing shortages, gang control, family notification failures, and 2023 violence data
• GPS records / GPS Case Management — deaths of Joseph Hamm (GPS-DEATH-2025-E7CD5), Miguel Angel Duran (GPS-260301-CFA0ED), and additional facility incident reports
• CourtListener / PACER — federal docket records for Gumm v. Jacobs, Tucker v. Joseph, and Auto Owners Insurance Company v. Turner Ragan American Legion Georgia Post

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on May 6, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.