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Turner, Dennis J
Status: active
Profile written May 31, 2026
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
Dennis J. Turner served in training and unit-manager roles for the Georgia Department of Corrections from 2015 through 2023 before ascending to the deputy-warden post at Central State Prison in January 2024. GPS records attribute 16 deaths to his leadership tenure at that facility — every recorded death linked to his watch occurred during his time as deputy warden. His period at the prison coincided with a well-documented spike in violence and staffing crises across the GDC system, and Central State itself was the scene of multiple homicides, staff arrests, and a DOJ-scrutinized homicide investigation that bookended the years preceding and overlapping his supervision.What happened on his watch
Turner’s only facility-leadership posting was as Deputy Warden at Central State Prison, a role he held from January 2024 through at least March 2026, based on death-incident records. During that span, GPS records attribute 16 deaths to the facility while he served in that capacity. The deaths span from February 2024 through March 2026 and involve men aged 36 to 68. The causes recorded by GPS show a mix: one suicide by an incarcerated man identified as Miguel Angel Duran, 44, in the segregation unit (per a Telegram relay report); one homicide — Leon Culver Kelly, 47, died of multiple stab wounds on December 9, 2024, as confirmed by the coroner and reported by 13WMAZ; one accidental overdose — Joseph Hamm, 36, was found with a ruptured opiate balloon in his mouth while transferring facilities on October 8, 2025; and many deaths categorized by GPS as cause‑category 6, which includes conditions such as cerebral herniation (Matthew Maddox) and other unexplained medical events.While Turner served as deputy warden, Central State experienced a series of violent incidents and staff‑misconduct cases that drew outside attention. In March 2025, three former guards were accused of beating an incarcerated man and attempting to cover it up (13WMAZ). In June 2025, three incarcerated men were charged with stabbing another (GPS intel records). That same year, a guard was arrested for falsely imprisoning four Department of Family and Children Services employees over a child-support dispute (13WMAZ). An inmate fight in January 2026 led to a GDC investigation and hospitalization of one participant. Earlier, Central State had been the site of two December 2023 stabbing deaths — Hollis Alan Bryant (sharp force trauma) and Marquis L. Johnson (stabbed in the barbershop, later died of cardiac arrest) — which were cited in a DOJ report. Broader systemic findings, documented by Georgia Public Broadcasting, describe severe staff shortages that allowed gangs to run facilities, leaving families of those who die without information. Turner’s tenure sits squarely within this context, though no lawsuit directly ties him to any of the deaths on his watch.
Litigation
Three lawsuits name a “Turner” as a defendant, though none appear connected to Turner’s corrections role or to the deaths at Central State Prison. The cases are:- Auto Owners Insurance Company v. Turner Ragan American Legion Georgia Post, filed June 21, 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (case 5:18‑cv‑00222), terminated January 21, 2020.
- Tucker v. Joseph, filed February 8, 2016 in the Northern District of Georgia (case 1:16‑cv‑00378), terminated April 13, 2016.
- Gumm v. Jacobs, filed February 12, 2015 in the Middle District of Georgia (case 5:15‑cv‑00041), terminated May 7, 2019.
Sources
- GPS records — death counts, tenure dates, and incident details for Central State Prison during Deputy Warden Turner’s posting.
- 13WMAZ — reporting on the stabbing death of Leon Culver Kelly, guard misconduct accusations, and the guard arrested for false imprisonment.
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — DOJ report summaries of the 2023 homicides of Hollis Alan Bryant and Marquis L. Johnson at Central State.
- Georgia Public Broadcasting — reports on 2023 prison violence, staffing crises, and families’ lack of information.
- CourtListener — lawsuit case files for the three civil actions naming a “Turner” as a defendant.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → present |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| PUBLIC SAFETY, TRAINER 3 | 2021-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| PUBLIC SAFETY, TRAINER 1 | 2016-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| PUBLIC SAFETY TRN (WL) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:18-cv-00222 | GAMD | 2018-06-21 | terminated |
| 1:16-cv-00378 | GAND | 2016-02-08 | terminated |
| 5:15-cv-00041 | GAMD | 2015-02-12 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
16 people died at facilities under Turner, Dennis J's leadership.
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