Walker, Martella L

Tenure Summary

Martella L. Walker entered the Georgia Department of Corrections as a correctional officer at Wilcox State Prison in 2002 and returned there as a corrections officer in 2015, rising to correctional sergeant (2016–2017). Records list her as a correctional lieutenant for 2018 through 2022 without a facility, then as a correctional captain in 2023, including a November 22, 2023 record at Wilcox State Prison. She was a correctional unit manager from 2024 through September 15, 2025, and on September 16, 2025 became Deputy Warden of Security at Ware State Prison. A further record lists her as Deputy Warden at Ware on August 27, 2026. Her status is active.

During her leadership tenure, GPS's death registry attributes 17 deaths to Ware State Prison — five homicides, three suicides, three natural/medical deaths, one accident, and five deaths whose cause GPS records as unknown or pending. No lawsuits naming her as a defendant appear in the records reviewed for this profile, and no news reports naming her directly are recorded.

What happened on their watch

Wilcox State Prison / unlisted facilities — non-leadership roles, 2002; 2015–2022; 2023. Correctional officer (2002), corrections officer (2015), correctional sergeant (2016–2017), correctional lieutenant (2018–2022, no facility listed), correctional captain (2023, including a November 22, 2023 record at Wilcox State Prison), correctional unit manager (2024–September 15, 2025).

Ware State Prison — Deputy Warden of Security, from September 16, 2025. All 17 deaths attributed to her tenure occurred here, ranging in age from 25 to 85:

• Michael Cohen died October 13, 2025, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 68.
• Marty Shawn Wright died November 13, 2025, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Suicide, age 49.
• Christopher Allen Barrett died December 1, 2025, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 46.
• Vernon Edward Kennedy died December 12, 2025, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Accident, age 70.
• Carlton Atkins Jones died January 24, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 55.
• Christopher Henry died February 12, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 48.
• Cody Humphrey died February 21, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 72.
• Anthony Terrell Grover died May 11, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 25.
• Johnathan Cleo Hardman-Simmons died May 20, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Suicide, age 36.
• Justin Dean Pulley died May 20, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 48.
• Kojack Junior Thomas died May 31, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 27.
• David Randolph Newcomer died June 30, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 85.
• Reberto Baez died July 9, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 69.
• David Miller Newman died July 15, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 60.
• Percy Lee Burdine died August 6, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 44.
• David Allan Dowling died August 9, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 69.
• David Williams died September 13, 2026, at Ware State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Suicide.

Alongside those deaths, inmate and Telegram-sourced reports relayed to GPS describe repeated stabbings and gang violence at Ware during the same period: a stabbing and resulting lockdown disruptions (April 8, 2026); stabbings (April 20 and April 27, 2026, the latter reporting transports to outside hospitals); five people stabbed (May 15, 2026); gang-related violence with injuries and hospital transports (May 21, 2026); multiple stabbings and gang violence amid lockdowns at Ware and other facilities (May 22, 2026); "multiple killings and stabbings," with beatings reportedly not counted as formal incidents (May 23, 2026); a guard stabbed (July 10, 2026); and a gang-related altercation with multiple stabbings and at least one person in serious condition (August 3, 2026). Reports dated September 13, 2026 describe an incarcerated person stating they expected violence, and a Telegram report of a death by suicide days after segregation placement that questioned the circumstances. A September 18, 2026 report states Ware was off lockdown.

Recorded events dated within the tenure include the GDC Office of Professional Standards investigation into Kojack Junior Thomas's death, with his body sent to the GBI crime lab (June 2, 2026); reports of a July traffic stop and a July contraband seizure believed destined for Ware, per prior announcements by the Butts County Sheriff's Office (September 6, 2026); and a March 17, 2026 federal ruling on Georgia's parole process for juvenile lifers, naming Janice Buttrum. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution item dated January 28, 2026 records that GDC publicly called the August 1, 2020 Ware incident a "disturbance" while internal records described hostage-taking, escape attempts, assaults and use of force.

Sources

• GPS Death Registry — 17 deaths at Ware State Prison during Walker's tenure as Deputy Warden of Security
• GPS case submissions (inmate reports and third-party allegations), Ware State Prison, 2026
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — reporting on GDC's characterization of the August 1, 2020 Ware State Prison incident
• Georgia Department of Corrections, Office of Professional Standards — investigation of the May 31, 2026 death of Kojack Junior Thomas, referred to the GBI crime lab
• Butts County Sheriff's Office — announced July traffic-stop and contraband seizures believed destined for Ware State Prison
• Federal court ruling of March 17, 2026 on parole process for juvenile lifers (Janice Buttrum)

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Oct 18, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.