Walker, Martella L

Tenure Summary

GPS records attribute 12 deaths to Walker’s facility-leader tenure, all at Ware State Prison. The attributed deaths occurred between Oct. 13, 2025, and June 30, 2026. GPS records list no lawsuits naming Walker as a defendant. State settlement ledgers do document prior payouts tied to Ware and Wilcox, including $20,000 at Ware in 2023 and $750,000 at Wilcox in 2017, according to the GA DOAS open-records ledger.

What happened on their watch

Wilcox State Prison — staff roles (2002, 2015–2017)

Ware State Prison — Deputy Warden of Security (Sept. 16, 2025–present)

Ware County Coroner and GBI DOFS records include five homicides:

• Christopher Allen Barrett, 46, died Dec. 1, 2025; the coroner noted a cellmate admitted assault and that a pipe and knife were recovered.
• Christopher Henry, 48, died Feb. 12, 2026, from blunt force injuries including strangulation.
• Anthony Terrell Grover, 25, died May 11, 2026, from multiple sharp-force injuries.
• Justin Dean Pulley, 48, died May 20, 2026, from blunt-force injuries and ligature strangulation.
• Kojack Junior Thomas, 27, died May 31, 2026, from blunt head trauma and ligature asphyxia; GPS records state the GDC Office of Professional Standards is investigating and his body was sent to the GBI crime lab.

Other attributed deaths include two suicides — Marty Shawn Wright, 49, on Nov. 13, 2025, from exsanguination due to sharp-force trauma, and Johnathan Cleo Hardman-Simmons, 36, on May 20, 2026, described by the coroner as apparent ligature hanging; the coroner’s note also identifies Hardman-Simmons as the named perpetrator of the Feb. 12, 2026, homicide of Christopher Henry. Three deaths were classified natural: Michael Cohen, 68, on Oct. 13, 2025; Carlton Atkins Jones, 55, on Jan. 24, 2026; and Cody Humphrey, 72, on Feb. 21, 2026, though GBI DOFS later declined to accept the Humphrey case for examination. One death, Vernon Edward Kennedy, 70, on Dec. 12, 2025, was classified as accidental following a fall in the shower. One additional decedent, David Randolph Newcomer, 85, on June 30, 2026, has cause category 6 and no narrative details in GPS records.

During Walker’s Ware tenure, GPS intelligence logs also captured Telegram-relayed reports of stabbings and gang-related violence involving Gangster Disciples and Blood sets, and a June 2, 2026, GDC investigation notice. These reports are allegations logged by GPS and not independently confirmed.

Sources

• Ware County Coroner and GBI Division of Forensic Sciences records (ORR conv dee3f317)
• Georgia Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) Risk Management settlement ledger, Open Records
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Ware State Prison homicide list and prison-transparency reporting
• Georgia Public Broadcasting — reporting on DOJ findings and the DonTavis Mintz/Ware State Prison allegations
• Facebook public post logged in GPS intel records; GPS case-submission and Telegram relay logs
• U.S. Department of Justice report on Georgia prisons, as referenced in press reports

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Aug 23, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.