Walker, Martella L

Tenure Summary

What happened on their watch

The pace of deaths quickened in 2026. Carlton Atkins Jones, 55, died naturally on January 24. Christopher Henry, 48, was killed on February 12; the coroner later determined homicide by blunt force injuries including strangulation. Cody Humphrey, 72, died of a heart attack on February 21. May saw four deaths in rapid succession: Anthony Terrell Grover, 25, was killed by multiple sharp‑force injuries on May 11; on May 20, Justin Dean Pulley, 48, died of blunt force injuries and ligature strangulation (homicide), and Johnathan Cleo Hardman‑Simmons, 36, was found hanging in an apparent suicide — though the coroner’s initial draft classification listed the death as homicide pending investigation. Finally, on May 31, Kojack Junior Thomas, 27, died from blunt head trauma and ligature asphyxia, a death the coroner certified as a homicide.

Six of the eleven deaths were homicides, most involving blunt force, ligature strangulation, or sharp‑force injuries. The remaining deaths included three natural deaths, one suicide, and one accident. The ages of the decedents ranged from 25 to 72.

Ware State Prison’s record of violence predates Walker’s arrival. An Atlanta Journal‑Constitution investigation noted that ten people were killed at the facility between July 2020 and August 2024. A U.S. Department of Justice report found that Georgia’s prisons, including Ware, were “riddled with regular violence and sexual assault.” The facility also experienced a hostage‑taking and mass disturbance in August 2020 and a riot followed by a punitive lockdown in July 2025, just weeks before Walker started. Intelligence reports gathered by GPS capture allegations of gang‑related stabbings at Ware in early 2026, and earlier reporting by Georgia Public Broadcasting detailed a mother’s claim that no welfare checks were conducted, leaving her son’s body undiscovered for days in 2024. While those specific episodes occurred outside Walker’s tenure, the continuing deaths during her time as deputy warden underscore deep‑seated security failures at the prison.

Sources

• Ware County Coroner / GBI DOFS records — death certifications and autopsy determinations for all 11 decedents (cases ME‑26‑60443, ME‑26‑60405, ME‑26‑60410, ME‑26‑60383, ME‑26‑60146, ME‑26‑60124, ME‑26‑60071, ME‑25‑60961, ME‑25‑60904, ME‑25‑60807, and others).
• Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — “A list of those killed in Georgia’s prison system” (ten homicides at Ware SP, 2020‑2024).
• Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — “Prisons transparency” (reporting that GDC’s public account of the August 2020 disturbance omitted hostage‑taking and mass violence).
• Georgia Public Broadcasting — “The Federal Department of Justice: deliberate indifference, violence in Georgia” (October 2024; includes allegations about DonTavis Mintz’s death at Ware).
• GPS intelligence reports — AI‑detected Telegram relays describing stabbings and gang‑related violence at Ware SP in early 2026.

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Jul 12, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.