Watson, Kochelle

Tenure Summary

Watson, Kochelle began a career with the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015, rising through ranks including Correctional Lieutenant and Unit Manager before entering facility leadership. Watson became Deputy Warden of Johnson State Prison in 2019, serving three years in that role, and later returned to the facility as Warden in 2024, a post held through at least 2026. GPS records attribute a total of 67 deaths to Watson’s leadership tenures, all occurring at Johnson State Prison. The most scrutinized death during Watson’s watch is that of David Lamar Henegar in 2021, a homicide that resulted in a $4 million settlement paid by the state and sustained litigation.

What happened on their watch

Johnson State Prison, Deputy Warden (2019–2021): During Watson’s three years as Deputy Warden, GPS records show 18 deaths at the facility. The majority are categorized as natural causes, but two homicides occurred: Jerry L. Brown, 61, died on November 12, 2020, from stab wounds to the head and blunt force injury to the face, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigation; and David Lamar Henegar, 44, died on October 16, 2021, from manual strangulation and blunt force head trauma. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a lawsuit filed by Henegar’s family alleges that officers failed to intervene despite neighboring prisoners screaming for help while Henegar was choked and stomped by his cellmate, Antone Hinton-Leonard, over the course of hours. Intel reports further allege that Henegar was housed with a mentally ill cellmate who had previously attacked him and that prison staff ignored repeated reports about the cellmate’s mental health problems and a prior choking incident one week before the fatal attack. The state later settled the Henegar family’s lawsuit for $4 million.

Johnson State Prison, Warden (2024–2026): As Warden, Watson has overseen an additional 49 deaths, per GPS records. Homicides during this period include Kenneth Adam Robinson, 50, whose August 10, 2024, death is listed as a homicide in incident report data, according to the AJC; Justin Brandon Hulett, 38, died February 12, 2025; Paul Russell Brewster, 48, died June 9, 2025; and Michael Elias Peschel, 36, died March 14, 2026, sustaining 20 stab wounds from a cellmate who, per a user-submitted GPS report, had previously engaged in a confrontation with officers and should have been housed alone. Other deaths with cause categories suggesting violence or accident—such as Kevin Kosturi, 29, on December 13, 2024; and Phillip Lamar Byrd, 46, on January 18, 2026, reportedly killed by gang members according to a Telegram-sourced report—also occurred under Watson’s leadership. In April 2026, multiple incident reports documented that incarcerated people at Johnson State Prison were becoming ill from contaminated food trays, attributed to degraded dishwashing infrastructure. A lawsuit, Wade v. Morgan, filed August 31, 2023, in the Southern District of Georgia, names Watson among the defendants in connection with the Henegar death.

Litigation

• Wade v. Morgan, No. 3:23-cv-00073 (GASD), filed August 31, 2023, pending. This lawsuit concerns the death of David Lamar Henegar and includes allegations that prison staff failed to protect him. The state settled with Henegar’s estate for $4,000,000 in 2026, per Georgia Department of Administrative Services records.

Sources

• GPS records — death and staffing databases
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation, reports on Henegar homicide and lawsuit
• Court records — Wade v. Morgan, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
• GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger — Open Records settlements tied to Johnson State Prison

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.