Watson, Kochelle

Tenure Summary

Kochelle Watson's Georgia Department of Corrections record begins in 2015 in correction operations, moving through correctional lieutenant (2016–2017) and correctional unit manager (2018) before a deputy warden posting at Johnson State Prison (2019–2021). Watson then served as correctional superintendent at Emanuel Probation Detention Center (2022) and returned to Johnson State Prison as warden — first as WARDEN 1 from January 1, 2024, then as Warden from June 16, 2024, a role listed through June 15, 2026.

Per GPS's death registry, 66 deaths are attributed to Watson's leadership tenures, and the facility breakdown attributes all 66 to Johnson State Prison. The most heavily documented episode on that watch is the October 16, 2021 death of David Lamar Henegar, 44, at Johnson State Prison, where Watson held the deputy warden role at the time. The registry lists Henegar's death as a homicide by manual strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head. A State of Georgia liability payout of $4,000,000 tied to Johnson State Prison (incident 2021), recorded to Betty Wade for the Estate of David Lamar Henegar, appears in the GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger obtained through open records. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in April 2026 that Georgia paid $4 million to end the case on the eve of trial.

What happened on their watch

Johnson State Prison — Deputy Warden, 2019–2021. Deaths recorded during this posting include David Lamar Henegar (October 16, 2021, age 44; registry lists manual strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head) and Jerry Lee Brown (November 12, 2020, age 61; registry lists stab wounds to the head and blunt force injury to the face). Allegations published by the AJC describe Henegar's cellmate, Antone Hinton-Leonard, as having hogtied, beaten and choked him over five hours, causing fatal injuries; the AJC further reports allegations that prison officials kept Henegar in custody past his scheduled release date because of an administrative delay, that staff failed to act on repeated reports from prisoners about the cellmate's mental health problems and a prior choking incident a week before the attack, and that staff ignored Henegar's screams and other prisoners' pleas for help. A lawsuit filed by his family alleges officers failed to intervene while neighboring prisoners screamed for help. Hinton-Leonard was charged with murder and, per the AJC, was awaiting a criminal trial scheduled for later in April 2026. A state liability settlement of $1,449,640 tied to Johnson State Prison (incident 2020) is recorded for Jerry Brown, and a $1,500 settlement (incident 2020) for Antione Caldwell.

Emanuel Probation Detention Center — Correctional Superintendent, 2022; Superintendent, January 1, 2024 – June 15, 2024. Watson held the superintendent role at this facility for these periods; a separate single-date record lists Correctional Superintendent there on November 22, 2023. No deaths during Watson's leadership tenures are attributed to this facility in GPS's facility breakdown.

Johnson State Prison — WARDEN 1 from January 1, 2024, and Warden from June 16, 2024, listed through June 15, 2026. The following deaths are recorded during these postings:

• Calvin Obie Boynton died December 21, 2024, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 61.
• Justin Brandon Hulett died February 12, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 38.
• Robert Barnwell died May 4, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 80.
• Paul Russell Brewster died June 9, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 48.
• John Charles Rhoten died June 15, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 54.
• Robert Joseph Pruett died June 26, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 61.
• Dewayne Bess died July 10, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 63.
• Joseph Wayne Clayton died July 12, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 32.
• Robert Glenn Tanner died July 15, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 56.
• Justin Haley Freeman died July 20, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 44.
• Russell Scott Carter died July 23, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 42.
• Larry Sherall Richards died July 29, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 86.
• Loy Alpheus III Windham died July 31, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 54.
• Matthew Glenn Maynard died September 14, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 65.
• Jarvis Dontez Walker died September 26, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 39.
• Aubrie Henley died October 5, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 69.
• Roger James died October 29, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 68.
• Marc Charles Neermann died November 2, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 69.
• Calvin R Norwood died December 30, 2025, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 72.
• Phillip Lamar Byrd died January 18, 2026, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 46.
• Joseph Lamar Sanders died January 27, 2026, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 54.
• Anthony Shivers died February 11, 2026, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 41.
• Michael Elias Peschel died March 14, 2026, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 36.
• Dale Way died March 28, 2026, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 76.
• Martrese Jamon Mckay died April 18, 2026, at Johnson State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Suicide, age 30.

Among these entries, the registry lists five as homicides, one as a suicide, one as an overdose, and eighteen as Unknown/Pending. A separate registry event records Kenneth Adam Robinson, 50, as a homicide at Johnson State Prison on August 10, 2024, noting that incident report data showed a homicide but the death certificate had not been received. On April 10, 2026, a source report submitted to Georgia Prisoners' Speak alleged ongoing unsanitary food service conditions at Johnson State Prison — trays with visible residue and grime — failed internal efforts to fix the problem, and illness among incarcerated people as a result, with dishwashing equipment failure reportedly forcing a manual chemical-dunk process.

Litigation

• Wade v. Morgan, case no. 3:23-cv-00073, GASD — filed August 31, 2023; status pending per court records. Watson is listed as a defendant.
• $4,000,000 settlement — Betty Wade, for the Estate of David Lamar Henegar, tied to Johnson State Prison (incident 2021), per the GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger (open records); the AJC reported the payout ended the case on the eve of trial in April 2026.
• $1,449,640 settlement — Jerry Brown, tied to Johnson State Prison (incident 2020), per the GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger.
• $1,500 settlement — Antione Caldwell, tied to Johnson State Prison (incident 2020), per the GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Henegar homicide coverage, the April 2026 report on the $4 million settlement, and the outlet's list of those killed in Georgia's prison system
• Court records — Wade v. Morgan docket, 3:23-cv-00073, GASD (CourtListener)
• GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger (Open Records) — $4,000,000 Henegar, $1,449,640 Brown, and $1,500 Caldwell payouts
• Source report submitted to Georgia Prisoners' Speak — April 10, 2026 food service allegations at Johnson State Prison

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Oct 11, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.