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Wilcox, Rickey W
Status: active
Profile written August 9, 2026
This profile reflects positional accountability — this individual held the leadership roles shown during the dates shown, during which the listed deaths or lawsuits occurred. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding of personal culpability for any specific incident.
Tenure Summary
Rickey W. Wilcox advanced through the Georgia Department of Corrections from a corrections officer in 2015 to unit supervisor roles (lieutenant, unit manager) and, in 2023, to deputy warden at Telfair State Prison, a position he has held through at least mid-2026 according to mortality records. GPS records attribute 38 deaths at Telfair State Prison to Wilcox’s tenure as a facility deputy leader. These deaths spanned homicides, drug overdoses, suicides, and at least one high-profile heat-related fatality that resulted in a $3.2 million settlement by the state. Wilcox’s watch coincided with severe understaffing—reported as 76–79% correctional officer vacancies—and with an ongoing federal prosecution of a drug‑trafficking network operated by a Telfair officer and a white‑supremacist gang.What happened on their watch
Telfair State Prison — Deputy Warden (2023–present) GPS records show that 38 people died at Telfair State Prison while Wilcox served as deputy warden. The first recorded death was Renel Janvier Whitfield, 31, who fell from his bunk during a seizure in January 2023 and was declared natural. Soon after, in July 2023, Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano, 27, died after officers left him for roughly five hours in an outdoor recreation cage with no shade while the heat index reached about 105°F. According to a 13WMAZ report, an officer allegedly told Bibiano “if he dies, he dies” as he pleaded for help. The Georgia Department of Administrative Services later paid $3,249,873 to his estate. The same year, De’ahmoz Oshmic Floyd, 29, was stabbed to death in a dorm; a claim filed against the state and reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution alleged that no staff were present during the attack and that Floyd had renounced a gang affiliation, making him a target.The pace of violent and suspicious deaths quickened through 2024 and 2025. Homicides included Joey Kilgore (45, stabbed while asleep in an open dorm), Lamar Wilson (32, beaten to death), Zoumana Sarre (23, multiple stab wounds), and Malindzo Hatcher (42, stabbed in a common area, an incident captured on video). Suicides were recorded: Anthony Mulder (40, hanging), Robert Baker (45, hanging—though GDC records listed an undetermined death and a second prisoner was listed as “directly involved,” according to autopsy and incident records obtained by GPS). Drug overdoses also surfaced: David Campbell, 44, collapsed in his cell from acute methamphetamine intoxication; a cellmate, not staff, first called for help. Robert Messer, 63, died from acute synthetic‑cannabinoid intoxication, a substance often smuggled on paper; his death connected to contraband interdiction failures. Telfair County Coroner certificates and GBI autopsy reports confirmed these causes and manners.
Facility‑wide conditions compounded the deaths. The AJC reported that as of March 2024, Telfair had only 32 officers for a required 153, leaving 79% of positions vacant. In March 2024, the warden was stabbed during a contraband shakedown. Earlier, in 2023, former Telfair sergeant Desiree Briley was sentenced to 18 months for helping a Ghost Face Gangsters member smuggle meth into the prison. GPS intel records also captured family complaints of last‑minute visitation cancellations without explanation. No lawsuits named Wilcox individually.
Sources
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia prison homicides investigation (multiple individual death reports, staffing data, contraband and officer misconduct reporting)
- 13WMAZ — reporting on Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano heat death, alleged officer indifference, and $3.2 million state settlement
- Telfair County Coroner records — death certificates and pronouncement forms (2023–2025), available via GPS open‑records compilation
- GBI Division of Forensic Sciences — autopsy reports (Anthony Mulder, David Campbell, Robert Messer)
- GA Department of Administrative Services settlement ledger — state liability payouts tied to Telfair State Prison (2023 Ramirez Bibiano, 2024 Gholston, 2024 DeMon)
- GPS intelligence database — Telegram‑derived incident reports, facility‑level allegations, and family submissions
- Solitary Watch — historical allegations of officer violence and heating cutoffs at Telfair (2010, for context)
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| CSM CORRECTIONAL SERGEANT | 2024-01-01 → present | |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → present |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL OFFICER 2 | 2020-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2020-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL OFC 1 | 2019-01-01 → 2019-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2016-01-01 → 2019-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
38 people died at facilities under Wilcox, Rickey W's leadership.
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