Wilson, Jennifer

Tenure Summary

Jennifer Wilson's GDC career began in behavioral health: salary records list her as a behavioral health counselor in 2015, a Behavioral Health Counselor 3 from 2016 through 2019, and a Behavioral Health Counselor Supervisor from 2020 through 2023, with annual pay rising from $30,575.52 to $49,869.00 over that span. She moved into custody leadership as Deputy Warden at Wilcox State Prison, per a position record dated Nov. 22, 2023, with salary records at that post for 2024 ($62,263.64) and 2025 ($68,462.88). A separate staff-tier entry lists a "Sr Mgr, Correctional" position dated Aug. 27, 2026, with no facility attached.

GPS attributes 28 deaths to her leadership tenure, all 28 at Wilcox State Prison per `deaths_by_facility`. No lawsuit in these records names her as a defendant. The facility is the subject of older liability payouts in the GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger — $50,000 (Toddrick Hunter, incident 2013), $550,000 (Jimmy Lucero, 2016), $48,242 (Ricky Johnson, 2016), $2,000 (Jeffrey Ray, 2016), $750,000 (James Wheeler, 2017) and $13,000 (Barrington Morrison, 2023) — none of which fall during her tenure.

What happened on their watch

Wilcox State Prison — Deputy Warden (position record dated Nov. 22, 2023; continuing through the Sept. 3, 2026 death, which lists her role at the time as Deputy Warden). All 28 attributed deaths occurred at this facility, and every death row in the GPS sample carries the role-at-time "Deputy Warden." The sampled records span February 2024 to September 2026, with decedents aged 20 to 78.

Homicides (eight classified). Marcus Walker, 20, was found in his cell Jan. 10, 2026; the Wilcox County Coroner's report (case 2026-0110-04) records manual strangulation. Dominique Cornelius Cole, 37, died June 8, 2025 of blunt force injuries and strangulation after an assault at WSP. Per the AJC, Cole's family said he had told them guards at the prison were tied to gangs, that a warden promised a follow-up call that never came, and that his belongings — including his wallet and Social Security card — were not returned. Mariol Juante Rawls, 41, died Aug. 27, 2024; AJC incident-report data cited nine offenders and a homemade weapon, and the AJC later reported at least eight men were charged with murder. Rodney Whatley, 54, died Oct. 5, 2024 of blunt force head trauma from an altercation; Arthur Jerome Williams, 55, died July 19, 2024 of blunt force trauma to the head and neck, per the AJC with two inmates involved; Daylyne Collins, 30, died April 20, 2025 of multiple sharp force injuries. One classification is disputed: Ian Rashod Henry, 29, was found dead in his cell June 22, 2025 — the coroner ruled suicide by hanging, while GPS retains a homicide classification from an inmate report of a wound and logs the conflict.

Suicide and pending-manner deaths. Deon Khalil Vanzyre, 28, died of hanging Jan. 16, 2026. Darrius Jerrod Zanders, 33, died May 5, 2025; the coroner's report says he asked to move to J building the day before and "stated he was having issues," was found at about 3:30 a.m. by a lieutenant, and that GDC's own officer conducted the death-scene investigation. The GBI autopsy's physical findings supported hanging but was not certified until April 2026, eleven months after the exam, and toxicology showed active THC consistent with in-custody cannabis exposure. Raymond Trey Moody, 37, was found hanging in a solitary cell March 11, 2025; manner remained pending as of July 2026. Jeremy Cole Watson, 37, was found dead in the "hole" (J building) March 9, 2026, with Narcan given and a suspected overdose; Earnest Sims, 44, died March 16, 2026; Gary Dwayne Felver, 65, died June 15, 2026 — coroner manner pending in each. Five deaths were ruled accidental toxic exposures (methamphetamine or synthetic cannabinoid MDMB-4en-PINACA), and nine were ruled natural.

Major incidents. A Sept. 3, 2026 gang-related fight killed Maurice Antonio Brown and sent seven inmates to hospitals, two by airlift; the facility was placed on lockdown Sept. 4 and GDC's Office of Professional Standards opened an investigation, with the body sent to the GBI Crime Lab. Nine inmates were hospitalized after a gang fight in March 2026, and a similar gang fight sent nine inmates to hospitals with stab wounds in early 2025, per GPS records. An April 2026 Telegram-relayed report described multiple stabbings and a lockdown. A May 12, 2026 public Facebook post alleged that under Warden Micheal Thomas the prison locks down inmate movement during staff gatherings — described as the sixth such event that year — and that basic supply issuance had lapsed roughly a year. The AJC has reported that a U.S. Department of Justice investigation (2024) found Georgia's gang-run prisons riddled with regular violence and sexual assault, and that hundreds of GDC employees were arrested or fired for contraband smuggling.

Sources

• GPS death records and Wilcox County Coroner Summary Case Reports (Coroner Janice B. Brown), 2024–2026
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Wilcox State Prison homicides (Rawls, Williams), Cole family accounts, DOJ investigation reporting, Georgia prison homicide tracking (2025)
• Human and Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia — Vanzyre death report
• Georgia prisons watchdog social channels (Ga. Prisons Exposed) — Walker death report
• GBI DOFS autopsy R000885-072526 / ME-25-40336 — Zanders
• GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger (Open Records) — Wilcox State Prison payouts
• Public Facebook post, May 12, 2026 — staff-gathering and supply allegations
• GDC Office of Professional Standards / GBI Crime Lab — Sept. 2026 Brown investigation

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Sep 13, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.