Wilson, Jennifer

Tenure Summary

Jennifer Wilson’s Georgia Department of Corrections record begins in 2015 as a behavioral health counselor, a role listed through 2019, then as a behavioral health counselor supervisor from 2020 through 2023. On Nov. 22, 2023, Wilson took a deputy warden post at Wilcox State Prison; salary records list that deputy warden position for 2024 and 2025. GPS records attribute 28 deaths to Wilson’s tenure as Deputy Warden at Wilcox State Prison, spanning Feb. 12, 2024 through Sept. 3, 2026. The 2026 death records continue to carry the deputy-warden role label, though a separate positions entry dated Aug. 27, 2026 lists Wilson as “Sr Mgr, Correctional.” The supplied data do not name Wilson as a defendant in any lawsuit. Earlier Wilcox deaths and settlements in the facility event log, such as the 2017 James Wheeler payout, predate the deputy-warden posting and are not part of the 28.

What happened on their watch

Wilcox State Prison — Deputy Warden (from Nov. 22, 2023)

The earliest death attributed in the file is Kevin Degraft, 40, on Feb. 12, 2024; the Wilcox County coroner ruled the death accidental from toxic effects of MDMB-4en-PINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid. The earliest homicide in the 28-case record is Arthur Williams, 55, on July 19, 2024; coroner records list blunt force trauma to the head and neck, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s prison homicides investigation reported two inmates involved. On Aug. 27, 2024, Mariol Rawls, 41, was killed; AJC incident data showed nine offenders involved and a homemade weapon, and GPS records add that at least eight men described as validated gang members were charged. Rodney Whatley, 54, died Oct. 5, 2024; the coroner ruled homicide from blunt force trauma of the head.

In 2025, the records show a mix of natural deaths, accidental drug toxicity, suicides, and homicides. Darrius Zanders, 33, was found hanging in the J building on May 5, 2025; the coroner ruled suicide, while file notes state he had been moved there at his own request the previous day and that GDC itself conducted the death-scene investigation. A GBI autopsy confirmed hanging but was not certified until Apr. 7, 2026, about eleven months after the exam. Dominique Cole, 37, died June 8, 2025; the coroner ruled homicide from blunt force injuries and strangulation. AJC reported family allegations that guards at Wilcox were tied to gangs and that a promised warden follow-up call never came. Ian Henry, 29, died June 22, 2025; the Wilcox coroner ruled suicide by hanging, but GPS retains an inmate-sourced homicide classification, citing concerns in the file about coroner sign-offs on Wilcox State Prison deaths. Accidental methamphetamine toxicity was ruled in the November 2025 deaths of Stacy Bullard, 54, and Collis Welch, 55, and natural-cause rulings include Willie Mosley, 63, and Harold Hester, 78.

In 2026, Marcus Walker, 20, died Jan. 10; the coroner ruled homicide by manual strangulation in his cell. A March 8, 2026 gang fight sent nine people to the hospital, according to GPS records. On Sept. 3, 2026, Maurice Brown was killed in a gang-related fight at Wilcox; GDC said seven inmates were taken to hospitals, including two airlifted, and two others were treated on-site. The prison was placed on lockdown the following day, and GDC’s Office of Professional Standards opened an investigation, sending the body to the GBI Crime Lab. As of July 2026, several deaths remained pending in the file, including Earnest Sims, Jeremy Watson, Gary Felver, and Raymond Moody.

Facility-level allegations logged during this period include a May 2026 Facebook post claiming Wilcox locked down inmate movement when senior staff, including the deputy warden, held on-clock gatherings, and that basic supply issuance had lapsed for about a year. GPS logged this as an allegation, not a verified finding. Broader reporting in the file includes a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice report describing gang-run Georgia prisons with regular violence and sexual assault, and AJC reporting that hundreds of GDC employees had been arrested or fired for smuggling drugs and contraband.

Sources

• GPS structured personnel and facility records for Jennifer Wilson
• Wilcox County Coroner Janice B. Brown summary case reports, 2024–2026, as compiled in GPS records
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — “Georgia prison homicides outpacing last year” and the AJC Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation
• U.S. Department of Justice report on Georgia’s prisons (2024), as cited in GPS event log
• GBI autopsy and GDC official mortality records referenced in GPS notes, including the Darrius Zanders autopsy file
• Facebook public post dated May 12, 2026, logged as an allegation by GPS
• Georgia Department of Administrative Services Risk Management settlement ledger via Open Records, referenced for pre-tenure Wilcox State Prison settlement context

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Sep 6, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.