MACON, Ga. — Joshua Carl Haynes Lester was five weeks into a 13-month parole violation sentence at Macon’s Central State Prison when another inmate stabbed him to death. He’s part of a sharp increase in deaths in Georgia prisons.
The Department of Justice recorded 26 in 2020, the last year of available data, or roughly one every two weeks.
Now, nine months later, Evey Wilson with our partners at the Center for Collaborative Journalism speaks to his mother about her search for answers as the 68-year-old works to raise her grandchild who was left without a father.
“I’m Nancy Masters Lester and I live with my grandson, who was Joshua Lester’s son and Joshua was murdered at Central State Prison in July.
He had a year and had only been there for five weeks. He was stabbed in his lungs and heart.
Joshua never saw him coming because they got him from the back.
There were no guards around, so the inmates went looking for a maintenance worker because there were no guards and when they got there, he was gone.
His one-year sentence turned into a life sentence for him, and he died on the prison floor alone.
I never got to see him. The last thing I said was that we loved one another.
I'm thankful that I've got Joshua's son to raise. This was not my game plan. I'm 68-years-old. I'm retired and I'm all Memphis has.
He looks so much like him and acts so much like him. At times it's precious and at times it just tears my heart apart again.”
"He's an angel now. I want go see daddy be an angel,” said Memphis.
"He is my blessing, and I know Joshua is here helping me,” said Masters.
She’s looking into filing a wrongful death suit, but the Department of Corrections refuses to turn over the most basic reports on her son’s death, saying they’re still investigating the case.
She says she’s also having a hard time finding an attorney to take the case because attorneys tell her it’s a difficult process and time consuming to battle the Department of Corrections.
She says the few she found who are experienced at it are overwhelmed with cases. She says if she can’t find someone to help her in a few months, it will be too late for her to legally file.