The daughter of a prison administrator who was raped and murdered on the grounds of West Tennessee State Penitentiary has filed suit against Warden John Fitz and unnamed corrections officers, alleging systemic failures led to her mother’s death – including inadequate staffing and a culture that encouraged guards to downplay sexual assault and harassment.
Debra Johnson was off duty and in her home on the grounds of the Lauderdale County facility when inmate Curtis Watson was able to escape the notice of correctional officers. Watson drove a golf cart to Johnson’s home, where he strangled, raped and murdered the 38-year veteran employee of the Tennessee Department of Correction. Johnson was 64.
Watson then led law enforcement officials on a five-day manhunt before his capture.
Watson had been assigned violent offender status when he first entered the prison in 2012 but was later designated a “trusty” inmate, allowed to roam the grounds without supervision as part of his work detail as a mechanic despite a history of violence. He was serving a 15-year sentence for the kidnapping, rape and assault of his wife in 2012. Watson also had a prior conviction for aggravated child abuse, the lawsuit said.