A longtime Putnam County man was killed in a state prison recently, according to authorities.
According to his obituary, Leon Culver Kelly, 47, of Eatonton, died Monday, Dec. 9, leaving his family and friends to cherish his memory.
“Leon touched so many people’s hearts; he would give you the shirt off his back,” Christina Bonner wrote on the Vining Ivy Hill Chapel tribute wall. “He always knew how to make you smile when you were down or angry. It was impossible to be mad around him (because) he would do or say the dumbest things, and all you could do was laugh.”
“Leon was always there even when I was at my lowest of lows; he somehow found a way to lift me up,” Brian Stevenson added. “He never judged, nor did he ever not be a friend to me.”
At the time of his death, Kelly was in the second year of a 10-year prison sentence, housed at Central State Prison in Macon.
“We can confirm the death of inmate Leon Kelly on Dec. 9th following an altercation with another inmate,” Georgia Department of Corrections Communications Manager Lori Benoit said in an email.
Benoit declined to answer other questions and would only say the death was being investigated by the GDC’s Office of Professional Standards, which is standard procedure for all inmate deaths.
“Additional details are not available as the investigation is ongoing,” she added when asked if any arrests had been made in connection with his death.
According to Putnam County Sheriff’s Office records, Kelly was arrested on March 18, 2022, on charges of trafficking methamphetamine and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
He took a deal and pled guilty, reducing his charges to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The reduced charges reduced his maximum sentence from 30 years to 20.
On Aug. 21, 2023, he was sentenced in Putnam County Superior Court to 20 years, with 10 to serve in confinement and the remaining 10 to serve on probation, according to court records. Benoit said his maximum release date would have been in 2033.
Although prison officials would not provide details regarding Kelly’s sudden death, Macon-Bibb County Deputy Coroner LuAnn Stone said there were stab wounds on his body.
When questioned on the preliminary cause of death, Stone said she couldn’t rule on that yet.
“It’s pending autopsy results, which will be awhile because they’re waiting for the results of a toxicology test,” she explained.
Kelly is survived by his wife Rebecca, son Christian, mother Saranne Williams, father Louis Harrison Kelly III, brother Louis Harrison Kelly IV, grandchild, nephew, and uncle.
According to his obituary, he was a member of the First Independent Methodist Church and enjoyed fishing, playing golf, and helping people.
“Most of all, he loved his mom, son, and brother and spent time with them,” the obituary reveals. “He never met a stranger; everyone was a friend to him.”