Federal Conviction, Guilty Pleas for Jail Guards Responsible for Oklahoma Detainee’s Death
On August 9, 2023, detainee Kayla Turley, 32, died while locked up in the Garvin County Jail (GCJ). In her final days at the jail, Turley suffered physical abuse, multiple trips to hospitals and organ failure, as nonprofit news source Nondoc reported. In November 2024, guards Tiffani Stapp and Kathleen Tolison were charged with aggravated assault and battery for slapping, choking and beating Turley while she was incapacitated in a cell.
The following month, a federal grand jury indicted five other guards and one nurse for deprivation of rights (18 U.S.C. § 242) for deliberate indifference to Turley’s serious medical needs; several also received a second count of the same charge for failing to intervene during an assault of Turley by other detainees. Nurse Lynsee Noel and four of the former guards—Jennifer Baxter, Vincent Matthews, Alesha Ingram and Melissa Melton—each pleaded guilty to 18 U.S.C. § 242 violations. After plea agreements, the five offenders now face a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Oklahoma.
Paula Kelley, another former guard at GCJ, was found guilty of similar charges following a jury trial on June 12, 2026. “Despite knowing and observing Ms. Turley’s serious medical needs,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) wrote in a press release, “Kelly willfully failed to take any reasonable steps to abate those needs. Due to the failure to act by Kelley and other GCJ staff, Ms. Turley suffered bodily harm and ultimately died.”
Kelley faces a maximum of life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Additional source: Nondoc
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login