Man convicted of a triple murder in Upatoi now charged with assaulting prison guard

A man convicted of killing three people in Upatoi in 2016 is now facing charges for allegedly attacking a prison officer.

Arrest warrants obtained by the Ledger-Enquirer from the Georgia Department of Corrections show Jervarceay Tapley is charged with aggravated assault against an officer, felony obstruction, unauthorized possession of a weapon by an inmate and unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution.

Tapley had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of murder in the 2016 deaths of Gloria Short, 54, her son Caleb, 17, and granddaughter Gianna Lindsey, 10. Previous court testimony and police statements showed that Tapley had been friendly with the family, and had killed the three in a violent assault during a robbery. Tapley was sentenced to life without parole.

The new warrants state Tapley stabbed a correctional officer with a homemade pointed weapon (referred to as a “poker”) multiple times to the head and body with the intent to murder him.

The attack is reported to have occurred on Oct. 13 at Hays State Prison in Trion, according to the warrants.

The warrants stated Tapley attacked the lieutenant while the officer was conducting official duties inside Hays State Prison.