Anthony Cheek

Portrait of Anthony Cheek

Anthony Wilbert Cheek was gearing up to come home to a new career and a loving family. After serving 18 years out of a 20-year sentence in Lee State Prison in Georgia, he was so close. But, Anthony never got the chance to start his new life. Instead, he passed away on March 26, 2020 at the age of 49, after testing positive for COVID-19.

Born on January 5, 1971, Anthony was a resident of Leesburg, Georgia. He learned how to work with diesel engines while he was incarcerated and planned to work in the trade upon his release. His mother, Joyce Cheek, was eagerly awaiting his arrival. “I think my son was a very good son,” she told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Anthony contracted COVID-19 at a time when the spread of the virus still was neither acknowledged nor addressed in prisons across the U.S. On March 10, Anthony called his mom and speculated that he had had the flu for two weeks, judging from his symptoms. Five days later, he collapsed in the prison gym in front of dozens of other men and was taken to a hospital in nearby Albany, Georgia. Tragically, Anthony was unable to defeat the virus, and he died less than two weeks later.

Michelle Alexander reads MOL’s memorial for Anthony Cheek at a virtual vigil to mark a year of loss behind bars.

With U.S. prisons on the brink of recognizing the explosion of COVID-19 cases in their midst, Anthony became the first incarcerated person in the nation known to die from the virus. According to his mother, his death should have been prevented. Not only was it particularly heartbreaking because of the proximity to the end of his sentence, she said, but Anthony also had high blood pressure and diabetes, putting him at heightened risk for a severe case of COVID-19. Additionally, the nearby city of Albany was already a coronavirus hotspot at the time of Anthony’s death. And, to make matters even worse, the prison’s medical care was woefully insufficient; men incarcerated there were provided with only one small cup of antibacterial soap, and prison officials displayed frequent negligence towards those exhibiting symptoms for the virus.

Anthony’s mother is not alone in mourning her son’s death. K. Hope wrote on the Tribute Wall of his online obituary: “So sorry to hear about Anthony. May the hope from God’s Word and your cherished memories comfort your hearts. Revelations 21:3,4.” Another friend, Ray Walley, left the message, “I was a Mentor with Anthony at Lee for 5 years. My prayers are with you and your family. God bless.”

Anthony’s communities both inside and outside of Lee State will miss him dearly. Our thoughts are with them as they celebrate and mourn the life of this wonderful man.

This memorial was written by MOL team member Eliza Kravitz with information from obituaries published by Legacy.com and Joseph W. Jones Funeral Home and reporting by Joshua Sharpe and Christian Boone of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Marshall Project.

Original artwork by MOL team member EJ Joyner.