Kansas Deputy Charged With Charles Adair’s Murder Knelt On Him For 90 Seconds
Charles Adair died in July while in custody at the Wyandotte County detention center in Kansas City, Kansas. A court affidavit revealed that the deputy who allegedly killed Charles Adair knelt on his back for one minute and 26 seconds after he was wheeled back from the infirmary.
According to AP, Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree charged Deputy Richard Fatherley with second-degree murder and an alternative count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Charles Adair. Adair was being held at the Wyandotte County detention center on misdemeanor warrants for not appearing in court over several traffic violations. He was only in custody for one day before he died.
The affidavit also revealed that Charles Adair’s leg was severely infected to the point of needing amputation. Adair was taken to a hospital immediately after being taken into custody, where a medical exam revealed he was suffering from a bone infection in his leg, commonly associated with people who have diabetes. The medical screening also revealed Charles Adair was schizophrenic and had a pacemaker.
After Adair’s leg was bandaged, he was taken back to the jail in a wheelchair. Several of the deputies interviewed in the affidavit said Adair was incoherent while in custody, with the deputies believing the infection was affecting his brain. He got into an argument with the deputies returning him to his cell and flung himself out of the wheelchair.
When he eventually arrived at his cell, he was placed on his stomach with his hands cuffed in the front, and his legs and knees on the ground. He called out for help, and that’s when Fatherley entered the cell.
From AP:
Fatherley then appeared on video, telling him, “You’re done” as he placed his left knee on the lower part of Adair’s back. Adair responded with “OK” and pushed his arms forward. Just as Adair ceased moving, Fatherley shifted his weight forward, appearing to apply more weight on Adair’s lower back, the affidavit said.
The autopsy listed Adair’s manner of death as homicide, and his cause of death as complications from “mechanical asphyxia,” a condition in which breathing is obstructed.
The sheriff’s office has declined a records request from The Associated Press seeking the body camera video that state investigators reviewed. [Benjamin] Crump and another civil rights attorney, Harry Daniels, were allowed to view the video and have demanded that it be released publicly.
“The newly released affidavit confirms that Charles Adair was handcuffed, lying on his stomach with a severely injured leg, and posed no threat when a deputy pressed a knee into his back, resulting in his death,” Ben Crump, an attorney who is representing Adair’s family, said in a press release Friday.
Charles Adair died in custody over traffic violations. He wasn’t a violent criminal. He was handcuffed and wasn’t even in good enough physical health to pose a realistic threat, yet Charles Adair is dead. Over traffic violations.“Because of the color of your skin, a traffic violation should not equal a death sentence,” Crump said at the news conference last week.
Fatherley’s attorney, James Spies, has argued that Charles Adair’s death was “not the result of excessive force,” but instead happened because Adair was in poor health. This is despite the official autopsy noting that Charles Adair had multiple rib fractures as well as a sternal fracture.
“We’re going to be pursuing an acquittal in this case,” Spies told AP. “My client acted reasonably within the scope of his employment.” It’s safe to say we have two different definitions of “reasonable.”
Despite the charges, Fatherley has not been booked into jail and is on paid administrative leave. He has a summons to appear in court on Nov. 8. Glad to know a jail official can allegedly kill an injured, handcuffed man on the clock and still collect a check.
SEE ALSO:
Knox County DA’s Office Won’t Investigate David Batts’ Death
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