DA files murder charges against deputy in Wyandotte County inmate's death

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Wyandotte County District Attorney's Office has filed charges against a sheriff's deputy in connection with the death of an inmate back in July.

Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree on Thursday charged Richard Fatherley with second-degree murder/reckless or in the alternative involuntary manslaughter.

According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), just after 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 5, 50-year-old Charles L. Adair was found unresponsive in his cell at the Wyandotte County Detention Center by medical staff. After attempting to perform life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead by emergency responders just before 9:20 p.m.

The initial investigation indicates that just before Adair was found, he had received medical care for a pre-existing wound on his leg, the KBI reported. When he was done being treated, however, he reportedly resisted being taken back to his cell.

The KBI said Adair began yelling, refusing to listen to commands and physically resisting sheriff's deputies. This resulted in him being handcuffed and returned to his cell, where he was placed on the bottom bunk.

However, as deputies attempted to take off Adair's handcuffs, he continued to resist, the KBI reported.

Eventually, his handcuffs were removed, and deputies left the cell. But minutes later, when medical staff were asked to evaluate Adair, he was found unresponsive.

KBI agents said they did not see any "obvious signs of physical injury to Adair resulting from the incident."

Adair was arrested only a day prior, on Friday, July 4, for failing to appear on multiple traffic violations.

According to the final autopsy report, the coroner ruled Adair's cause of death as complications of mechanical asphyxia. Contributory factors were noted as hypertensive cardiovascular disease and hepatic cirrhosis due to chronic alcoholism. Adair's manner of death was determined to be homicide.

A coroner's report filed last week in Wyandotte County states that an officer was kneeling on the back of Adair during a struggle at the county jail before Adair died.

As part of its standard of practice, the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office has placed Fatherley on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal charges in the case.

"From the beginning of this incident the Sheriff's Office has complied with state law in our prompt notification to the KBI and our cooperation with them during this investigation. That cooperation will continue as this case moves through the criminal justice system, and a disposition is reached," the sheriff's office said in a statement released to FOX4 on Thursday afternoon.

Dupree said Fatherley worked in the Wyandotte County Detention Center and is not a certified law enforcement officer.

During a news conference Thursday, Dupree added that due to the potential conflict of interest, his office will likely file a reqeust for an out of county judge to oversee the case.

Fatherley is scheduled for a hearing at 9 a.m. on Nov. 18, 2025 at the Wyandotte County District Courthouse.