Kansas officer charged with murder after inmate dies by suffocation Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY September 20, 2025 at 4:50 AM 0 A Kansas City jail deputy has been charged with murder after an inmate died by suffocation this summer, a county district attorney announced.
- - Kansas officer charged with murder after inmate dies by suffocation
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY September 20, 2025 at 4:50 AM
0
A Kansas City jail deputy has been charged with murder after an inmate died by suffocation this summer, a county district attorney announced.
Wyandotte County District Attorney's Office Prosecutor Mark Dupree, during a Thursday, July 18 press conference, said local sheriff's deputy Richard Fatherley has been charged with second-degree murder and felony involuntary manslaughter in the July 5 in-custody death of 50-year-old Charles Adair.
The death took place at the county jail in Kansas City, Kansas, officials said, and a coroner ruled the inmate died as a result of complications from asphyxiation.
Charles Adair, was killed by apparent suffocation while in custody at the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office detention center. A correctional office has been charged with murder in connection to his death.
Dupree said Fatherley worked at the detention center and in the courthouse and, as of Friday, was on unpaid administrative leave.
He offered condolences to Adair's mother and cousins and "to all that are missing him now."
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) provided information to a judge to give probable cause for his arrest, Dupree said.
Hard drugs, the NFL ... and murder? Latest in triple murder case of 3 dead Chiefs fans
The district attorney said he could not elaborate on the circumstances leading up to Adair's death, but said investigators "do not believe this was an intentional act."
Jail and court records show Adair was booked into the jail one day before his death, after being arrested for failure to appear in court on a set of misdemeanor traffic violations.
Kansas inmate killed by asphyxia
The KBI, on Sept. 5., announced an autopsy revealed Adair's manner of death as a homicide and his cause of death as complications from "mechanical asphyxia," the KBI reported, citing a medical examiner's report.
According to The Cleveland Clinic, the condition can happen from strangulation, suffocation, smothering, hanging, drowning and more.
Texas A&M President to resign: Move comes after backlash over gender identity lesson
The KBI opened an investigation into Adair's death after he was found unresponsive in his cell, according to Dustin Wallace, a KBI spokesperson. Wallace confirmed Adair had initially been in the infirmary for a pre-existing wound on his leg.
"On his way back to his cell, KBI noted that a struggle ensued," KCTV reported, citing a criminal complaint. "He was put on the lower bunk of his cell while handcuffs were removed and officers left. Seven minutes later, he was found unresponsive." About one hour later, officials pronounced him dead, the outlet reported.
Deputy charged with murder
Fatherley was not booked into jail after being charged with both crimes, Dupree confirmed, but instead issued a summons to appear in court in November − "a common practice with an officer," Dupree said.
When asked by a reporter why a murder suspect was not arrested, Dupree said he decided to issue a summons since Fatherley "has been a deputy with the Wyandotte County Sheriffs Office" he was not a flight risk, and was being cooperative with the investigation.
Wyandotte County District Attorney's Office Prosecutor Mark Dupree (at podium) on Sept. 18, 2025 said Richard Fatherley has been charged with second-degree murder and felony involuntary manslaughter in the July 5, 2025 death of Charles Adair.
If convicted of both charges, he faces up to 52 1/2 years in prison, under state law.
It was not immediately known if Fatherley had obtained legal counsel.
USA TODAY has reached out to him.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kansas deputy charged after inmate dies by suffocation
Source: "AOL General News"
Source: ERIUS MAG
Full Article on Source: ERIUS MAG
#LALifestyle #USCelebrities