The brother of Charles Adair, who prosecutors say was killed in the Wyandotte County Jail when a sheriff’s deputy knelt on his back, says the deputy’s treatment shows the county’s “two-tiered justice system.”
Richard Fatherley, 32, is charged with second-degree murder and, in the alternative, involuntary manslaughter in the July 5 death of Adair, 50, which was ruled a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation. While trying to restrain him, Fatherley knelt on Adair’s back for 1 minute and 26 seconds, according to police documents.
Fatherley, who is free awaiting trial, on Tuesday faced his first hearing, which was held on Zoom. His attorney, James Spies, had no comment.
Anthony Adair, Charles’ brother, said Fatherley’s treatment is similar to that of disgraced Kansas City, Kansas, Police Detective Roger Golubski, who was on home detention after being charged with federal crimes. Golubski killed himself on the day his trial was to begin on violating the civil rights of several women.
“Wyandotte County is very good at sweeping things under the carpet and not bringing it to the light. It’s about covering up for one another. It’s about the good old boys’ system,” Anthony Adair said.
“And it’s not going to change until we as a community decide to say, ‘No, we’re not going to allow this to happen anymore.’”
Anthony Adair called the county’s process a “two-tiered justice system.” He, along with other members of his family and representatives of Justice for Wyandotte, a social justice group, protested on the steps of the county courthouse Tuesday at 9 a.m., the original time the hearing was to begin before it was moved to Zoom.
“If either of us had committed what the medical examiner deemed a homicide, we would be handcuffed and booked and sitting in jail, but that is not what happened,” said Nikki Richardson, a co-founder of Justice for Wyandotte. “It is an injustice in our community where people are not treated equally.”
County Judge Renee Henry said Fatherley’s first appearance was held on Zoom because it was a brief scheduling hearing with the sole purpose of setting the next court date, which is Dec. 19, and because they were not taking up any evidentiary or substantive issues.
