inmate deaths

Wyandotte County Deputy Richard Fatherley is free while he awaits trial in the July 5 death of Charles Adair, who prosecutors say was killed when Fatherly knelt on his back. Fatherley, who faced his first hearing Tuesday, wasn’t required to appear in court in person, which the judge said was standard early in the judicial process when substantive issues aren't heard.

The death of Charles Adair, 50, which has been ruled a homicide, was due to a common police procedure called prone restraint. "This is in the hands of the law officers," a medical expert said.

Charles Adair, 50, was killed by “mechanical asphyxia,” which was ruled a homicide. A county coroner’s report obtained by KCUR reveals that during an altercation, a deputy knelt on Adair’s back.