MISSION, Kan. (September 19, 2025) – Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and attorney Harry Daniels have been retained by the family of Charles L. Adair, a 50-year-old detainee who died while in custody at the Wyandotte County Detention Center. Mr. Adair was arrested on July 4, 2025, on traffic-related misdemeanor warrants.
On July 5, after being treated in the infirmary for a preexisting leg wound, he was transferred back to his cell via wheelchair. During that transfer, an altercation occurred. He was restrained, handcuffed, placed face-down or prone in part of the restraint, and placed on his lower bunk. Not long after, he became unresponsive and later died. An autopsy has ruled his death a homicide caused by mechanical asphyxia, with contributing health conditions including cardiovascular disease and cirrhosis. The autopsy also identified that Charles sustained broken ribs. Deputy Richard Fatherley has been criminally charged with second-degree murder, with involuntary manslaughter as an alternative charge, in connection with Mr. Adair’s death.
Attorney Crump issued the following statement:
“We will not stand by while another Black man dies in custody under circumstances that contradict law enforcement’s duty to protect. The autopsy ruling of homicide by mechanical asphyxia leaves no room for excuses. Records show that a deputy kneeled on Charles’ back while he was in the prone position, similar to the way George Floyd was killed more than five years ago. Charles’ family and his children deserve transparency, accountability and justice for his death.”
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Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
