Man who killed Sedgwick County deputy in 1991 among those up for parole

In 1991, a belligerent Fred Deavers Jr. stood before a Sedgwick County judge and demanded a sentence of time served for fatally shooting sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Willems on Mother’s Day.

Showing no remorse, he argued then that if he’d wanted to “cold-bloodedly kill that officer,” he would have gunned him down on sight.

Instead, he first shot Willems in the leg, then fired a bullet in the deputy’s forehead at point-blank range. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Almost 25 years later, Deavers, 67, could be released before summer. He’s among 17 Kansas prisoners eligible for release as early as April if the state’s three-member Prisoner Review Board grants their bids for parole.

Deavers was convicted of first-degree murder and originally given a Hard 40 sentence for shooting Willems, 30, during a traffic stop in Wichita on May 12, 1991. But because a prosecutor forgot to hand Deavers a legal document notifying him of the 40-year, no-parole prison term when he was arraigned on the charge, the sentence was thrown out on appeal, according to news reports from the time. His new sentence gave him parole eligibility after 15 years.

At a public comment session held by the Prisoner Review Board in Derby on Wednesday morning, Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter called Willems’ killing an execution.

Easter recounted his memories of the shooting – he was a Wichita police officer at the time – and talked about the impact Willems’ death left on both his family and the community.

He also called for Deavers to remain in prison for the rest of his life.

“I responded to the scene and then responded to the hospital and saw all the law enforcement officers that were lined up ... along with family members, crying and very upset for the loss of their loved one and a fellow law enforcement officer,” Easter said. “He was a son. ... He was a father of two kids who never got to know him because he was taken so soon.

“Mr. Deavers caused those tragedies,” Easter said, adding that Willems’ death was the first law enforcement killing he experienced. “He should not be allowed to get parole. Period.”

Deavers, who was found guilty and admitted to prison on Sept. 19, 1991, is serving his sentence at El Dorado Correctional Facility South Unit. He is listed in the corrections department’s online inmate database as having a low-medium custody level. He has one disciplinary report on his record.

Kansas Department of Corrections spokesman Adam Pfannenstiel said Wednesday that this is Deavers’ third bid for parole. He first became eligible in 2006 after serving 15 years, Pfannenstiel said, but was refused parole because of the serious and violent nature of his crime and objections to his release.

Deavers was up for parole again in April 2009 but was refused again, Pfannenstiel said. Among reasons cited by the board, he said, was that the board didn’t feel Deavers had served enough time in prison.

Pfannenstiel said the Prisoner Review Board plans to meet with Deavers in March to evaluate his readiness for parole. Members are expected to decide whether to release him three to four weeks later, he said.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 9:54 PM with the headline "Man who killed Sedgwick County deputy in 1991 among those up for parole."