On the evening of May 12, 1991, a 30-year-old White male named Christopher C. Willems was nearing the end of his shift as a Sedgwick County Deputy Sheriff. As he was returning to headquarters around 11:00 P.M., he noticed a van and initiated a traffic stop in a parking lot in Wichita, Kansas. Inside the vehicle were three individuals. The stop, which began as a routine check, would soon escalate into a fatal encounter for the young deputy.
During the stop, Willems began to question the
occupants. One man, Garland Deavers, aroused the deputy's suspicion. Deavers, who had an outstanding warrant, provided his brother's name and had no identification. Sensing something was amiss, Deputy Willems obtained consent to search the van. His search yielded a small film canister containing marijuana. As he moved to place Garland Deavers under arrest, a struggle broke out between the two men.
The situation took a tragic turn when another occupant, Fred Wayne Deavers, Garland's brother, used the ensuing chaos to his advantage. He grabbed a. 357 revolver from within the van and fired at Deputy Willems, striking him in the upper right thigh. As Willems fell to the ground, wounded, Fred Deavers approached him and fired a second, fatal shot to his head. The third occupant of the van had fled the scene before the shooting and was never charged.
Both Garland and Fred Deavers were subsequently arrested and convicted for their roles in the murder of Deputy Willems. Fred Deavers was found guilty of first-degree murder. He was initially sentenced to a mandatory 40-year prison term, but this sentence was later overturned on a technicality, making him eligible for parole after 15 years. He was denied parole on multiple occasions. Garland Deavers was also convicted and sentenced to prison for his involvement in the events that led to the deputy's death.
