Jordan Willis, a friend of three Kansas City Chief fans who were found dead more than a year ago in the backyard of Willis’ home, and another man have been charged in connection to the football fans’ deaths.
Kansas City Missouri Police said the bodies of Clayton McGeeney, 36; Ricky Johnson, 38; and David Harrington, 37, were discovered on the night of Jan. 9, 2024, after McGeeney’s fiancée called police searching for her partner. On Wednesday, prosecutors in Platte County charged Willis and Ivory Carson with delivery of a controlled substance and involuntary manslaughter, CBS affiliate KCTV reported.
The three NFL fans had gathered at Willis’ home to watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers in the final game of the regular season on Jan. 7. When McGeeney’s fiancée couldn’t contact him, she went to the home and found “at least one person dead on the back patio,” Platte County attorney Eric Zahnd said Wednesday.
Johnson and Harrington’s bodies were found after police were called. Temperatures were below freezing around the time of their deaths, Zahnd said. Authorities later searched Willis’ home where they found two plastic bags containing a white powdery substance, one of which contained cocaine, according to the prosecutor.
Zahnd said Wednesday that Willis was the “major contributor of DNA” found on the bag of cocaine. The other bag contained fentanyl, and Carson’s DNA was found there, the prosecutor said.
The medical examiner later determined that the three men died from a combined toxicity of fentanyl and cocaine.
Willis had denied any knowledge about his friends’ deaths, but one of the victims’ brothers told CBS News that “he’s not telling the truth.” His attorney, John Picerno, told KCTV that the charges were a surprise because it was contrary to what the prosecutor’s office told him several months ago.
“The probable cause statement submitted by the state is consistent with what Jordan stated happened. Jordan maintains that he is not responsible for purchasing or supplying the drugs that led to the deaths of his three friends. We are very much looking forward to the day a jury gets to hear all of the evidence in this case,” Picerno said.
It’s unclear if Carson has a legal representative who could speak on his behalf. The bonds for the two men were set at $100,000, KCTV reported.
