Nine months after three Kansas City Chiefs fans were found dead in a friend's snowy backyard, the homeowner's attorney believes criminal charges will eventually be filed in their deaths — but not against his client.
On January 9, Clayton McGeeney, 37, Ricky Johnson, 38, and David Harrington, 36, were found dead on Jordan Willis' Kansas City property by McGeeney's fiancé. Two days earlier, they had come to Willis's home to watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers. Willis was out of reach by phone and hadn't answered the door for days while his family searched for relatives who hadn't returned home.
Preliminary autopsy results released to the media by the families showed fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana in their systems, but the families claim Willis was involved in their deaths, and some have even threatened to file civil lawsuits against the landlord.
“We are very sorry,” Willis' attorney, John Picerno, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. [will be] The announcement is based on “internal conversations” with prosecutors and is “expected to be made within the next few weeks.”
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David Harrington, Clayton McGeeney and Ricky Johnson were found dead outside a friend's home in Kansas City on January 9, 2024. (Ricky Johnson/Facebook)
“I can say with confidence that my client will not be charged in that matter,” Picerno said. “My client will not be charged with any involvement in the untimely deaths of his friends.”
Asked who would face criminal charges in connection with the men's deaths, Picerno said: “If someone provided drugs to these young people, they could be criminally charged with murder.”
Fox News Digital previously reported that a fifth man, who will not be named unless criminal charges are filed, was at Willis' home on Northwest 83rd Street on Jan. 7; Fox 4 He said he left the scene while the men were still watching the game, and stressed that he was not the only one to see them alive.
Fox News Digital attempted to reach the fifth man's lawyer for comment but was unable to do so.
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The exterior of Jordan Willis' home on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. (DWS for Fox News Digital)
Picerno said the length of the investigation, which Kansas City police have repeatedly characterized as a death investigation rather than a homicide investigation, is “clearly unusual.”
He also said that the accused had voluntarily handed over all his electronic devices along with DNA samples to the police at an early stage of the investigation.
“I don't know why this investigation has dragged on for nine months,” Picerno said. “That's a question best answered by the prosecution.”
Fox News Digital was unable to reach either the Platte County Prosecutor's Office or the Kansas City Police Department.
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Family and friends of Clayton McGeeney (left), David Harrington (centre) and Ricky Johnson (right) are desperately searching for a cause after the three died mysteriously in sub-freezing temperatures outside a friend's home in Kansas City. (Facebook)
Picerno said he is “confident” his clients will avoid criminal prosecution, but that a civil lawsuit is likely. He said he has been contacted by lawyers representing the defendants' families, and noted that in Missouri, the statute of limitations for such lawsuits is five years.
Picerno said Jordan Willis' “life has changed forever” after he left his Kansas City home and entered a rehabilitation program after his friend's death.
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Jordan Willis, a 38-year-old HIV researcher, checked himself into rehab after three friends were found dead in his backyard on January 9. (GitHub)
“It's terrible to be accused of something that doesn't have any real evidence,” Picerno said. “He has a tough road to release, but he's doing the best he can to get through it.”
A source close to the Willis family told Fox News Digital that the 39-year-old PhD student and researcher is “still struggling with the aftermath of this incident.”
“[He] Not only did I lose a close friend, [had] A lot of people have turned their backs on him,” the source said.
“Every part of his life has been affected, but he's doing the best he can,” the source continued. “He's been helping care for his father this year and trying to stay positive.”
