Two men are scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, dealing with murder charges following the tragic deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans found deceased in a friend’s backyard back in January 2024.
The preliminary hearing for Jordan R. Willis and Ivory “Blade” Carson is set for 10 a.m. EST at the Platt County Circuit Court. They are both facing second-degree felony murder charges related to the deaths of Ricky Johnson, 38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36. The trio had gathered to watch a game when they were discovered dead in Willis’s backyard.
It’s a shocking situation that has really unsettled the Kansas City community. The victims were found in freezing temperatures, and forensic examinations revealed they died from a mix of fentanyl and cocaine. Prosecutors claim that Willis and Carson supplied the drugs, leading to what they allege was a fatal overdose. Notably, both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
As for the specifics of the hearing, it will assess if there’s enough evidence to move forward with a trial. Willis is currently out on bond while Carson remains in custody. Both are expected to attend the hearing in person.
The events leading up to the grim discovery are quite disturbing. McGeeney’s fiancée, April Mahoney, called the authorities upon realizing the trio had vanished. She grew worried after not hearing from McGeeney and, after knocking on doors without response, managed to enter through a basement window. Unfortunately, what she found was devastating—frozen bodies of her fiancé and his friends.
Documents reveal that when police arrived, Mahoney informed them that the group had been using cocaine. She indicated that Willis often supplied drugs to his friends. Upon searching the home, officers found bags of white powdery substances. Apparently, one of those substances was linked to Carson, whose DNA was discovered in a bag containing fentanyl.
Willis, in statements to the police, suggested that the victims had left the house a day before their discovery. Yet, his lawyer contended that he was asleep while others were awake and wandering around. The allegations are complicating matters further, with witnesses indicating that they had partied with the group, consuming various substances.
It’s been a lengthy investigation by the Kansas City Police Department into these tragic deaths. Though charges have finally been filed, the process of seeking justice is far from over.
