A year after three Kansas City Chiefs fans were last seen alive, it’s still unclear why they died in their friend’s snowy backyard — and authorities have not filed criminal charges in their deaths.
Clayton McGeeney, 37; Ricky Johnson, 38; and David Harrington, 36, visited their longtime friend Jordan Willis’ home in Kansas City on Jan. 7, 2024, to watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers.
Two days later, the three men were found dead on Willis’ property by McGeeney’s fiancée. Willis could not be reached by phone and didn’t answer the door for the next few days, according to family members who searched for the three friends who never returned home.
Although preliminary autopsy results Reports shared with the media by family members indicate that fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana were in their systems, the families of the deceased men have questioned Willis’ involvement in what happened, with some threatening to file lawsuits .
In September, Willis’ attorney John Picerno told Fox News Digital that “charges will be forthcoming in the coming weeks,” based on “internal conversations” with prosecutors.
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David Harrington, Clayton McGeeney and Ricky Johnson were found dead outside their friend’s home in Kansas City on January 9, 2024. (Ricky Johnson/Facebook)
“I can say with confidence that my client will not press charges in that regard,” Picerno said at the time. “My client will not be charged in any way for the untimely deaths of his friends.”
When asked who would face criminal charges for the men’s deaths, Picerno responded, “Criminal liability could include a murder charge if someone were to supply those young men with drugs.”
But Picerno and attorneys for the men’s relatives have said there have been no developments since.
Fox News Digital previously reported that a fifth man was at Willis’ home on Northwest 83rd Terrace on Jan. 7 — but that man said Fox 4 that he left while the men were still watching the game, and he emphasized that he was not the last person to see them alive.
That fifth man’s lawyer Fox News Digital could not be reached for comment.
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An exterior view of Jordan Willis’ home in Kansas City, Missouri on Friday, January 26, 2024. (DWS for Fox News Digital)
Picerno said in September that the length of the investigation, which Kansas City police have repeatedly characterized as a death investigation rather than a homicide investigation, is “absolutely extraordinary.”
He also said his client voluntarily turned over all of his electronic devices, along with DNA samples, to police early in the investigation.
“I don’t know why this investigation took (more than) nine months,” Picerno said. “That would be a better question for prosecutors to answer.”
“There is nothing to report or comment at this time,” a representative from the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office told Fox News Digital. “It’s still an ongoing investigation. I assume when something is done, (Platte County Prosecutor) Eric (Zahnd) will do a press release. We don’t have a timeline to report unfortunately.”
The Kansas City Police Department could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.
Family and friends of Clayton McGeeney, left, David Harrington, center, and Ricky Johnson, right, cry out for answers after the three men died inexplicably in subzero temperatures outside their friend’s home in Kansas City. (Facebook)
Although he is “confident” his client will avoid criminal charges, Picerno said in September that civil action is likely on his horizon. He said he has been contacted by attorneys representing the men’s families and noted that the statute of limitations for these types of cases in Missouri is five years.
Jennifer Marquez, David Harrington’s mother, told Fox News Digital that this is “the first (they’ve) heard of” movement in the case. Until she hears further news from the prosecutor’s office, she said she will “remain calm and not get her hopes up.”
“Of course I am very happy to hear that something may be going on,” she said on Tuesday.
“I wasn’t told anything,” she continued. “They just haven’t passed on any information to us, the families, yet, so I don’t have anything in terms of information. We have not received any autopsies or similar information. They don’t want us to be able to release anything. That would hurt the case, I think.”
“Of course I would like to see people held accountable for this and I think Jordan should be held accountable,” Marquez said. “It was his house, he had the party, and you know what.”
Willis, who left his home in Kansas City and enrolled in a rehabilitation program after the deaths of his friends, changed his “life forever,” Picerno said.
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HIV scientist Jordan Willis, 38, checked himself into rehab after his three friends were found dead in his backyard on January 9, 2024. (GitHub)
“It’s terrible when people have already assumed you’re guilty without any real evidence,” Picerno said. “It’s an uphill battle to hoe, and he’s managing it as best he can.”
A source close to the Willis family told Fox News Digital that the 39-year-old Ph.D. holder and researcher “still struggling with the aftermath of it all.”
“(He) not only lost close friends of his, but (had) a lot of people turn against him,” the source said.
“It affected every part of his life, and he is doing the best he can,” the source continued. “He has been helping care for his father this year and is trying to stay positive.”
