Latest news with #JordanWillis
Fox News
25-07-2025
- Fox News
Suspects in Kansas City Chiefs fans' deaths face murder charges
A Missouri judge determined that there's enough evidence to try Jordan Willis and Ivory Carson for allegedly supplying drugs that led to the fatal overdoses of three Kansas City Chiefs fans in January 2024. (WDAF-TV)
Fox News
25-07-2025
- Fox News
Suspects in Kansas City Chiefs fans' deaths say no timeframe for DNA evidence in murder case
Two men appeared in court Thursday to face murder charges for the first time after three Kansas City Chiefs fans were found dead in the backyard of their friend's home in January 2024, as the defense cast doubt on the prosecution's case. "There is no timeframe for the DNA on that bag," Jordan Willis' attorney John Picerno said during his closing argument. "There is no evidence to prove the defendants offered the drugs to the men or died directly from what was in those bags." Picerno was referring to evidence found at the scene where three Kansas City Chiefs fans were found dead with drugs in their system in January 2024: Ricky Johnson, 38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36. During a preliminary hearing in Platte County Circuit Court, Judge Abe Quint Shafer found enough probable cause in the triple murder allegations against Willis, 39, and Ivory "Blade" Carson, 42, to send the case to trial. Willis and Carson are facing amended second-degree felony-murder charges. Willis, who is out on bond, was spotted wearing a blue and white button-down shirt and black dress pants. Carson, who has remained behind bars on a $100,000 bond, wore an orange jumpsuit and was shackled at the ankles. Despite sitting at the same table, WDAF-TV reported that the pair did not look at each other throughout the hearing. When leaving the courtroom, Willis replied "Yes," when asked if he was confident in his case, the outlet reported. During closing arguments, both defendants' attorneys said the state could not prove Willis or Carson were responsible for the three deaths. Officials alleged, according to the probable cause affidavit, that Willis and Carson's DNA was found on evidence found at the house in January 2024. Picerno also argued that another one of the victims could have provided the drugs. During cross-examination by Carson's public defender, Katherine Berger, Kansas City police detective Phillip Sipple said that there was no evidence either of the defendants planned to kill the three men. In the hearing Thursday, Shafer asked responding detective Naomi Vaughns if she discovered that there was "not just one male deceased, but three males deceased in the backyard?" "Yes," she replied. Kansas City police detective Mark Divak testified that two of the bodies were found in the home's fenced-in backyard, and one was found seated on the patio. The three Kansas City Chiefs fans "all died of fentanyl and cocaine combined toxicity," according to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital. "We presumed the victims had overdosed," Divak said. "There was no trauma to the deceased. No indication of any foul play involved." Willis and Carson are scheduled to appear back in court on Aug. 6. McGeeney's fiancée, April Mahoney, called authorities after discovering the frozen bodies of the trio on Jan. 9, 2024. The friends had gathered at Willis' rental property to watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers around 7 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2024. Mahoney, according to court documents, grew alarmed that her fiancé had seemingly disappeared – eventually going to the home and spotting McGeeney's red Ford F-150 pickup truck parked outside the residence. Repeated door knocking yielded no response, leading Mahoney to climb through a basement window, documents revealed. "They located an isolated deceased person on the back patio and called police," documents say, without specifying which body was first found. Court documents note that all three of the victims were found deceased in the backyard of the home. When police arrived at the single-family home, Mahoney told authorities that her fiancé would drink and use cocaine. She said that McGeeney "would get low on money," and Willis would "usually supply cocaine to his friends." Police wrote in court documents that they discovered a bag of a "white powdery substance" in the top drawer of an end table and a second bag of "white powdery substance" on top of the entertainment center in the living room. READ THE PROBABLE CAUSE: MOBILE USERS CLICK HERE Willis told police on Jan. 9 that he believed McGeeney, Harrington and Johnson had left his home on Jan. 8 around 4 a.m., according to court documents. Picerno previously told Fox News Digital that his client went to sleep while the other men were still awake and hanging out at the house. Picerno also previously revealed to FOX 4 that Willis was asleep with ear buds and a loud fan on. Two other unidentified witnesses, who were present at the football watch party, told police that they "drank, smoked marijuana and used cocaine." One of the witnesses said he left "shortly before midnight" on Jan. 8, documents said. Another witness said that before heading to Willis' rental home, he saw a "large plate of cocaine allegedly supplied by Mr. Willis that everyone was using" at Harrington's home, the documents said. Court records also indicated that Carson allegedly supplied and sold cocaine to Willis and the victims, and that his DNA was found on a bag of fentanyl. WATCH: Families of Chiefs fans demand answers The Kansas City Police Department said it investigated the three deaths for 14 months before charges were filed. "KCPD detectives never stopped working on the case, waiting for all the facts to come in. Reaching this point is a testament to their dedication to delivering justice for the victims and their loved ones," Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said Wednesday.
Fox News
24-07-2025
- Fox News
Suspects in Kansas City Chiefs fans' deaths face murder charges for first time in crucial test for case
Two men will appear in court Thursday to face murder charges for the first time after three Kansas City Chiefs fans were found dead in the backyard of their friend's home in January 2024. On Thursday at 10 a.m. EST, the Platte County Circuit Court will hold a preliminary hearing for Jordan R. Willis and Ivory "Blade" Carson. The two are facing amended second-degree felony-murder charges in the deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans. The victims, Ricky Johnson,38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, were found dead in Willis's backyard in January 2024, days after the group gathered to watch a Chiefs game. The story shocked the Kansas City area: the men's bodies were discovered outside in freezing temperatures. A forensic exam determined Harrington, McGeeney, and Johnson "all died of fentanyl and cocaine combined toxicity," according to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital. Prosecutors allege Willis and Carson supplied the drugs that led to the fatal overdoses, and now the state is pursuing murder charges under Missouri's felony murder rule. The men have pleaded not guilty. Thursday's hearing will determine whether there's enough evidence to proceed to trial. Willis is currently out on bond and Carson remains in custody. Both expected to appear in person. McGeeney's fiancée, April Mahoney, called authorities after discovering the frozen bodies of the trio on Jan. 9, 2024. The friends had gathered at Willis' rental property to watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers around 7 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2024. Mahoney, according to court documents, grew alarmed that her fiancé had seemingly disappeared — eventually going to the home and spotting McGeeney's red Ford F-150 pickup truck parked outside the residence. Repeated door knocking yielded no response, leading Mahoney to climb through a basement window, documents revealed. "They located an isolated deceased person on the back patio and called police," documents say, without specifying which body was first found. Court documents note that all three of the victims were found deceased in the backyard of the home. When police arrived at the single-family home, Mahoney told authorities that her fiancé would drink and use cocaine. She noted that McGeeney "would get low on money," and Willis would "usually supply cocaine to his friends." Police wrote in court documents that they discovered a bag of a "white powdery substance" in the top drawer of an end table and a second bag of "white powdery substance" on top of the entertainment center in the living room. READ THE PROBABLE CAUSE: MOBILE USERS CLICK HERE Willis told police on Jan. 9 that he believed McGeeney, Harrington and Johnson had left his home on Jan. 8 around 4 a.m., according to court documents. Willis' attorney, John Picerno, previously told Fox News Digital that his client went to sleep while the four men were still awake and hanging out at the house. Picerno also previously revealed to FOX 4 that Willis was asleep with ear buds and a loud fan on. Two other unidentified witnesses, who were present at the football watch party, told police that they "drank, smoked marijuana and used cocaine." One of the witnesses said that he left "shortly before midnight" on Jan. 8, documents said. Another witness said that before heading to Willis' rental home, he saw a "large plate of cocaine allegedly supplied by Mr. Willis that everyone was using" at Harrington's home, the documents said. Court records also indicated that Carson, who went by "Blade Brown," allegedly supplied and sold cocaine to Willis and the victims, and that his DNA was found on a bag of fentanyl. WATCH: Families of Chiefs fans demand answers The Kansas City Police Department said that it investigated the three deaths for 14 months before charges were filed. "KCPD detectives never stopped working on the case, waiting for all the facts to come in. Reaching this point is a testament to their dedication to delivering justice for the victims and their loved ones," Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said Wednesday.
Fox News
01-07-2025
- Fox News
Kansas City Chiefs fans' deaths: Prosecutors seek tougher charges
Prosecutors in Missouri are seeking to upgrade charges for two people arrested in relation to the deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans. A spokeswoman for the Platte County Prosecuting Attorney's Office confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital that they are seeking to upgrade charges from involuntary manslaughter to second-degree murder for both Jordan Willis and Ivory J. Carson. Clayton McGeeney, 37; Ricky Johnson, 38; and David Harrington, 36, were found frozen in their friend's backyard in Kansas City, Missouri, following an NFL watch party on Jan. 9, 2024. Carson and Willis were previously charged in March with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance except 35 grams or less of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid, court records showed. Carson allegedly sold and supplied cocaine to Willis as well as the victims. Carson's DNA was allegedly found on a bag containing fentanyl. Willis' attorney, John Picerno, told Fox News Digital he thinks the felony murder statute is being misused. "While not unexpected, we are greatly disappointed in the upgraded charges. Jordan has maintained his innocence since day one and he declined the Government's plea offer. Consequently, the Government thought it was appropriate to upgrade the charges. Missouri's Felony Murder Statute is overly broad, often misused, and excessive. It should never be used in this manner. We are very much looking forward to challenging these charges in open court before a fair and impartial jury," Picerno said. Previously, Picerno told Fox News Digital he was "surprised that Jordan was charged with the deaths of his three friends." "That was contrary to what the prosecuting attorney's office told me several months ago," Picerno said. Willis' attorney said his client maintains he isn't responsible for the deaths. "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," he said.
CNN
30-06-2025
- CNN
Prosecutors seek murder charges for 2 men accused in deaths of 3 Kansas City Chiefs fans last year
Two Missouri men already facing charges in the mysterious case of three friends found dead outside a Kansas City home after watching a Chiefs football game last year could have some charges upgraded to include three counts of second degree murder, court documents show. Clayton McGeeney, 36, Ricky Johnson, 38, and David Harrington, 37, were discovered outside of Jordan Willis' Platte County home, north of Kansas City, around 10 p.m. on January 9, 2024, two days after the men watched the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers. All three men died of fentanyl and cocaine combined toxicity, a doctor with Forensic Medical of Kansas determined in March, according to Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd. Willis and Ivory J. Carson were both charged with a single count of delivery of a controlled substance and three counts of involuntary manslaughter for 'recklessly causing the deaths' of the three men, Zahnd said at the time. Both men entered not guilty pleas to the initial charges, an online court docket shows. Prosecutors are asking a judge to upgrade the three involuntary manslaughter charges to murder in the second degree, according to an amended complaint. The judge can either approve the request for upgraded charges or deny it. Each charge is a class A felony and carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison or life imprisonment, according to the complaint. 'While not unexpected, we are greatly disappointed in the upgraded charges. Jordan has maintained his innocence since day one and he declined the Government's plea offer,' Willis' attorney, John Picerno, said in a statement Sunday. 'Missouri's Felony Murder Statute is overly broad, often misused, and excessive,' Picerno said. 'It should never be used in this manner. We are very much looking forward [to] challenging these charges in open court before a fair and impartial jury.' An attorney for Carson did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment Monday. CNN has reached out to the Platte County Prosecuting Attorney's Office for more information regarding the decision to upgrade the codefendants' charges. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Thursday, July 24 at 9 a.m., an online court docket shows. After the bodies were found, detectives searching Willis' home found two 'plastic bags containing white powdery substances,' one of which tests showed contained cocaine, according to Zahnd. A probable cause statement alleges Willis 'was determined to be the major contributor of DNA found on that bag.' The other bag contained fentanyl, with Carson's DNA found to be the primary contributor on that bag, Zahnd continued, citing a probable cause statement from February 2024. That document also recounts a statement from a witness who told police they were at Harrington's home the night of the football game and saw 'a large plate of cocaine allegedly supplied by Mr. Willis that everyone was using,' Zahnd said. Another witness who left before midnight said he was with Willis, Harrington, McGeeney and Johnson at Willis' home later on in the evening where they drank alcohol, smoked marijuana and used cocaine, according to the probable cause statement. There is no evidence that Willis bought the drugs that his friends ingested before their deaths, according to Picerno, who previously spoke to the Associated Press. He also said that the group had been partying all day, AP reported. Kansas City had a high of 37 degrees and a low of 29 degrees with trace amounts of rain and snow on January 7, and temperatures dropped to right around freezing just before sunrise the next morning. McGeeney's fiancée also told police the three had gone to Willis' home the day of the Kansas City Chiefs football game on January 7, the last game of the regular season. But the three friends never came home. Two days later, McGeeney's fiancée went looking for him at Willis' house and found 'at least one person dead on the back patio,' Zahnd said in March. Eventually, she called the Kansas City police. According to a police statement, officers 'responded to the back porch and confirmed there was a dead body. Upon further investigation, officers located two other dead bodies in the back yard.' Police said at the time they found 'no obvious signs of foul play.' CNN's Emma Tucker contributed to this report.
