Latest news with #Picerno
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Father files lawsuit after deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans in 2024
A family member of one of three Kansas City Chiefs football fans found dead last year outside a Missouri home have filed a wrongful death lawsuit in connection to the case. The civil suit comes on the heels of charges being filed against two men after Ricky Johnson, David Harrington and Clayton McGeeney died Jan. 7, 2024, outside their long-time friend's suburban Kansas City home where they gathered to watch an NFL game. Prosecutors last Wednesday charged Jordan Willis, 39, and Ivory Carson, 42, with distribution of a controlled substance and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deaths of Johnson, 38, Harrington, 37, and McGeeney, 36, who died last year at a home that Willis rented, according to a statement of probable cause filed by the Kansas City Police Department. The case attracted national attention as the cause of fans' deaths were shrouded in mystery. Court records said Wednesday that the men died from toxic effects of fentanyl and cocaine. The 11-page lawsuit was filed Friday in Platte County Circuit Court by Jon Harrington. The lawsuit claims Willis and Carson "knew, or through the use of a reasonable degree of care, should have known of the presence of the fentanyl and the dangers and hazards that it posed including the possibility of being lethal to anyone that might ingest it." Willis' Kansas City-based lawyer, John Picerno, stressed his client's innocence in a statement to USA TODAY last week. "Jordan maintains that he is not responsible for purchasing or supplying the drugs that led to led to the deaths of his three friends," Picerno said. Picerno previously told USA TODAY that Willis is a 38-year-old scientist who lives alone and works remotely for a New York hospital. He has since moved from the home he rented, Picerno said. Picerno previously told USA TODAY his client had nothing to do with the deaths. "He had no knowledge they remained in his backyard or that they needed medical attention," Picerno said. "Had he known, he certainly would have called for help." According to Kansas City police, officers discovered the bodies two days after the men met to watch a Chiefs game against the Los Angeles Chargers. On the night of the game, temperatures dipped to 29 degrees, the National Weather Service reported. Some 48 hours later, police reported, officers received a call from McGeeney's fiancé, who said she visited the home after not hearing from him. When no one answered the door, she broke inside and found a dead body in the back of the property. When officers arrived, they also found two other men dead in the backyard. The suit seeks a jury trial as well as damages of more than $25,000 from each defendant. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 Chiefs fan deaths: Father files lawsuit in death of three men
USA Today
06-03-2025
- USA Today
Two charged in deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans who met for watch party in Missouri
Two charged in deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans who met for watch party in Missouri Show Caption Hide Caption Three Kansas City Chiefs fans found frozen to death Three Kansas City Chiefs fans found frozen to death outside friend's home. Police say they do not suspect foul play. New York Post Prosecutors charged two men Wednesday in connection with the deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs football fans found dead more than a year ago outside a suburban Missouri home where they met for a watch party on the final day of the NFL regular season. Jordan Willis and Ivory Carson are charged with distribution of a controlled substance and involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deaths of Ricky Johnson, 38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, who died on Jan. 7, 2024 at a home Willis rented in Kansas City, according to a statement of probable cause filed by Kansas City police. The case attracted national attention because the fans' cause of deaths were shrouded in mystery. Court records said Wednesday that the men died from toxic effects of fentanyl and cocaine. Willis' Kansas City-based lawyer, John Picerno, stressed his client's innocence in a statement to USA TODAY Wednesday night. "Jordan maintains that he is not responsible for purchasing or supplying the drugs that led to led to the deaths of his three friends," Picerno said. Picerno previously told USA TODAY his client Willis is a 38-year-old scientist who lives alone and works remotely for a New York hospital. It was not immediately known if Carson had obtained an attorney. Both men are listed as being in the custody of the Platte County Sheriff at a county detention facility. According to The Kansas City Police Department, officers discovered their bodies two days after the men met to watch a Chiefs game against the San Diego Chargers. On the night of the game, temperatures dipped to 29 degrees, the National Weather Service reported. Some 48 hours later, police reported, officers received a call from McGeeney's fiancée who said she visited the home after not hearing from him. When no one answered the door, she broke inside and found a dead body in the back of the property. When officers arrived, they also found two other men dead in the backyard. Harrington's family previously weighed in on whether drugs played factor in deaths Despite officials confirming autopsies were conducted in January on all three men, their official cause and manner of death remained a mystery until a doctor with Forensic Medical of Kansas found that McGeeney, Harrington, and Johnson all died of toxic effects from fentanyl and cocaine, according to court records. For months, police told USA TODAY they did not suspect foul play in the trio's deaths. "Some people seemed to believe charges would never be brought in this case, perhaps because the investigation has spanned more than a year," Platte County District Attorney Eric Zahnd said in a news release. "Understand this: The Kansas City Police Department and my office do not rest on homicide cases until we have exhausted every possible resource to bring anyone we believe responsible to justice." For months, Lauren McDaniel, with Forensic Medical in Kansas City where the men had their autopsies conducted, confirmed to USA TODAY the results remained sealed under Missouri law. After their deaths, some of the victims' family speculated the trio died because of a drug overdose - potentially one involving fentanyl, a synthetic opioid approved for treating pain often laced into cocaine and other illicit recreational drugs. Theresa Harrington and her husband, John Harrington, spoke about their son in a February interview with NewsNation's Chris Cuomo, about whether drugs including fentanyl played a factor in his death. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers a lethal dose of fentanyl to be 2 milligrams. 'David wasn't a drug addict, or anything like that," Harrington's mother told Cuomo via a virtual video interview. "He didn't take the drugs to (die). If he took the drugs on his own, he took them to get high." Timeline of Kansas City fan deaths: Here's what's happened since 3 football fans found dead outside Kansas City home Attorney previously said client had nothing to do with deaths According to their obituaries, McGeeney, Johnson and Harrington graduated from Park Hill High School and, according to Picerno, had been friends since a young age. Picerno said that he and his client were "surprised" that charges were filed, saying it, "was contrary to what the prosecuting attorney's office told me several months ago." Picerno previously told USA TODAY his client had nothing to do with the deaths. "He had no knowledge they remained in his backyard or that they needed medical attention. Had he known, he certainly would have called for help," Picerno Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Child psychologist from RI is honored as US Navy Civilian of the Year. Here's why.
Bristol resident Dr. Matthew Picerno, assigned to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Sigonella, Sicily, was recently selected as U.S. Navy 2024 Civilian of the Year for that command. Picerno is a clinical and child psychologist who also served on active duty in the Navy for eight years. "Dr. Picerno is a cornerstone of the Sigonella community," said Lt. Cmdr. Meagan Chauvin, director of medical services. "As the sole child psychologist here, he has supported countless families and developed … resources and systems for children and teens in need. He is an exceptional leader and clinician, and we are so lucky to have him." Picerno was born and raised in New Britain, Connecticut. However, his paternal grandparents lived in Cranston. 'Many of my special memories from childhood are of the weekend visits … to 'Lil' Rhody' to visit them,' he said in an email from Italy. He fell in love with the Rhode Island coast as a boy, 'Yes, I was a 'Rocky Point' and 'Aunt Carrie's' kid! It simply wasn't summer until it included several slightly greasy bags of clam cakes and a couple of stuffies from a weather-beaten shack on the end of a dock.' Picerno is a 1991 graduate of New Britain High School. While there, his first summer job was working in the surgical department of the local hospital. This was his introduction to a medical setting, which gave him an appreciation for the 'human aspects of health care that often get eclipsed by an over-focus on administrative elements." Picerno received his bachelor of arts degree in psychology in 1995 from Trenton State College in New Jersey. He went on to graduate from George Mason University in Virginia, where he earned a master's degree in 1997 and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 2001. The training director of the clinical psychology graduate program at George Mason suggested he consider the internship training opportunities provided by the military service branches. 'The more I learned about them, the more I became interested in pursuing them as a career option,' wrote Picerno. 'I saw the Armed Forces as a way to practice psychology in a manner completely different from the usual settings. I would have an opportunity to reach a population experiencing entirely different life circumstances and stressors than is typically the norm.' Most important to Picerno, his patients would be service members and families investing their time and energy in the defense of this nation. He felt they were especially deserving of mental health support and wellness. 'From that point forward, I knew that's what I wanted to do,' he concluded. Harking back to his love of the ocean, service in the Navy appealed to him the most. He was commissioned as a naval lieutenant in 2000 upon admission to the clinical psychology internship program at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The training included an assignment aboard the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship. This was his first exposure to deployed sailors and Marines. He then served as a clinical psychologist at the New London submarine base from 2001 to 2004. This posting included underway experiences aboard two fast-attack submarines, the USS Seawolf and the USS Dallas. The stresses submariners face are totally different from other branches of the Navy, he said, adding, 'They provided entirely new insights for treating the mental health needs of sea-deployed service members.' During this time, he met Dr. Debra Ann Tucker, a pediatric physician who had worked in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, before she also became a Navy medical officer. The stars aligned, and Matthew and Debra were married in 2005. Although they had entered active duty service several years apart, both underwent initial officer training at the Newport Naval Station. 'We independently solidified our love for the Ocean State,' he added. 'When we married in 2005, we held the ceremony at Oceancliff Hotel in Newport, overlooking Castle Hill Cove." In 'hopeful anticipation' of obtaining that final duty assignment at the Newport Naval Station, they 'preemptively purchased a home in The Highlands neighborhood of Bristol shortly after the wedding, planning to set our family roots there.' He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Boston Children's Hospital in 2005. During that specialized training, he stayed current in the Navy, embarking on the USS Harry S. Truman during a training cruise. 'This was an ideal preparation for my upcoming assignment as the Ship's Psychologist for the USS Kitty Hawk – an aircraft carrier forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. 'Directly observing the overwhelming toll the intense rhythm of operational settings can take on service members' mental well-being underscored for me the need for immediately-present health care of the highest caliber, along with effective systems that promoted and encouraged its use.' Following promotion to lieutenant commander in 2007, he served as the child psychologist for the the Naval Hospital in Yokosuka. He then deployed to Iraq with the Marines, where he served as the staff psychologist at the Al-Taqaddum Base. 'I was responsible for providing comprehensive psychological services to active-duty military members serving in a combat theater, treating psychiatric conditions greatly intensified by hazardous duty and imminent danger.' He hit the family jackpot with his final active duty tour: an assignment to the Naval Health Clinic in Newport. He was discharged from the Navy in 2008 and entered private practice with Feil & Oppenheimer Psychological Services in Barrington. There, he provided a wide range of outpatient mental health services for all age levels, along with community consultation and treatment. Picerno remained in that practice for almost 11 years, until an opportunity arose that reignited his passion for caring for military and military-connected families. In 2019 he applied for a position at the Naval Hospital/Naval Medical Readiness and Training Command in Sigonella, Italy. 'Here, I am the sole subject matter expert for pediatric mental health, serving the base community while supervising a staff of pediatric specialty clinicians, educators, and administrators – a group of exceptionally dedicated professionals with whom I'm blessed to work.' Naval Hospital Sigonella is on the island of Sicily. Its staff of 387 serves approximately 8,500 active duty service personnel, family members, NATO members, retirees and other beneficiaries. Sigonella also manages a local satellite clinic and two branch health clinics located in Bahrain and Souda Bay on the island of Crete. The Picerno family, by then including daughter Sophia, was able to live in that same Bristol home 'until we embarked on our current life adventure.' Sophia is now a 14-year-old clarinetist attending ninth grade at the Sigonella Middle/High School. 'Eventually, when the time is right, we'll hopefully be making our way back to the state we love,' he said. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Dr. Matthew Picerno honored as US Navy Civilian of the Year
