On Thursday, two men stood before the court to answer for murder charges after three Kansas City Chiefs fans were found dead in the backyard of a friend’s house in January 2024, with the defense questioning the prosecution’s evidence.
“There’s no timeline for the DNA on that bag,” argued Jordan Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, in his closing statement. “There’s no proof that the defendants gave the drugs to the men or that the men died directly from what was in those bags.”
Picerno was discussing the evidence collected at the location where Ricky Johnson, 38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, were found dead with drugs in their systems in January 2024.
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.
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.
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.
