Kansas City Chiefs fans death mystery: Homeowner Jordan Willis was ‘asleep on the couch for two days’ while families searched for three friends who died as his dad insists he would ‘never in a million years hurt them’
A Kansas City Chiefs fan whose three friends died in his backyard after gathering to watch the Jan. 7 game says he slept “on the couch” for two days while their families searched for them.
HIV scientist Jordan Willis, 38, has yet to speak publicly about the mystery, but his lawyer has made several statements on his behalf.
He initially said he went to bed, leaving David Harrington, 37, Ricky Johnson, 38, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, in his living room to “hang out.”
The lawyer then corrected himself, telling DailyMail.com earlier this week that he had “misspoken” and meant that Willis brushed them off and then went to bed, first lounging on the sofa.
Now Willis’ father has come to his defense.
“He would never in a million years do anything. These were all good friends of his, all people he went to school with, and he had taken them to a Chiefs football game the night before,” he said.
Jordan Willis is an award-winning HIV scientist who moved home and deleted all his social media after three of his friends were mysteriously found dead on his property.
David Harrington (left), Clayton McGeeney (center) and Ricky Johnson (right) were found dead on January 9.
Police have not made any arrests and medical examiners have not yet determined the cause of death. It also remains unclear whether any of the men took drugs.
Talking to New York PostWillis’ father said he would “never in a million years” hurt his friends.
Responding to inconsistencies in Willis’ account, particularly the fact that one of the bodies was not wearing a jacket when he apparently left the house despite the icy cold January night, he said:
“They could have (gone) there, it was cold and icy that night. I don’t know how many cars they came; there were three of them, and only two cars remained on the street.
“They could have decided for some reason that they wanted to go back to his house, people leave the house without coats all the time, no matter how cold it is, so I can’t answer that statement.
“(Jordan) doesn’t know what happened to them and he never saw them again at the time they walked to the front door and left his house.”
David Harrington (second from left), Clayton McGeeney (second from right) and Ricky Johnson (right) are pictured with two unidentified Chiefs fans, neither of whom are believed to be involved in the mystery. Harrington, McGeeney and Johnson were found dead on January 9 in the backyard of someone else’s home.
Loved ones of the dead men raised questions about the lack of information about their bodies and the snow they said was not deep enough to bury them.
One of the bodies was found on the back porch of the house by the fiancée of one of the men, who broke into the house without receiving a response from Willis.
Two more bodies were found in the yard. Police initially said there was no foul play but have not yet confirmed the cause of death of the three men.
Picerno added that he didn’t discuss where Willis thought his friends would go after they left his home: “We never discussed where he thought they were going, there’s nothing that conflicts with them leaving.”
When asked about the potential involvement of drugs or alcohol in their deaths, Picerno said, “I can’t comment on that on Jordan’s behalf. When and if the toxicology report is published, I will of course be happy to comment on that then.
“I am not going to speculate on the activities and behavior of other people who were not present with my client at some point during the evening.”
“He did nothing wrong, and that’s what we say, and that’s what we’re going to say, no matter what, in the autopsy report.”
The medical examiner’s office has not yet revealed the cause of death or whether either man had any drugs in his system.
Willis’ account of the events of the night of January 7 has come under intense scrutiny.
When his lawyer was asked why Willis did not report them missing for two days or even go into the back yard where the bodies were found, he replied: “He had no reason to go into the back yard and he did not know what was happening.” there is someone in the backyard.
But his account was disputed by a fifth man who was there that night.
The friend, who remains anonymous, told local media that when he left the house at midnight, they were all still alive.
The fifth man stressed that it was “absolutely not true” that he was “the last person to see the three men alive,” the newspaper reported.
Now he’s also turned to legal counsel, hiring tough-talking criminal defense attorney Andrew Talge.
Talge said his client arrived at Willis’ house at 7 p.m. and they all partied until midnight. Four other men watched Jeopardy as he walked away.
The lawyer also said that on Tuesday, the next day, a fifth man messaged Jordan Willis. He sent this after Clayton McGeeney’s fiancee and Ricky Johnson’s mother contacted him and asked about their loved ones.
This contradicts what Willis Picerno’s lawyer has said repeatedly. He said his client only received Facebook Messenger messages and not text messages or calls.
The Kansas City Police Department said there was no evidence of any criminal activity or foul play found at the scene.
Police are treating the ordeal as a death investigation rather than a homicide. Willis has not been charged.
The victims’ families say they visited Willis’ home over the course of two days, calling him and sending him Facebook messages asking where they were. He didn’t answer.
Eventually, one of the men’s fiancée broke into the house through the basement and discovered the first body in the backyard. She then called the police, who arrived to find Willis in his underwear with a glass of wine in his hand.
His lawyer says he did nothing wrong and was cooperating with police.
Family members and loved ones of the victims questioned Willis’ story.
“None of the stories match what he says; How do you not know that there are three dead bodies on the back porch? asked Adriana Juarez, the mother of Johnson’s child.
Johnson’s niece, Stephanie Walling, said the national attention has been harsh, but they hope it will lead to a turnaround in the case.
“I never thought this would get as much attention as it has, but I hope that with this attention we will get closer to getting answers,” she said.