Nine months after three Kansas City Chiefs fans were found “frozen to death” in their friend’s backyard, charges are expected to be filed soon, but not against the homeowner, their attorney said.
The bodies of David Harrington, 36, Ricky Johnson, 38, and Clayton McGeeney, 37, were found in the backyard of their friend Jordan Willis’ home in Kansas City, Missouri, on Jan. 9, two days after they all gathered to watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers.
Although toxicology reports showed they had cocaine, THC and fentanyl in their systems, officials have not released the men’s cause of death.
Friends and family believe Willis, an HIV scientist, was involved in their “untimely” deaths.
Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, said Fox News that although “charges will be filed in the coming weeks,” his client “will not be charged.”
The bodies of David Harrington, 36 (second from left), Ricky Johnson, 38 (far right), and Clayton McGeeney, 37 (second from right) were found in the backyard of their friend Jordan Willis’ home in Kansas City on January 9.
John Picerno, Jordan Willis’ attorney, said his client “will not be charged” for the shocking deaths of his friends
“I can say with certainty that my client will not be charged for that reason. My client will not be charged in any way for having anything to do with the untimely death of his friends,” Picerno said.
Instead, Picerno said anyone who potentially provided drugs to football fans could face charges.
“Criminal liability could be for a charge of felony murder if someone provided drugs to those young people,” he told the outlet.
Picerno said the time it has taken to complete the investigation is “definitely out of the ordinary.”
The Kansas City Police Department is calling it a death investigation rather than a homicide.
“I don’t know what caused this investigation to drag on for nine months. That question would be better answered by the prosecutors,” Picerno said.
The Kansas City Police Department told DailyMail.com: “We have not received any new updates from investigators at this time.”
A spokesperson for the Platte County District Attorney’s Office told Fox News: “The investigation is still ongoing. I assume when something is done, (Platte County District Attorney) Eric (Zahnd) will make a press release. Unfortunately, we don’t have a time frame for when we’ll be reporting.”
Despite being “confident” that Willis will not face criminal charges, Picerno said civil charges are not out of the question for his client.
Friends and family of the victims believe Willis, an HIV scientist, was involved in their “untimely” deaths.
He added that attorneys representing the victims’ families have contacted him and threatened to file civil lawsuits against Willis.
Still, Harrington’s mother, Jennifer Marquez, tries not to “get her hopes up.”
“Of course I’m very happy to know that something may be happening,” she said after learning of the possible charges.
“They haven’t told me anything. They haven’t given us, the families, any information, so I have nothing in terms of information.
‘We have not received the autopsies or any other information of that kind. I guess they don’t want us to be able to divulge anything that could harm the case.
“Of course, I would love for people to take responsibility for this and I think Jordan should take responsibility. It was his house, he organized the party and, you know,” Marquez added.
Days before the bodies were found in Willis’ backyard, relatives tried to contact the home’s owner. His attorney had previously said he had been “sleeping on the couch” for two days. (Pictured: Willis’ home)
Days before the bodies were found in the backyard of Willis’ home, relatives tried to contact the homeowner. His attorney had previously said Willis had been “sleeping on the couch” for two days.
Finally, the fiancée of one of the men entered the house through the basement and found the first body in the backyard. She then called the police, who arrived to find Willis in his underwear, holding a glass of wine.
Willis said she had not left her home for two days and was sleeping with noise-cancelling headphones blocking out the sound of frantic banging from her friends’ family.
Willis left home a few days later for fear of retaliation and checked into a rehabilitation center.
Picerno said his client’s life “changed forever” after his friends died.
“It’s terrible that people have already declared him guilty without any conclusive evidence. It’s a tough road to get home and he’s coping as best he can,” the lawyer said.
A source close to Willis’ family told Fox News that “a lot of people have turned against him” and that he is “still dealing with the fallout from all of this.”