Friend of three Chiefs fans who ‘froze to death’ in his backyard claims he was ASLEEP and had no idea they were dead until cops showed up at his door – as furious loved ones suggest they were poisoned and slam detectives
The friend of three Kansas City Chiefs fans who allegedly froze to death in his backyard said he was asleep and had no idea they were dead until police showed up at his door.
David Harrington, Ricky Johnson and Clayton McGeeney visited their friend Jordan Willis’ house on January 7 to watch the Chiefs’ playoff win against the Chargers, but the trio never came home.
The homeowner’s name had not been publicly released until now. But Jordan Willis’ lawyer has broken his silence to plead his innocence in the deaths of his friends.
Defense attorney John Picerno said his client knew nothing about the men’s deaths and said Willis went to bed after the trio left his home. Two of them had parked their cars on the street, but Willis had not noticed them.
David Harrington, Clayton McGeeney and Ricky Johnson (L-R) were found frozen to death on January 9, two days after watching a Chiefs playoff game at a friend’s home. The homeowner’s name is now Jordan Willis
Father-of-three Ricky Johnson was described as a “cherished son, brother, uncle and friend” who was loved by his “three beautiful daughters.” His brother said, “My brother was a smart man, and there’s no way he could just freeze to death.”
David Harrington was found dead on his friend’s property
Clayton McGeeney visited his friend Jordan Willis’ house on January 7 to watch the Chiefs’ playoff win against the Chargers
Willis said he wouldn’t consider it unusual for his friends to leave their cars at his house overnight.
The man claims he didn’t know his friends were staying in his backyard. None of the three men’s relatives had contacted him before police showed up at his home.
The lawyer said two people came to Willis’ house, but he didn’t hear them because he sleeps with headphones and a loud fan.
He did say one person contacted him via Facebook Messenger, but Willis didn’t see the message until police contacted him.
Picerno said in a press release: “Jordan had absolutely nothing to do with their deaths. He does not know the time or manner of their deaths, nor does he know how or when they left his house.
“He didn’t know they were staying in his backyard or that they needed medical attention. If he had known, he would definitely have called for help. The last time he saw them was when they left his house and he went to bed.
“Jordan doesn’t know how his friends died. Like the rest of us, Jordan is anxiously awaiting the results of the autopsy and toxicology report.
“On behalf of Jordan and his family, we would like to express our deepest condolences to the friends and family members of these young men, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
The police have not arrested anyone. However, the loved ones of the three dead men have failed detectives during their investigation.
The dead bodies were discovered when the fiancée of one of the men couldn’t get hold of him for two days, so she broke into the house.
She found one of their bodies on the porch. After the police were called, they soon found the bodies of the other two men in the backyard as well.
Willis claimed the three men froze to death, and investigators ruled out foul play after refusing to make arrests.
Now the men’s loved ones are speaking out to demand answers, as they insist the reported circumstances of the deaths simply don’t add up.
“No one believes this story,” said Harrington’s mother Jennifer Marquez. “None of his friends, none of the families, none of us believe it… Everyone is furious.”
Defense attorney John Picerno (pictured) said his client knew nothing about the men’s deaths and said Willis went to bed after the trio left his home. Two of them had parked their cars on the street, but Willis had not noticed them
The owner of the house (pictured) told police that the men had frozen to death in his backyard. Their loved ones have raised questions about the lack of coverage of their bodies, and the snow they say was not deep enough to submerge them
The family of Johnson, a father of three, spoke with NewsNationsaying they have been left sad and confused by the sudden death of the ‘loving’ man.
“It’s very hard to keep up,” Johnson’s mother Norma said. ‘Something’s not right.’
She said police are “doing nothing” to solve the mystery of her son’s death and called for “at least an investigation into the owner of the house.”
Although relatives of the men believe investigators did not pay enough attention to the case, Kansas City police previously said they are awaiting results from a medical examiner on the cause of death before proceeding.
The department did not immediately respond to a request for an update on the case.
Police have also reportedly redoubled their determination that there was no foul play in the deaths, saying they are treating the case as a death investigation and not a murder investigation.
But police responses have done little to satisfy the men’s loved ones, with Norma speculating that the trio had been ‘poisoned’. No evidence has been provided by police to support this theory.
Some who claim to know the men claimed the home owner’s circumstances were even more bizarre, with a Facebook post written by friend Kaylee La Tier reported by Inside editionclaiming he had a strange reaction when confronted.
‘(He) was alive in his house while my friends lay dead in his garden for God knows how long. They had all been hanging out since after Sunday’s game. He KNEW people were looking for them,” she wrote.
Johnson’s grief-stricken family say they are unhappy with the investigation, with his brother Jonathan Price (centre) saying ‘freezing to death is not a cause of death I would accept’
Johnson’s mother (center, with his family) believes police are “doing nothing” to solve the mystery of her son’s death, and called for an “at least investigation” into the home’s owner, which has not been publicly identified.
‘He read messages on Tuesday from people looking for him. My husband banged on his door for 20 minutes. My friend banged on his door and then broke a window and screamed and announced her presence while she was inside and still nothing from him?
“Then the police show up 10 minutes later and he casually walks out in his boxers with an empty wine glass in hand??!”
Johnson’s sister added that they haven’t heard “much at all” from investigators, and have been left in the dark about how they came to the conclusion that foul play was not involved.
The two-day delay in finding the men and the lack of any reports of their disappearance have also raised eyebrows.
Johnson’s brother Jonathan Price said he heard the home’s owner had animals that needed to get out, and claimed the city didn’t get enough snow to submerge the men so they could remain hidden for days.
“There’s a lot of different things that don’t add up, we just don’t understand how anyone would at least be investigated in any way,” he said.
“We heard he’s moving too, so we don’t know if he’ll be here for long.”
He said Johnson and his two friends were inseparable, but he didn’t know the owner of the house and hadn’t heard how his brother met him.
Price said he didn’t want to speculate about his brother’s death, but said the circumstances don’t make sense to him at all.
‘My brother was a smart man, and there was no way he would just freeze to death. Freezing to death is not a cause of death I would accept,” he said.
In a GoFundMe before Johnson’s funeral, he was described as a “cherished son, brother, uncle and friend” who was loved by his “three beautiful daughters.”
Johnson’s father raised the possibility of legal action KSHB that he has retained an attorney and is awaiting a search warrant.
“I’m not going to step back and let it go,” he said. “I will continue until the day I die to find this out.”