Midwest
Investigation into Kansas City Chiefs fans' deaths nearing a dramatic end, homeowner's attorney says
Nine months after three Kansas City Chiefs fans were found dead in their friend’s snowy backyard, the homeowner’s attorney believes that criminal charges will finally be levied in their deaths — but not against his client.
On Jan. 9, 37-year-old Clayton McGeeney, 38-year-old Ricky Johnson and 36-year-old David Harrington were found dead on Jordan Willis’ Kansas City property by McGeeney’s fiancée. Two days earlier, they had come to Willis’ home to watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers. Willis could not be reached by phone and did not answer his door in the days that the families searched for their relatives who never returned home.
Although preliminary autopsy results shared with the media by family members indicate that fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana were in their systems, the deceased men’s families have maintained that Willis was involved in their deaths, with some threatening to file civil suits against the homeowner.
On Tuesday, Willis’ attorney John Picerno told Fox News Digital that “charges [will be] forthcoming in the next few weeks,” based on “internal conversations” with prosecutors.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FANS’ DEATHS: VICTIMS’ FAMILIES AT ODDS OVER ‘ANGRY’ SPECULATION, LAWYER SAYS
David Harrington, Clayton McGeeney and Ricky Johnson were found dead outside their friend’s Kansas City home on Jan. 9, 2024. (Ricky Johnson/Facebook)
“I can say with confidence that my client will not be charged in that regard,” Picerno said. “My client will not be charged in any manner with having to do with the untimely death of his friends.”
When asked who would face criminal charges in the men’s deaths, Picerno replied, “The criminal liability could be for a felony murder charge if somebody provided those young men with drugs.”
Fox News Digital previously reported that a fifth man, who Fox News Digital has chosen not to name unless criminal charges are filed, was in Willis’ home at Northwest 83rd Terrace on Jan. 7 — but that man told Fox 4 that he left while the men were still watching the game, and he stressed that he was not the last person to see them alive.
That fifth man’s attorney could not be reached for comment by Fox News Digital.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FANS’ DEATHS: FAMILIES AT ODDS THREATEN LAWSUITS AGAINST EACH OTHER
An exterior view of the home of Jordan Willis in Kansas City, Missouri on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. (DWS for Fox News Digital)
Picerno said that the length of the probe, which the Kansas City Police Department has repeatedly characterized as a death investigation rather than a homicide investigation, is “definitely out of the ordinary.”
He also said his client voluntarily handed over all his electronic devices to police early in the investigation, along with DNA samples.
“I don’t know what caused this investigation to go on for nine months,” Picerno said. “That would be a better question answered by the prosecutors.”
“There is nothing to report or comment on at this time,” a representative from the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office told Fox News Digital. “It’s still an ongoing investigation. I assume when something is done, [Platte County Prosecutor] Eric [Zahnd] will be doing a press release. We don’t have a timeline to report, unfortunately.”
The Kansas City Police Department could not be reached for comment at press time.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FANS DEATHS: ‘WALTER WHITE NARRATIVE’ ABOUT PARTY HOST IS ‘OUT OF CONTROL,’ SOURCE SAYS
Family and friends of Clayton McGeeney, left, David Harrington, center, and Ricky Johnson, right, are clamoring for answers after the three men inexplicably died in below-freezing temperatures outside their friend’s Kansas City home. (Facebook)
Although he is “confident” that his client will avoid criminal prosecution, Picerno said that civil charges are likely on his horizon. He said he has been contacted by attorneys representing the men’s families and noted that the statute of limitations on these types of cases is five years in Missouri.
Jennifer Marquez, David Harrington’s mother, told Fox News Digital that this is “the first [she’s] heard” of movement in the case. Until she hears further news from the prosecutor’s office, she said she will “keep [herself] calm and not get any hopes up.”
“Of course I am extremely happy to hear that there may be something going on,” she said on Tuesday.
“I have not been told anything,” she continued. “They just have not relayed any information to us, the families, though, so I have nothing as far as information. We’ve not been getting the autopsies or any information like that. They do not want us to be able to release anything that would hurt the case, I guess.”
“Of course, I would love to see people held responsible for this and I believe Jordan should be held responsible,” Marquez said. “It was his home, he had the party, and, you know.”
Jordan Willis, who moved out of his Kansas City home and enrolled into a rehabilitation program after his friends’ deaths, has had his “life changed forever,” Picerno said.
HIV scientist Jordan Willis, 38, checked himself into a rehab facility after his three friends were found dead in his backyard on Jan. 9. (GitHub)
“It’s an awful thing when people have already presumed you’re guilty without real evidence,” Picerno said. “It’s a tough road to home, and he’s managing it as best he can.”
A source close to the Willis family told Fox News Digital that the 39-year-old Ph.D. holder and research scientist “still struggles with the aftermath of all of this.”
“[He] not only lost good friends of his, but [had] many people turn on him,” the source said.
“It affected every part of his life, and he’s doing the best he can,” the source continued. “He has been helping with his dad’s care this year, and trying to stay positive.”
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The Nebraska football team is all the way up to 4th in the latest Big Ten football rankings put out by The College Huddle. That’s up three spots after week one, when the Huskers came in at 7th in the initial conference rankings.
The College Huddle rankings are in line with a growing sentiment among fans, local media, and even some national national media personalities that Nebraska is a program on the rise. The Huskers have generated a significant amount of buzz after dismantling Colorado 28-10 in front of a national TV audience on Saturday night in Lincoln. The Big Red dominated that game from start to finish, running out to a 28-0 lead at halftime, and never letting the Buffs get back in the game during the 2nd half.
In addition to the decisive win over Colorado, the belief in the Nebraska program seems to stem from a wide range of factors, starting with the stellar defense on display from the Blackshirts through two games. According to CFB stats, the Huskers are #24 in the country in total defense, #5 in the country in rushing defense, tied for 18th in scoring defense, tied for 6th in sacks, and tied for 8th in tackles for loss.
True freshman starting quarterback Dylan Raiola is also turning heads, recently being listed as #22 in Bleacher Report’s Top 25 College Football quarterback rankings. Raiola outshined standout Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders on Saturday in leading Nebraska to victory. In two games as Nebraska’s starter, he has thrown for 423 yards and 3 touchdowns, completing nearly 74% of his passes. Importantly, he has yet to throw an interception, a marked improvement from recent Nebraska quarterbacks.
Finally, Matt Rhule’s record as a program builder and a turnaround artist has college football watchers from across the country believing Nebraska is a program on the rise. Rhule has certainly exuded quite a bit of confidence so far this season, and he seems to have his culture firmly in place.
Ohio State comes in 1st in the College Huddle rankings, with USC at #2, Penn State #3, the Huskers at #4, and Oregon rounding out the Top 5. Interestingly, last year’s college football national champion Michigan is all the way down to 8th in the conference rankings, after getting beat handily by Texas over the weekend. Of note, Nebraska’s first conference opponent, Illinois, is at #7 after an impressive win over Kansas. All other former Big Ten West foes come in at the bottom half of the rankings, with Iowa at #10, Wisconsin #12, Minnesota #14, Purdue #15, and Northwestern bringing up the rear at #18.
The College Huddle is the largest fan-led online college sports podcast community, made up of one podcast from each fan base represented. The Common Fan Podcast is the Nebraska representative for The College Huddle.
Full conference rankings are as follows:
- Ohio State
- USC
- Penn State
- Nebraska
- Oregon
- Rutgers
- Illinois
- Michigan
- Washington
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Wisconsin
- Michigan State
- Minnesota
- Purdue
- Maryland
- UCLA
- Northwestern
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Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, following HuskerMax on X, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
ABERCROMBIE, N.D. — A pair of dairy farms planned for eastern North Dakota could more than quadruple the number of dairy cows in the state.
Riverview, a Minnesota-based business, is planning on a $90 million dollar dairy farm in Richland County, just south of Abercrombie, N.D.
Officials at Riverview say the proposed dairy farm would be a boon for the community, but some residents are concerned about how it would impact small-town life in Abercrombie.
The Abercrombie dairy farm would include 12,500 dairy cows, officials said. The North Dakota Department of Agriculture estimates the current dairy cow population at 10,000 cows statewide.
Between Abercrombie and the dairy farm proposed in Traill County, if both projects come to pass, it would effectively quadruple the population of cows.
Riverview staff say it would create jobs, expecting to employ 45 people, although they admit other employees would be internal hires. They say the presence of the farm would increase job opportunities for other vocations, such as truck drivers and manure applicators.
Some residents are worried about what the proposed farm could do to the community.
Dylan Johnson has lived in Abercrombie township his whole life, and lives just a mile away from the proposed farm site.
“We’re really concerned with smell. We’re really concerned about our water as far as our wells,” Johnson said. “We’re also worried about contamination from manure, or, you know, missing or mishandling of it, another thing you know, smell, obviously … flies.”
He said many in Abercrombie only recently learned about the project, and despite the open house held on Wednesday, Sept. 11, Riverview hasn’t been transparent with the community. Area residents are worried the large amount of manure generated by the farm could potentially contaminate local water sources.
“What happens when we have overland flooding and all that newer, whatever bacteria, gets into the river and it flows up north, where Oxbow, Fargo get their water,” Johnson said.
For now, citizens with concerns are working on getting the state Department of Environmental Quality to hold a public hearing. They have until Oct. 5. So far, 273 signatures have been collected on a petition from the Abercrombie Citizens for Responsible Growth asking the Department of Environmental Quality to schedule a public town hall.
Residents who have concerns are planning on sharing those concerns with the community at a public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, at the Abercrombie Community Center.
Mike McGurran has been a reporter and anchor at WDAY-TV since 2021.
Sketches to honor Apalachee shooting victims
An Ohio-based artist is using his sketch pad to pay homage to the four victims killed in that mass shooting at Apalachee High School last week.
BARROW COUNTY, Ga. – Ohio-based artist sketches tribute to Apalachee High School shooting victims
An Ohio-based artist is using his sketch pad to pay homage to the four victims killed in the mass shooting at Apalachee High School last week.
After receiving a life-changing Deep Brain Stimulation treatment for Parkinson’s disease in 2008, Ron Moore turned his pain into purpose—creating art that brings comfort to hurting families of mass shooting victims.
“I got confirmation that I’m supposed to sketch these folks for their families,” he told FOX 5. “I made a promise I would use my gift of doing artwork to bless people.”
Barrow County students uncertain about return to school after mass shooting
With every stroke of his pencil, Moore says there is healing found in art that imitates life.
“First, when I sit down to sketch, I pray and ask God to guide my hand,” he said.
Moore’s most recent work, like many other pieces he’s done over the years, was inspired by tragedy in Barrow County last Wednesday when investigators say a 14-year-old student opened fire, killing two classmates and two teachers—injuring nine others.
“I saw a news break about another school shooting…I looked up at it and I just cried.”
Apalachee High School embraces hope a week after shooting: ‘Love will prevail’
Now a week later, photos of 14-year-old Christian Angulo, 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn, 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Christina Irmie are on display outside Apalachee High School—surrounded by a growing memorial.
He used those photos to sketch these images of Angulo, Schermerhorn, Aspinwall and Irmie.
“I imagine my grandkids…there’s two teachers who really impacted my life—one of which was my art teacher,” Moore recalled.
It’s artwork he hopes will capture the essence of each and inspire others to lead with love—even with people you’ve never met.
“If we loved each other a little more, what a greater world this would be,” he told FOX 5.
Moore says he’s mailed the sketches to the Barrow County School District, and they should arrive by the end of the week.
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