Midwest
Kansas City Chiefs fans' deaths: Jordan Willis ‘depressed’ over ‘wild speculations’ about pals, source says
EXCLUSIVE — Jordan Willis, the Kansas City Chiefs fan whose three friends were found dead in his backyard earlier this month, is “devastated” by the loss of his pals and “very depressed” as people speculate about the case, according to a source close to his family.
“Not only is the whole country accusing him of murdering his friends without factual details, evidence or any charges at this time, but he also lost three close friends,” the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Fox Nation in an exclusive interview Saturday.
“He didn’t get to say goodbye or go to their funerals due to the circumstances of these wild speculations and accusations.
“No one seems to be willing to wait for the results of the toxicology report or wait for any other facts from the police department from a case that is still under investigation to make these speculations.”
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FANS’ DEATHS: DRUGS, FREEZING WEATHER COULD HAVE CREATED LETHAL CONDITIONS, EXPERTS SAY
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 freezing temperatures outside their friend’s Kansas City home. (Facebook)
The bodies of Ricky Johnson, 38, Clayton McGeeney, 36, and David Harrington, 37, were recovered outside Willis’ Kansas City home the evening of Jan. 9. They were last seen alive inside the home at a watch party for the Chiefs game against the Los Angeles Chargers Jan. 7.
The source said Willis’ family learned three people died on his property when local news media contacted them. Initially, they said, the family didn’t know if Willis was among the fatalities.
The source also disputed claims that Willis told people his friends froze to death in his yard after police arrived at his home.
“What was missing from that story was context. He never once said that his friends froze to death to anyone,” the source said.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FANS FOUND DEAD IN FRIEND’S BACKYARD: WHAT TO KNOW
The fiancée of one of the men, who had reportedly made attempts to reach Willis via phone and at his door, broke in through the back of the property and called police when she found the body of one of the victims.
Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, has said his client was asleep for “a lot of” the time period between allegedly escorting his friends out of his home and answering the door for Kansas City Police after his friends’ bodies were found behind his house around 8:51 p.m. Jan. 9.
The backyard and porch of Jordan Willis’ home in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. The bodies of Willis’ three friends — Ricky Johnson, Clayton McGeeney and David Harrington — were found in Willis’ backyard Jan. 9, 2024, two days after they watched a Kansas City Chiefs game at the house. (DWS for Fox News Digital)
Picerno amended earlier claims that Willis only received one Facebook message in that period in an interview with Chris Cuomo earlier this week, saying his client had a phone app that blocked unrecognized numbers. Willis had several incoming – but no outgoing – text messages from concerned friends and family members, Picerno said, and he had not seen them.
Willis had no idea his friends were still on his property and needed help, his attorney said.
The Kansas City Police Department has told Fox News Digital no foul play is suspected, and “this case is 100% not being investigated as a homicide.”
PARENTS OF KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FAN FOUND DEAD THINK VICTIMS ‘SAW SOMETHING THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE SEEN’
Johnson and Harrington’s family members have accused Willis of playing an active role in the deaths, citing discrepancies in his attorney’s claims and his career as a scientist with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative’s Neutralizing Antibody Center, Schief Lab.
“The mad scientist agenda is absolutely ridiculous,” the source close to the Willis family said. “The fact that he is a scientist is irrelevant.
David Harrington, far left; Clayton McGeeney, second from right; and Ricky Johnson, right, were found dead in their friend’s backyard two days after they had gathered to watch a Kansas City Chiefs playoff game. (Ricky Johnson on Facebook)
“What’s probably important to note and maybe a reason why these families are saying they don’t know Jordan: Jordan went to high school with several of these guys. After college, he spent probably close to 10 years in Nashville and San Diego doing his graduate and post-doctorate work,” the source said. “He moved back to KC four or five years ago and, at some point, reconnected with his high school friends.”
5TH MAN CONTRADICTS KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FANS’ PAL ABOUT MEN’S DEATHS
His three deceased friends were at his house “a lot,” the source said, and the four were planning to go to the Chiefs game Jan. 13 with tickets Willis had bought, which “wasn’t the first game he’d taken them all to this season.”
The source also addressed questions from the victim’s families about how Willis could have stayed in his house for two days without letting his dogs outside and without those dogs finding his friend’s bodies.
DAD OF KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FAN WHOSE FRIENDS DIED OUTSIDE HOME SAYS SON ‘DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG’: REPORT
Willis has one dog and his father owns another dog, and it was typical for the dogs to spend the majority of the time at Willis’ father’s home, according to the source, who said his father is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Willis’ dog is “somewhat of a therapy dog” for his father, the source said.
The source confirmed that Willis had moved out of his home on Northwest 83rd Terrace in Kansas City, which he had moved into about six months earlier to live closer to his father and help with his care.
But that move out of Northwest 83rd Terrace took place after detectives completed their search of the home, the source said, and should not be interpreted as “alarming or suspicious.”
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“His house was all over the news,” the source said. “Multiple people driving by every day. People are threatening him on the internet, and everyone knows where this house is thanks to the news coverage. After the police cleared the house, and this story became public, Jordan moved out as his privacy and safety were at risk. He’s … still cooperating with police.”
The source characterized Willis as a “good guy” who “loves his friends.”
“The vitriol is awful, and I think people are afraid to speak up for him because of how vicious people are with these speculations,” the source said.
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Detroit, MI
Detroit Pistons already facing must-win Game 2 vs Orlando Magic
Pistons vs Magic Game 1 reaction, lessons learned and what must change
Omari Sankofa II, Shawn Windsor and special guest Bryce Simon react to Detroit Pistons’ Game 1 NBA playoff loss to Orlando Magic, April 19, 2026, at Little Caesars Arena.
How in the world did things get so bad so fast for the Detroit Pistons?
In just one outing in the 2026 NBA playoffs, they went from top-seeded darlings of the Eastern Conference to punching bags punked by an 8-seed short on rest but long on resilience and toughness.
“I would say they ‘outphysical-ed’ us today,” Pistons wing Ausar Thompson said after the Orlando Magic stole Game 1 of the first-round NBA playoff series, 112-101, at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday, April 19. “One, because they got more rebounds than us. They forced more turnovers.”
Yes, this was always going to be a physical series. Though you would think the Pistons, owners of the NBA’s second-best defense and playing at home, would have a sizable advantage.
It also should have helped them that they were coming off six days’ rest, as opposed to the Magic coming off winning a play-in game just 47 hours earlier.
It didn’t help that Pistons star Cade Cunnigham was playing in just his fourth game since suffering a collapsed lung and missing 11 games. He scored a game-high 39 points, but he didn’t operate as smoothly as usual, with just four assists (far off his 9.9-assist season average) while committing three turnovers.
Another indictment of the Pistons’ worrisome play: Tobias Harris (19 points) was Cunningham’s only teammate who scored in double digits. Meanwhile, all five Magic staters did so, led by Paolo Banchero’s 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting.
And just like that, the Magic came out firing, scoring 35 points in the first quarter and never trailing.
“Yeah, just that we came out a little too tight, lax, whatever the word is, maybe both for some of us, but just didn’t come out with the right energy,” Cunningham said. “Gave them life further on. And then, you know, we had to deal with that for the rest of the game. We were better in stints, but can’t dig a hole like that.”
He’s right. The Pistons can’t dig a hole like that in Game 2 on Wednesday night. Because if they do, and they lose, the Magic would not only have homecourt advantage – they got that with Sunday’s victory – but could close out the series without another win in Detroit, with three of the next four games coming in Orlando.
That’s precisely what makes Game 2 a must-win game for the Pistons. It’s bad enough they lost the opener at LCA, where they were 31-9. But now they’ve let the Magic set a hard-edged tone in the kind of the game that could lead them to steal the series.
“I know that they feel great about this game,” Cunningham said. “This was a big win for them. They came in, they handled their business and stole one on the road. That’s what you want to do in the playoff series.
“So I’m sure that they feel great about that. Obviously, we’re sick about losing this one. It’s a long series, though. There’s no confidence dropped from us. We know that team. They know us. So it’ll be a long, fun series.”
Cunningham might be right, because the Pistons are arguably the better team. They have enough talent and more depth.
What the Pistons don’t have is the advantage of desperation. They had an excellent season from start to finish, closed with a 60-22 record, and wrapped up the East’s top seed on April 4.
The Magic, meanwhile, have been playing with fire (and not always the good kind) down the stretch, while their fifth-year coach, Jamahl Mosley, entered the postseason on the hottest of hot seats after his squad went 0-7 in road playoff games over the past two seasons.
To make things even worse, the Magic lost the regular-season finale to the Boston Celtics – well, their reserves, at least – to blow their chance at the 7-seed and homecourt in the play-in tournament. Then Orlando lost to the Philadelphia 76ers (on the road, of course) in the first play-in game before beating the Charlotte Hornets (in Orlando) to advance to a best-of-seven series – featuring four road games – vs. the Pistons.
Now, it looks like the Magic have found their form, as they routed the Hornets, 121-90, and stunned the Pistons. And just like that, Mosley went from hot seat to just plain hot.
Banchero wouldn’t go so far as to say the victory set up his team to steal the series, but he didn’t deny it was exactly the kind of start Orlando needed.
“It’s just a good win for us as a team getting it on the road against a great team and 1-seed,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we got to come back Wednesday, you know, reciprocate it, you know?
“They’re not going to lay down. They’re going to turn it up. So we’ve got to be ready for that. And it’s just one-game-at-a-time mentality, you know? That’s what it’s got to be. It’s the first of four.”
Yes, it’s just the first of four wins the Magic needs to advance. If the Pistons don’t find an answer quickly, the math – and hardly anyone else – won’t be on their side when they head to Central Florida this weekend.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on X @cmonarrez.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Wave learns its opponent for MASL championship series
Milwaukee Wave coach Marcio Leite 2025-26 team’s evolution in MASL
See first-year Milwaukee Wave head coach Marcio Leite discuss the roles of younger players and veterans as the 2025-26 MASL season begins.
The Milwaukee Wave had been in the awkward position of trying to sell tickets to the MASL championship series without knowing when it would actually host a game.
The questions were answered late April 19, when the San Diego Sockers beat the St. Louis Ambush in the other semifinal in overtime. Their series didn’t even start until four days after the Wave eliminated the Baltimore Blast with victories in a regulation Game 2 and knockout Game 3 at the UWM Panther Arena.
Now the finals are set for two of the most decorated teams in arena soccer.
The Wave will host Game 1 at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, April 22 and then the series will finish at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California, with Game 2 at 9:30 p.m. April 24 and a potential Game 3 at 9 p.m. April 27.
Three versions of the Sockers have totaled 16 championships in various indoor league with the latest iteration founded in 2009 owning six of those. The Wave has seven.
First-year Wave head coach Marcio Leite has won titles with both franchises.
Minneapolis, MN
Motorcyclist killed in crash on I-35W in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A 21-year-old man was killed after a motorcycle crash early Friday morning in Minneapolis, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Fatal motorcycle crash
The backstory:
The State Patrol responded to the crash at about 1:20 a.m. on April 17 on northbound I-35W at Johnson Street in Minneapolis.
Authorities say a man operating a Suzuki motorcycle was heading northbound on I-35W when it made contact with the left side median guard rail before it continued to head north. It traveled for about another quarter mile before coming to rest on the right side guard rail.
Authorities located the motorcycle’s operator on the left side shoulder. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Crash under investigation
Crash victim ID’d:
The State Patrol identified the motorcyclist as 21-year-old Andrew James Neuberger of Minneapolis. According to a GoFundMe set up for the family, Neuberger is the oldest of seven children.
What led up to the crash remains under investigation.
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