Kansas

Private detective to probe mystery deaths of Kansas City fans

Published

10 months ago

January 30, 2024

Private detective to probe mystery deaths of Kansas City fans

The family of one of the three football fans found dead at the back of their friend’s house has hired a private detective to try and uncover the truth.

On January 9, the bodies of David Harrington, Ricky Johnson and Clayton McGeeney were found in the backyard of their friend, Jordan Willis, an HIV scientist who lives in Kansas City, Missouri. They had been there since January 7, when the three men visited Willis to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers.

Ricky Johnson’s family has now hired a private detective amid a stalled police investigation and an intense public debate about what happened to the men.

Willis said that he hadn’t been at the back of his house for two days and didn’t know the men were there until he was alerted by McGeeney’s fiancee.

Ricky Johnson and family in an undated photo. His family hired a private detective to uncover the mystery of his death.

GoFundMe

Stephanie Walling, a niece of Johnson, announced on Facebook on Monday that his family had hired the detective. She wrote that his father, Ricky Johnson Snr., had set up a GoFundMe fundraising page to pay for the investigator, a lawyer and other expenses while the family searches for the truth.

“That [GoFundMe] was created by Ricky’s father. Linda was Ricky’s step mother. They have hired a PI and a lawyer and need help paying for that,” she said in response to a query from a supporter.

Walling added that there is now a separate GoFundMe page for each of the three deceased friends.

Police have said they are not treating the deaths as homicides.

Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, said his client “had absolutely nothing to do with the deaths of his three friends,” two of whom he’s known since high school.

“He’s grieving, he’s had to move out of his home, he’s had to shut down his social media, he’s taking leave of absence from his job, so it’s really affected him,” Picerno told KCTV in Kansas City.

Clayton McGeeney [R], who was found dead with his two friends at the back of a house in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 9. His fiancee discovered the bodies.

GoFundMe

Picerno said that after the friends went to his house following the Chiefs game, Willis decided to sleep on his couch and said goodnight to his friends at around 2 a.m.

“He thought that they left out the front door,” Picerno told KCTV.

Asked why Willis didn’t check for them in the backyard, Picerno said he had no reason to go out into the backyard, and he didn’t know anyone was there.

The medical examiner’s office has yet to determine a cause of death.

April Mahoney, McGeeney’s fiancée went to the house on January 9 and found the first body. She then called police. A neighbor’s video showed the police arriving and questioning Willis at his front door.

On January 9, Captain Jake Becchina of the Kansas City Police Department said in a statement: “First and foremost, this case is 100% NOT being investigated as a homicide. There have not been any arrests [or] charges, and no one is in custody.

“There are no specific threats or concerns for the surrounding community at this time.

“The resident at the house was cooperative with detectives the day the deceased were discovered.”

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Kansas

KC Current’s Chawinga named NWSL MVP

Published

2 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Nov 22, 2024, 10:00 AM ET

Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga was named the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League MVP on Friday, one day ahead of the league’s championship match.

Chawinga set a new single-season NWSL record with 20 goals this year for the Current.

She also scored the lone goal in the team’s quarterfinal victory and both goals in the championship of the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup last month.

“From the moment Temwa came to Kansas City, we knew she was capable of playing at an MVP level,” general manager Caitlin Carducci said in a statement.

“Not only has she been an incredible player on the pitch, she’s also been an incredible teammate and representative of the organization off it. Temwa laid an incredible foundation with her play in 2024, and we’re so excited for what’s to come in the years ahead.”

Chawinga is the eighth NWSL Golden Boot winner to also win MVP in the same season since the league’s launch in 2013. She is the first African international to win either award.

The 26-year-old Malawi international arrived in Kansas City this year from the Chinese Super League and took the league by storm in the first season with her eye for goal and her game-changing speed.

Chawinga scored in 13 of the Current’s final 14 matches of the regular season, including goals in eight straight games, which was a first in league history.

She also scored a goal against all 13 other NWSL teams this season, another first, and she added five assists to the Current’s league-record 57 goals this season.

Chawinga’s 20 goals broke Sam Kerr’s previous record of 18 in a season, which Kerr scored in 21 games.

Chawinga played in 25 regular-season games this year.

The next closest scorer in the regular season was Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda, who finished with 13 goals.

Banda scored in last week’s semifinal to help Orlando eliminate Kansas City from the playoffs.

Orlando takes on the Washington Spirit on Saturday in the NWSL Championship at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.

History of NWSL MVPs

2013: Lauren Holiday, FC Kansas City midfielder

2014: Kim Little, Seattle Reign FC midfielder

2015: Crystal Dunn, Washington Spirit forward

2016: Lynn Williams, Western New York Flash forward

2017: Sam Kerr, Sky Blue FC forward

2018: Lindsey Horan, Portland Thorns FC midfielder

2019: Sam Kerr: Chicago Red Stars forward

2021: Jess Fishlock, OL Reign midfielder

2022: Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns FC forward

2023: Kerolin, North Carolina Courage forward

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Top takeaways from Iowa's win over Kansas

Published

10 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Top takeaways from Iowa's win over Kansas

The Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls sounded like Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday night as a capacity crowd of 3,400 watched Iowa defeat Kansas 71-58. The Hawkeyes jumped out to an 18-4 lead after the first quarter and never let the lead dip below eight points the rest of the way. They are now 5-0 for the first time since 2017.

Here are my top takeaways from the win and what it means for Iowa moving forward.

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Kansas State Coaches Searching For Answers After Two-Game Skid

Published

20 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Kansas State Coaches Searching For Answers After Two-Game Skid

A season that began with national championship aspirations is now in danger of ending in disappointment.

Three weeks ago, the Kansas State Wildcats controlled their hopes of making the Big 12 title game and possibly the College Football Playoff. Now, they are just searching for another victory to salvage a once promising season.

“Obviously a disappointing performance on Saturday,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said about Saturday’s loss to Arizona State. “We had a long staff meeting yesterday and talked about a lot of things. We looked at offense, defense and special teams. I don’t think anybody could point a finger at anybody because I don’t think any unit played up to its capabilities.”

The Wildcats were in the driver’s seat after a victory against rival Kansas Oct. 26 in the annual Sunflower State Showdown. They were 7-1 with wins against Oklahoma State and Colorado, the lone blemish coming against BYU.

The victory against the Jayhawks was followed by two upset losses to Houston and the Sun Devils, which all but ended their chances of making the Big 12 championship game.

With two games left against Cincinnati and Iowa State, the Wildcats are basically playing for a more appealing bowl game.

“Our job this week is to right the ship, because we have another opportunity,” Klieman said. “I want our seniors to have an opportunity to go out well.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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