Midwest
Suspects in Kansas City Chiefs fans' deaths plead not guilty
The two men arrested in connection with the deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans who were found frozen in their friend’s snowy Kansas City, Missouri, backyard after an NFL watch party more than a year ago pleaded not guilty.
Jordan Willis and Ivory Carson appeared separately via video from the jail wearing orange jumpsuits during their arraignment in Platte County, Missouri on Thursday at 3 p.m. local time.
Willis’ lawyer, John Picerno, entered the not guilty plea on Willis’ behalf, and the judge entered the plea on behalf of Carson, who doesn’t yet have an attorney and plans to apply for a public defender. The hearing lasted just minutes.
TWO CHARGED IN KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FANS’ DEATHS 14 MONTHS AFTER BODIES FOUND FROZEN IN BACKYARD
According to court records, Jordan Willis has been charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance except 35 grams or less of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid. (Platte County Missouri Sheriff’s Office)
Court records indicate Carson supplied and sold cocaine to Willis and the victims, and that his DNA was found on a bag of fentanyl. (Platte County Missouri Sheriff’s Office)
The pair were charged Wednesday with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance except 35 grams or less of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid, according to court records obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital.
The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department said it investigated the three murders for 14 months before announcing charges.
“KCPD detectives never stopped working on the case, waiting for all the facts to come in. Reaching this point is a testament to their dedication to delivering justice for the victims and their loved ones,” Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said Wednesday.
David Harrington, Clayton McGeeney and Ricky Johnson were found dead outside their friend’s Kansas City home on Jan. 9, 2024. (Ricky Johnson/Facebook)
A forensic exam determined David Harrington, 37, Clayton McGeeney, 36, and Ricky Johnson, 38, “all died of fentaNYL and cocaine combined toxicity,” according to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital.
They were found dead in Willis’ rental home on Jan. 9, 2024 after watching the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers on Jan. 7. Their bodies were found by McGeeney’s fiancée, April Mahoney, who called police.
FAMILY OF KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FAN FOUND DEAD OUTSIDE PAL’S HOUSE THINKS HE WAS DRUGGED
Willis could not be reached by phone and did not answer his door in the days afterward, according to family members who searched for the three friends who never returned home.
However, Willis told police he had no idea any of his friends were dead outside and that he hadn’t heard from any of their friends or family members.
An exterior view of the backyard and porch of Jordan Willis’s home in Kansas City, Missouri on Friday, January 26, 2024. The bodies of Willis’ three friends – Ricky Johnson, Clayton McGeeney, and David Harrington – were found in Willis’ backyard, with one body found on the porch, on January 9, 2024 – two days after attending a Kansas City Chiefs watch party at the home. (DWS for Fox News Digital)
Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, told Fox News Digital that he was “surprised that Jordan was charged with the deaths of his three friends.”
“That was contrary to what the prosecuting attorney’s office told me several months ago,” Picerno said.
“The probable cause statement submitted by the State is consistent with what Jordan stated happened. Jordan maintains that he is not responsible for purchasing or supplying the drugs that led to the deaths of his three friends. We are very much looking forward to the day a jury gets to hear all of the evidence in this case.”
Willis and Carson’s next court appearance is on Tuesday, March 11 at 10:45 a.m. local time.
The Associated Press and Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
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Detroit, MI
Vigil, protest held for Renee Nicole Good at Detroit’s Clark park
Vigil held in Detroit for woman fatally shot by ICE agent in Minnesota
People gather at Detroit’s Clark Park on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 to host a vigil for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
The name Renee Nicole Good bounced off the buildings of southwest Detroit as hundreds marched on the evening of Friday, Jan. 9, following Good’s fatal shooting by an immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier in the week.
A candlelight vigil was held at 6 p.m. at the city’s Clark Park in memory of Good, before attendees took off marching down Vernor Highway.
As of 7:30 p.m., the mass crowd had reached Cavalry Street, about half a mile away from the park, and turned, yelling “What do we want? Justice ” and calling for ICE’s ousting from communities.
Good, 37, was in her car when she was shot in the head on Wednesday, Jan.7, by a federal immigration officer in south Minneapolis. She leaves behind three children, ages 6, 12 and 15.
The shooting was recorded by witnesses and heightened political and community tensions over federal immigration enforcement as part of President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration operations. The Trump administration has since said the shooting was done in self-defense, USA TODAY reports.
Protests have occurred in cities across the U.S. since Good’s death, including gatherings in Michigan, and additional demonstrations are scheduled throughout the weekend.
This is a developing story.
Milwaukee, WI
Chief marketing and communication officer named to Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 | Marquette Today
Lynn Griffith, chief marketing and communication officer, was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list.
Griffith leads Marquette’s Office of Marketing and Communication, a team of 30 talented professionals who work to elevate and differentiate the Marquette brand via strategy and planning; brand management; media relations; internal communication; presidential communication; social media; issues and crisis management; advertising, digital and creative services; video; and editorial content, including the university’s flagship alumni publication, Marquette Magazine.
Under Griffith’s leadership, Marquette’s marketing and communication team has been recognized for excellence, winning multiple National Collegiate Advertising awards, Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter Paragon Awards. In 2024, the university’s digital storytelling strategy was named a Ragan’s PR Daily award finalist. Marquette is ranked a top 55 most trusted higher education brand in the U.S. by Morning Consult and its social media is No. 5 in the country for higher education social media engagement by RivalIQ.
During her nine years at Marquette, Griffith has been tapped for multiple university initiatives, including co-chairing the university’s Crisis Management Team, co-leading the university’s Convention Steering Committee ahead of Milwaukee hosting the Republican National Convention in 2024, and serving on Mission Priority Examen and presidential inauguration planning committees.
An engaged member of the Milwaukee community, Griffith serves on the board of directors of Menomonee Valley Partners and on the marketing committee of VISIT Milwaukee. She is a member of TEMPO Milwaukee and the Arthur W. Page Society, as well as the Marquette Mentors leadership council, on which she also serves as a mentor. She recently completed the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ 18-month Ignatian Colleagues Program for lay leaders.
Griffith is a two-time graduate of Marquette, earning a Bachelor of Arts in public relations and writing intensive English and a Master of Business Administration.
40 Under 40 honorees were selected based on the impact they have had in their jobs, in the community and on Southeast Wisconsin overall. The Milwaukee Business Journal reviewed hundreds of nominations to curate its 34th 40 Under 40 cohort.
In addition to Griffith, seven alumni were named to the list:
- David Griggs, co-founder of One 5 Olive LLC
- Jordan Komp, senior principal and Milwaukee office director at Thornton Tomasetti Inc.
- Avery Mayne, attorney at von Briesen & Roper, s.c.
- Brian McClaren, principal of H. Knox Development Company
- Emily Tau, director of public affairs for Milwaukee County
- Jessica Shepherd, director of financial planning and analysis at Baird
- Mike Wanezek, partner at Colliers | Wisconsin
The 40 Under 40 honorees will be celebrated in a forthcoming special edition of the Milwaukee Business Journal and at an awards presentation on Wednesday, March 11, at the Baird Center.
Minneapolis, MN
Prosecutors in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division will not investigate Minneapolis ICE shooting, sources say
Prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division were told they will not play a role in the ongoing investigation into a fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by a federal immigration officer, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Leadership in the Civil Rights Division, overseen by Harmeet Dhillon, informed staff in the division’s criminal section that there would not be an investigation, two sources said. Normally, after a high-profile incident involving a fatal shooting by an officer, attorneys from the criminal section fly out to the scene. Multiple career prosecutors offered to do so in this case, but they were told not to do so, one of the sources added.
While investigations into the excessive use of force can be pursued solely by a U.S. Attorney’s office without direct involvement from the Civil Rights Division, it is customary for the division’s federal prosecutors to take the lead on high-profile investigations like the one in Minnesota.
The decision also raises questions about how far the FBI’s investigation into the shooting will go.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
On Thursday, the Justice Department announced that the FBI was leading the investigation into the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Video footage shows the officer, identified in court records from a prior incident as Jonathan Ross, fired three rounds at the car as Good started to drive away.
The video also appeared to depict the officers did not take immediate steps to ensure that Good received emergency medical care after the shooting took place. A separate video from the scene showed officers stopping a man who claimed to be a doctor from moving toward Good.
The killing has sparked protests nationwide, including in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Detroit.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has argued that Ross was acting in self-defense, and claimed that Good was trying to use her car as a weapon in an act of “domestic terrorism.”
That description sparked immediate backlash from state and city officials, with the mayor of Minneapolis labeling the self-defense claims as “bulls***.”
On Friday, Trump administration officials shared another cellphone video of the incident that sources say was recorded by the ICE officer. The White House argues this video shows Ross was hit by Good’s car.
The Justice Department has stopped short of claiming Ross was acting in self-defense.
But in a statement to CBS News this week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the use of deadly force by law enforcement officials can sometimes be justified.
“Federal agents risk their lives each day to safeguard our communities. They must make decisions, under dynamic and chaotic circumstances, in less time than it took to read this sentence,” Blanche said.
“The law does not require police to gamble with their lives in the face of a serious threat of harm. Rather, they may use deadly force when they face an immediate threat of significant physical harm,” he added.
The criminal section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division specializes in investigating and prosecuting constitutional violations by law enforcement officers.
Some of the most common investigations involve excessive use of force, but can also include other things such as sexual misconduct, false arrests or deliberate indifference to serious medical needs.
One of the most famous civil rights prosecutions by the section in recent years took place in Minneapolis, after former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in May 2020.
Chauvin pleaded guilty to willfully depriving, while acting under color of law, Floyd’s constitutional rights, as well as the rights of a 14-year-old boy.
Since President Trump took office last year, the Civil Rights Division has scaled back its work on excessive force prosecutions, according to legal experts.
Last year, it sought to downplay the conviction of a former Louisville police officer who was convicted of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights and asked a federal judge to sentence him to serve just one day in prison.
The judge ultimately sentenced him to serve 33 months.
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