Two men charged in deaths of 3 Chiefs fans at KC Northland home after watch party
More than a year after police found three men dead outside a home in Kansas City’s Northland, two metro area men have been charged with drug distribution and manslaughter in connection with their deaths.
The three men died of “fentanyl and cocaine toxicity,” officials said Wednesday.
Prosecutors charged Jordan R. Willis, 39, and Ivory J. Carson, 42, Wednesday with counts of delivering a controlled substance and three counts of involuntary manslaughter in Platte County Circuit Court.
“This case is a tragic reminder of the dangers of street drugs,” Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said in a press conference Wednesday. “But make no mistake, the people who supply those drugs can and will be held accountable when people overdose.”
Ricky Johnson, 38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, went to watch a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers at the Northland home of their friend, Willis, on Jan. 7, 2024.
Their bodies were discovered two days later, when McGeeney’s fiancée broke into the basement of the home in the 5200 block of Northwest 83rd Terrace in Platte County. She called police when she found a body on the back porch.
Officers with the Kansas City Police Department arrived and found two other men dead in the backyard. No one had heard from the three men after that night they met to watch the game, loved ones previously told The Star.
Zahnd acknowledged how long the investigation had taken before charges were filed but declined to explain the wait further, pointing only to the complex nature of the case.
“I will tell you it takes time to bring these cases,” he said. “There were additional investigative things that had to be wrapped up before this case could be brought.”
Said Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves: “We’ve got to make sure that whatever case that we provide is the best for a successful prosecution. That’s what we’ve done here today. Unfortunately, sometimes these cases, especially ones that end with these particular dynamics, they’re hard to charge. You’ll find it throughout the United States, these cases are hard to charge, but we’ve done that here in Kansas City.”
Zahnd said Carson was in custody at the Platte County Jail on a $100,000 bond and said his office had been told Willis would surrender and post a $100,000 bond.
In a statement sent to The Star, Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, said, “We are 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. 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.”
Court records did not list an attorney for Carson as of Wednesday afternoon.
Witness claims Willis supplied drugs
A forensic doctor ruled on Jan. 12, 2024, three days after the bodies were found, that Harrington, McGeeney and Johnson died because of “fentanyl and cocaine toxicity,” according to court documents.
The bodies of the three men were found in the backyard of the home, and investigators found two bags inside containing drugs, police said. Investigators determined one contained cocaine and the other contained fentanyl, according to court documents.
According to court documents, one witness told investigators that on Jan. 7, they had been with Harrington, Johnson, McGeeney, Willis and another person at Harrington’s house for the football game. The witness said there was a plate of cocaine there supplied by Willis that everyone there was using.
The witness said before they left, the group planned to go to Willis’ home after the game. This witness said they were usually supplied cocaine by Carson, court documents said.
Another witness said the group had gone to Willis’ home, where the bodies were eventually found, and that they had drunk alcohol, smoked marijuana and used cocaine together. That witness left around midnight while the group was still at the home.
In July 2024, investigators determined that a significant amount of Willis’ DNA was found on the bag of cocaine, prosecutors said. Then in December 2024, investigators determined a significant amount of Carson’s DNA was found on the bag of fentanyl, according to court records.
Police found messages on Harrington’s phone between him, Johnson, McGeeney, Willis, Carson and others that were allegedly “consistent with the purchasing and use of cocaine. The messages showed the main source of supply of cocaine for Harrington was Carson.”
The messages also allegedly confirmed one witness’s account that when low on money, McGeeney, Harrington and Johnson would hang out with Willis and Willis would supply them with cocaine, police said.
In police interviews with Carson in July 2024 and last month, he allegedly admitted to selling cocaine by the gram to Johnson, Willis, Harrington and McGeeney, according to court documents.
Police said there was no foul play
Police maintained throughout the investigation there was no foul play discovered at the scene of the three men’s deaths. In December, long after a medical examiner had completed their reports, Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a spokeswoman with the Kansas City Police Department, said the case was ongoing and that there was no foul play.
Throughout the investigation, Picerno claimed Willis knew nothing about the men’s deaths.
Picerno told the Star in December 2024 that he had soon expected charges to be filed in the case. At the time, Picerno said prosecutors indicated they were looking into others who may have supplied drugs that the three men took.
The case garnered large local attention and sparked online speculation as to what happened to the men. Last December, Picerno had told the star that he and Willis were anxiously awaiting the completion of the investigation.
In March 2024, Picerno released a statement on behalf of Willis. He said Willis went to bed not knowing his friends were still in his backyard. In the statement, Picerno said Willis hadn’t received calls or texts from the loved ones of his friends prior to the police showing up at his home.
Two people came to Willis’ home, but he didn’t hear them because he sleeps with headphones and a loud fan, the statement said. One person contacted him on Facebook Messenger, but Willis didn’t see the message until after police contacted him, Picerno said.
Two of the men parked their cars on the street, but Willis didn’t notice them and wouldn’t find it unusual for his friends to leave their cars at his house overnight, the attorney said. When police arrived, Willis allowed them into his home, told them what he knew and willingly consented to a search of his home, according to Picerno.
Forensic Medical of Kansas City and Topeka denied a public records request made by The Star for Johnson, Harrington and McGeeney’s autopsy and toxicology reports. The record was closed while the investigation was ongoing, the agency said at the time in an email.
This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 4:00 PM.
