A Kansas City man who rented the home where three Chiefs fans were found dead in the backyard has been charged in connection with their deaths.
Jordan Willis and Ivory J. Carson were charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and felony delivery of a controlled substance.
Kansas City police announced the arrests in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“Jordan Willis and Ivory Carson have been charged with distribution of a controlled substance and three counts of involuntary manslaughter,” Platte County Prosecutor Eric G. Zahnd said.
Carson is being held on $100,000 bail, while Willis has agreed to surrender and post a $100,000 bond.
Willis rented the house where Ricky Johnson, David Harrington, Clayton McGeeney, and a fourth man watched a Chiefs game on January 7, 2024. Their frozen bodies were found in Willis’ backyard 2 days later on January 9, 2024.
Willis insisted he didn’t know his friends were deceased in his backyard, despite their friends and family members frantically calling and texting him and leaving messages on his Facebook page.
The men’s cars were parked outside his home for 2 days, but Willis claimed he never noticed the cars.
Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, expressed surprise that his client was charged.
“I was very surprised,” Picerno told KSHB 41. “One of the reasons it came as a shock is, I was told months ago that if charges were forthcoming, that Jordan would not be charged in any way with their deaths. I had received that information from an assistant prosecuting attorney in Platte County.”
Court documents obtained by KSHB 41 showed the three men had lethal amounts of cocaine and fentanyl in their bloodstream.
A probable cause statement reveals Carson’s DNA was found on a baggie containing fentanyl that was in the house. Willis’ DNA was found on a baggie of cocaine.
“One of the things that the State has the burden to do is prove beyond a reasonable doubt that not only did Jordan supply drugs, but that the drugs that he allegedly supplied caused these individual’s deaths,” Picerno said. “There’s multiple layers to the prosecutor’s case.”
The victims’ families were relieved to hear the news after waiting more than a year for justice.
After the men failed to return home in January 2024, their families and friends made phone calls, and sent texts and messages via Facebook Messenger to Willis. But their calls and texts went unanswered.
On January 9, 2024, McGeeney’s fiancée went to Willis’ residence in the Northland area. After knocking and getting no response, she broke into the basement through a window. She discovered a body on the back porch and immediately called 911.
Police arrived and knocked on the front door and rang the doorbell. Willis finally answered the door, wearing only boxer’s shorts and holding an empty wine glass.
Willis claimed he slept for 2 days and didn’t hear his phone ringing or McGeevey’s fiancé calling his name after she broke into his house.
Police conducted a search of the house and discovered 2 more bodies in the backyard.
Attorney Picerno said Willis walked the three victims and a fourth man to the front door at the end of the night. He then went to sleep on his couch for 2 days.
Picerno claimed Willis slept next to a loud fan and he didn’t hear any commotion.
In an interview with NewsNation, Picerno said Willis left his home “sporadically” on Jan. 8 and 9. Picerno then walked back that statement, saying that Willis had only been in and out of his bedroom to use the bathroom.
Willis had dogs that needed to be let out into the backyard. But he claimed he never saw the bodies – one of which lay on his back porch just a few feet from his back door.
“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.
