Two men will appear in court Thursday to face murder charges for the first time after three Kansas City Chiefs fans were found dead in the backyard of their friend's home in January 2024.
On Thursday at 10 a.m. EST, the Platte County Circuit Court will hold a preliminary hearing for Jordan R. Willis and Ivory "Blade" Carson.
The two are facing amended second-degree felony-murder charges in the deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans.
The victims, Ricky Johnson,38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, were found dead in Willis’s backyard in January 2024, days after the group gathered to watch a Chiefs game.
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David Harrington, Clayton McGeeney and Ricky Johnson were found dead outside their friend's Kansas City home on Jan. 9, 2024. (Ricky Johnson/Facebook)
The story shocked the Kansas City area: the men’s bodies were discovered outside in freezing temperatures.
A forensic exam determined Harrington, McGeeney, and Johnson "all died of fentanyl and cocaine combined toxicity," according to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Prosecutors allege Willis and Carson supplied the drugs that led to the fatal overdoses, and now the state is pursuing murder charges under Missouri’s felony murder rule.
The men have pleaded not guilty.
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)
Thursday’s hearing will determine whether there’s enough evidence to proceed to trial.
Willis is currently out on bond and Carson remains in custody. Both expected to appear in person.
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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)
McGeeney's fiancée, April Mahoney, called authorities after discovering the frozen bodies of the trio on Jan. 9, 2024. The friends had gathered at Willis' rental property to watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers around 7 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2024.
Mahoney, according to court documents, grew alarmed that her fiancé had seemingly disappeared — eventually going to the home and spotting McGeeney's red Ford F-150 pickup truck parked outside the residence.
Repeated door knocking yielded no response, leading Mahoney to climb through a basement window, documents revealed.
Ricky Johnson, right, was a "responsible" man who "wasn't going to go outside and freeze to death," his parents told Fox News Digital. (Norma Chester)
"They located an isolated deceased person on the back patio and called police," documents say, without specifying which body was first found.
Court documents note that all three of the victims were found deceased in the backyard of the home.
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When police arrived at the single-family home, Mahoney told authorities that her fiancé would drink and use cocaine. She noted that McGeeney "would get low on money," and Willis would "usually supply cocaine to his friends."
Police wrote in court documents that they discovered a bag of a "white powdery substance" in the top drawer of an end table and a second bag of "white powdery substance" on top of the entertainment center in the living room.
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Willis told police on Jan. 9 that he believed McGeeney, Harrington and Johnson had left his home on Jan. 8 around 4 a.m., according to court documents. Willis' attorney, John Picerno, previously told Fox News Digital that his client went to sleep while the four men were still awake and hanging out at the house.
Picerno also previously revealed to FOX 4 that Willis was asleep with ear buds and a loud fan on.
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Two other unidentified witnesses, who were present at the football watch party, told police that they "drank, smoked marijuana and used cocaine." One of the witnesses said that he left "shortly before midnight" on Jan. 8, documents said.
Another witness said that before heading to Willis' rental home, he saw a "large plate of cocaine allegedly supplied by Mr. Willis that everyone was using" at Harrington's home, the documents said.
Court records also indicated that Carson, who went by "Blade Brown," allegedly supplied and sold cocaine to Willis and the victims, and that his DNA was found on a bag of fentanyl.
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The Kansas City Police Department said that it investigated the three deaths for 14 months before charges were filed.
"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.
Fox News' Stepheny Price contributed to this report.