A lawyer for Jordan Willis tells Inside Edition Digital: "He does not know the timing or manner of their deaths, nor does he know how or when they exited his house. He had no knowledge that they remained in his backyard."
A Missouri man thrust into the spotlight after his three friends were found dead in his backyard two days after they were last seen by family members is speaking out through his attorney.
The lawyer for Jordan Willis tells Inside Edition Digital that his client had absolutely nothing to do with the deaths of 38-year-old Ricky Johnson, 37-year-old David Harrington and 36-year-old Clayton McGeeney, whose bodies were discovered on Jan. 9 at the home Willis rents in Kansas City.
A spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department previously told Inside Edition Digital that, "there were no obvious signs of foul play observed at or near the crime scene," and stressed that this is "100% not being investigated as a homicide."
A spokesperson for the KCPD also said that there have been no arrests or charges in connection to the deaths and noted that no one had been taken into police custody.
The three men arrived at Willis' house on Sunday Jan. 7, sometime after that night's football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers had concluded, Picerno said. The game, which saw the Chiefs defeat the Chargers, ended at approximately 7 p.m.
What happened next remains a mystery to everyone, including Willis, according to his lawyer.
"Jordan had absolutely nothing to do with their deaths," Picerno said in that statement to Inside Edition Digital. "He does not know the timing or manner of their deaths, nor does he know how or when they exited his house. He had no knowledge that they remained in his back yard, or that they needed medical attention."
When asked to clarify his statement, Picerno says that the three men were still at Willis' home that night when his client "went to bed."
Picerno also said in his statement that Willis did not know about the efforts of family and friends to locate the men in the days before their bodies were discovered in his yard.
"Two people came to his house; however, he did not hear them as he sleeps with earbuds and loud fan," said Picerno. "One of those people, the wife of one of the deceased, tried to reach him via Facebook messenger, unfortunately, he did not see the message until after the police contacted him."
And while the cars of two of the men were parked outside the home, they were not parked in the driveway, Picerno said. Willis "did not notice" the vehicles, his attorney said. "It would not be unusual for his friends to have left their cars there overnight," he said.
A spokesperson for the KCPD said last week that police officers spoke with a "resident at house" after they arrived at the scene on Jan. 9.
Picerno confirmed in his statement that Willis was home when police arrived and said that his client "allowed them into the house, told them all he knew, and voluntarily consented to a search of his home."
As Inside Edition Digital previously reported, police were called to the scene after the fiancée of Clayton McGeeney broke into the home on the night of Jan. 9.
Two women who knew the men say McGeeney's fiancée made the decision to break in after seeing the men's cars parked outside. Those friends also said that Willis and most of the men had been friends since high school, which Picerno confirmed to Inside Edition Digital.
McGeeney's fiancée then called police after finding a body on the porch, the KCPD spokesperson said. Police then discovered the two bodies in the backyard, and classified the case as a "death investigation," said the KCPD spokesperson.
McGeeney's fiancée was shocked to learn that Willis was home when police arrived, according to the two women who knew the deceased. She is among the loved ones in search of answers, which many hope will come after the medical examiner's report is released.
So is Willis.
"Jordan is unaware of how his friends died," said Picerno in his statement to Inside Edition Digital. "Like the rest of us, Jordan is anxiously awaiting the results of the autopsy and toxicology report."
This past weekend was a difficult one for friends and family. Services for Johnson, McGeeney and Harington were held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively.
