Kansas City Chiefs fan found dead did not use drugs, ‘was murdered’, longtime girlfriend says

The girlfriend of one of the three sports fans found dead after a game-day watch party said he was not a drug abuser — as she revealed she believes he was “murdered”.

The girlfriend of one of the three Kansas City Chiefs fans found dead after a game-day watch party said he was not a drug abuser — as she revealed she believes he was “murdered”.

Lorie Kruse’s boyfriend David Harrington, 37, was found frozen to death outside Jordan Willis’ rental house in Kansas City alongside Ricky Johnson, 38, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, on January 9, the NY Post reports.

Though police have said the case is not being investigated as a homicide and no foul play is suspected, Ms Kruse is adamant that Mr Harrington, her boyfriend of 17 years, was killed.

“David was murdered,” she told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo on Friday.

“Those three guys were murdered. It does not make any sense to have three men dead, laying in the yard and [Mr Willis] asleep for 48 hours.”

David Harrington, 37, was found frozen to death on January 9. Picture: Family Handout

Mr Willis’ lawyer previously said his client had been “asleep on the couch” near a loud fan while wearing noise-cancelling headphones for nearly two days and didn’t learn about their deaths until a welfare check at the home.

Mr Harrington, Ms Kruse believes, must have been “caught in the wrong place at the wrong time” but admitted she doesn’t know “what’s going to come up” as the probe into the tragedy continues.

“I don’t know if Jordan gave them something like they’re talking about,” she told Cuomo. “David wasn’t a drug addict like they’re talking about.”

She also said that despite the party being described as a gathering of friends, she had never heard Mr Harrington talk in-depth about Mr Willis.

“I have heard of Jordan before. I’ve never met him. I’ve heard a lot of terrible things about him,” she revealed.

“I don’t know the truth in it … David’s never had a conversation about Jordan. I’ve heard the name Jordan when he’s talking to his friends … I don’t think I’ve ever heard any stories about Jordan at all.”

Lorie Kruse, longtime girlfriend of David Harrington. Picture: NewsNation

She told Cuomo that Mr Willis was “in drugs”, but did not elaborate on what she meant by that.

While there has been speculation that the three friends’ deaths may be drug-related, “David didn’t do stuff like that,” Ms Kruse said.

“Maybe they did take something because they were drinking. But I know David wouldn’t have took it.”

She added, “We just had a talk with my kids about not doing drugs and how fentanyl was coming on the news all the time.”

Mr Harrington would have “walked” the mile home “if he was cold” or was big enough to “break through the window” or gone to warm up in his car.

“He was a good guy. Very good guy,” she told NewsNation. “He went to church with us. He coached my son’s baseball team.”

Mr Willis’ father Rodney Willis said his son “would never in a million years do anything,” and insisted his family was grieving along with the victims’ loved ones.

“These were all good friends of his, these were all people he went to school with and he took them to a football game the day before for the Chiefs,” he told The Post on Thursday.

Clayton McGeeney, 36, one of three Kansas City Chiefs fans found dead. Picture: Family Handout

The families are waiting on a toxicology report, but “it doesn’t matter what the autopsy said”, Ms Kruse told Cuomo.

“That’s what people are forgetting here. We have three guys, we have six children that don’t have a dad. We have families, we have friends, and we’re all hurting.”

The heartbroken mother said she has told her children about Mr Harrington’s death, as her kids see it on TikTok. She also claimed people are making fun of the trio’s death because they “don’t know” him.

“I can’t rest because my phone’s blowing up about ‘did you hear this’ or ‘did you hear that about social media’, with all these links. And it’s not, those are not true and it’s rude. It’s hurtful. It’s not who David was. David didn’t do stuff like that,” Ms Kruse told Cuomo.

“I truly did not believe everything that they were talking about was real, because that’s not, that’s not who I know. That’s not who my kids know. That’s not.”

The Post has reached out to Ms Kruse for comment.

Ricky Johnson, 38, was also found dead with his friends. Picture: Family Handout

Mr Harrington, Mr Johnson and Mr McGeeney were found at Mr Willis’ home two days after the Chiefs’ January 7 game after Mr McGeeney’s fiancee requested a welfare check.

Police searched the home, where they made the gruesome discovery.

Mr Willis, who had been asleep for two days, said it was the first he had known his friends had died.

Mr Harrington’s father Jon said previously he doesn’t believe Mr Willis’ versions of events, saying, “[Mr Harrington’s mother] and I are both convinced that Jordan Willis played a part in this somehow.”

“Innocent people rarely hire criminal defence lawyers,” Jon told The Post in a text on Saturday.

A fifth friend, Alex Weamer-Lee, was also at the ill-fated party, and it was previously reported that when he left around midnight, the four other fans were watching Jeopardy!

“It’s a traumatic situation for everyone,” Mr Weamer-Lee’s mother told The Post outside her home on Saturday.

“I’m just going to be quiet.”

Mr Willis has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Kansas City Chiefs fan found dead did not use drugs, ‘was murdered’, longtime girlfriend says