Kansas City Chiefs fan found dead wasn’t drug addict: Girlfriend

(NewsNation) — The longtime girlfriend of a Kansas City man who was found dead in the backyard of a friend’s home earlier this month is refuting any notion or allegations that her partner abused drugs.

In the weeks since David Harrington and two other men were found dead two days after they had gathered to watch a Chiefs game, police have released few details. They said they don’t suspect foul play, leaving many to speculate online that drugs may have played a role in the deaths.

“David wasn’t a drug addict like they’re talking about,” Lorie Kruse said Friday on “CUOMO” of rumors swirling about Harrington. “He was a good guy. Very good guy.”

Harrington, Clayton McGeeney and Ricky Johnson are the three men found dead outside the north Kansas City home of their friend Jordan Willis.

NewsNation affiliate WDAF reached out to the Kansas City Police Department, and a spokesperson said they are still waiting on the medical examiner’s office to determine a cause a death.

The agency stressed the case has not been ruled a homicide or suspicious death because there were no obvious signs of foul play.

Willis’ attorney John Picerno told NewsNation this week his client “did nothing wrong.”

In Kruse’s eyes, somebody is reponsible.

“David was murdered,” she said. “It does not make any sense to have three men dead, laying in the yard and him asleep for 48 hours.”

Jennifer Marquez, Harrington’s mother, spoke out on NewsNation’s “Banfield” with a message for Willis.

“I believe Jordan does know. And I’m asking Jordan to please come forward and tell the truth because he does know what happened that night. … He’s the only one that can give all of our families some peace.”

Family members have said they tried contacting the men in the two days they were missing, and a fifth man involved says he reached out to Willis to no avail.

The fifth man’s attorney, Andrew Talge, said his client arrived at Willis’ around 7 p.m. Jan. 7 and left around midnight. He claims Willis and the three men were alive and watching TV when he left for the night.

Talge said his client then received a text from McGeeney’s finance and Johnson’s mother Jan. 9, asking where the guys were.

Talge’s client claims to have texted Willis and Johnson and didn’t get a response back.

Picerno told NewsNation phone records can prove that Willis never sent any text messages in the two-day span, indicating he hadn’t checked it to see the incoming messages.

With many conflicting stories and few official details from police, Kruse says the misinformation has run rampant online.

“TikTok’s terrible. People are laughing about it … because they don’t know these people, and my kids see that,” Kruse said. “I’ve been open with them and we’re dealing with it and we’re learning from it.”

The deaths have left three families shattered, and Kruse wants the world to know who Harrington truly was — a loving father.

“We have six children that don’t have a dad, we have families, we have friends, and we’re all hurting and I don’t want to hear what everybody has to say, but I do,” Kruse said. “David was a good guy. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

NewsNation affiliate WDAF contributed to this report.

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