The two men arrested in connection with the deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans who were found frozen in their friend’s snowy Kansas City, Missouri, backyard after an NFL watch party more than a year ago pleaded not guilty.

Jordan Willis and Ivory Carson appeared separately via video from the jail wearing orange jumpsuits during their arraignment in Platte County, Missouri on Thursday at 3 p.m. local time.

Willis’ lawyer, John Picerno, entered the not guilty plea on Willis’ behalf, and the judge entered the plea on behalf of Carson, who doesn’t yet have an attorney and plans to apply for a public defender. The hearing lasted just minutes.

Willis could not be reached by phone and did not answer his door in the days afterward, according to family members who searched for the three friends who never returned home.

However, Willis told police he had no idea any of his friends were dead outside and that he hadn’t heard from any of their friends or family members. 

An exterior view of the backyard and porch of Jordan Willis’s home in Kansas City, Missouri on Friday, January 26, 2024. The bodies of Willis’ three friends – Ricky Johnson, Clayton McGeeney, and David Harrington – were found in Willis’ backyard, with one body found on the porch, on January 9, 2024 – two days after attending a Kansas City Chiefs watch party at the home. (DWS for Fox News Digital)

Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, told Fox News Digital that he was “surprised that Jordan was charged with the deaths of his three friends.”

“That was contrary to what the prosecuting attorney’s office told me several months ago,” Picerno said.

“The probable cause statement submitted by the State is consistent with what Jordan stated happened. Jordan maintains that he is not responsible for purchasing or supplying the drugs that led to the deaths of his three friends. We are very much looking forward to the day a jury gets to hear all of the evidence in this case.”

Willis and Carson’s next court appearance is on Tuesday, March 11 at 10:45 a.m. local time.

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.