A federal jury in Texas found a former employee of the Los Angeles Angels guilty Thursday of two drug charges related to the 2019 overdose death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs.
Eric Prescott Kay, a former communications director for the Angels, was convicted of one charge of distribution of controlled substances resulting in death and one charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. He now faces between 20 years and life in prison for the convictions.
“Tyler was the light of our family. He is gone, and nothing can ever bring him back,” Skaggs’s family said in a statement obtained by CNN. “We are relieved that justice was served, although today is a painful reminder of the worst day in the life of our family.”
FOUR MLB PLAYERS TESTIFY FORMER ANGELS EMPLOYEE GAVE THEM DRUGS
Kay procured drugs for Skaggs and other players on the team prior to the pitcher’s death, according to Skaggs’s teammates. Pitchers Matt Harvey, Cam Bedrosian, and Mike Morin, and first baseman C.J. Cron testified during the trial that they had previously obtained drugs from Kay. Harvey gave his testimony in exchange for immunity.
A coroner’s report said Skaggs died at the age of 27 from choking on his own vomit after overdosing on a mix of oxycodone, fentanyl, and alcohol in a Texas hotel room in July 2019. According to evidence in the trial, Skaggs texted Kay the day before he died asking for oxycodone to be delivered to his room. However, the defense tried to argue that the last time Kay gave drugs to Skaggs was back in California.
Rusty Hardin, an attorney for Skaggs’s family, said the conviction of Kay was just the beginning.
“The trial showed Eric Kay’s drug trafficking was known to numerous people in the Angels organization, and it resulted in the tragic and unnecessary death of one of their most popular players,” Hardin said, according to CNN. “We have no doubt that the Angels knew what Eric Kay was doing, and the team is morally and legally responsible for his conduct.”
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Kay will be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Terry Means for the Northern District of Texas on June 28, according to the Department of Justice.
