On Thursday, former Los Angeles Angels communications director Eric Prescott Kay was convicted guilty of giving the drugs that resulted in pitcher Tyler Skaggs’s overdose death in 2019.
Kay was found guilty on one count of drug distribution that resulted in death and on one count of drug conspiracy, according to the Associated Press. When he is sentenced on June 28, he could face a sentence of up to life in prison.
On numerous of the team’s road trips, Kay served as the point of contact for media inquiries. According to the Associated Press, this was his first journey back to Texas since leaving rehab. After Skaggs’ death, he was placed on leave and did not return to the team.
According to police, Skaggs, 27, was found dead in a hotel room in Southlake, Texas, on July 1, 2019. Medical examiners in Tarrant County later determined that Mr. Skaggs’ death was caused by an alcohol-fentanyl-oxycodone mixture in his bloodstream.
According to court filings, text exchanges from the day before Skaggs’ death show that he asked Kay to bring him drugs to his hotel room late that night.
According to the AP, five current and former MLB players testified during the trial of the former Angels staffer, who is accused of selling oxycodone from 2017 through 2019. An investigation by a federal court found that Kay was accused of distributing the pills to players while he was also using them himself.
A federal prison sentence of 20 years to life awaits Mr. Kay. He will be sentenced on June 28, 2022, according to the terms of his plea agreement. The defendant was immediately remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal Service upon the reading of the verdict.
