Eric Kay, 47, was found guilty of one count each for drug distribution resulting death and drug conspiracy. When he is sentenced, Kay faces a minimum of 20 years imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment.
As the verdict was announced, Skaggs’ widow Carli and his mother Debbie Hetman hugged. Kay removed his jacket and tie, and was put in handcuffs. He nodded toward his family and close friends in the courtroom.
After an eight-day trial, a jury of ten women and two men voted in favor of Kay. Kay was brought before a federal court in Fort Worth. This is about 15 miles away from the Angels’ opening four-game series against Texas Rangers.
“We are obviously disappointed by the verdict. Reagan Wynn (one of Kay’s lawyers) stated that we believed there were many reasons for doubting the government’s case. “This is a tragedy for everyone. Eric Kay is about to serve minimum 20 years in federal penitentiary, and the clock goes up. Tyler Skaggs has also left.
According to a coroner’s report, Skaggs was 27 years old and had died from his poisoning due to his vomit. He also had a toxic mixture of alcohol, fentanyl, and oxycodone in his system.
“Fentanyl is deadly. This case serves as a stark reminder. Fentanyl dealers, whether they are selling it on the streets or at a famous baseball stadium, put their buyers at risk. “No one is immune to this deadly drug,” U.S. attorney Chad E. Meacham stated in a statement.
Five major league players testified that Kay gave them oxycodone pills between 2017-19. Kay is accused of getting the pills and then giving them to Angel Stadium players. According to court documents and testimony, Kay was also a drug user.
Matt Harvey, a pitcher who rose to stardom in the New York Mets almost ten years ago, admitted that he knew he was putting his career at risk by allowing himself to use cocaine in New York City and California.
Harvey, one of the players who claimed he got oxycodone pills for Kay but also bought them for Skaggs in 2019, stated that he was subpoenaed by Kay and only testified because he was granted immunity. Harvey, who pitched for Baltimore last year, is not signed.
Angels president John Carpino stated that “the players’ testimony was extremely difficult for our organisation to hear” in a statement released after the verdict. “From the moment Tyler died, our focus was to understand all the factors that led to this tragedy.
Skaggs’ family filed wrongful death lawsuits against the Angels in Texas, California, and Texas. They claim that they didn’t know of any players receiving opioids from employees or that Skaggs was using them.
Lindsey Beran, the lead prosecutor, stated that Kay was the only person who could have given Skaggs drugs that caused his death. The delivery took place in Texas. Fentanyl was the cause. Skaggs was allegedly given fentanyl-laced oxycodone pills by Kay, according to the government.
Beran reminded jurors about Harvey’s testimony and that of Blake Parker and Cam Bedrosian, major league pitchers. He said Skaggs’ passing scared them from using oxycodone. Harvey stated that the painkiller was used frequently in a league where many players have to undergo surgeries and deal with injuries.
Beran said, “Blake Parker,” that he had a flashback in 2017 and thought it was him. Eric Kay gave all of them a drug and they were just one pill away from death.
Michael Molfetta, the lead defense attorney, said that prosecutors did not prove Kay gave Skaggs drugs after they landed in Texas from California. He also stated that fentanyl wasn’t the only cause.
Molfetta pointed out a whiteboard that prosecutors claimed made her case. It contained magnetic tiles that displayed text messages between Skaggs, Kay, departure and arrival times, as well as other elements.
Molfetta stated to the jury that “these tiles, these things that they’ve put there, they prove nothing other than what’s on them.” It is based on so many assumptions.
After the verdict, Molfetta refused to speak with reporters.
Kay was the team’s public relation contact on numerous road trips. The Texas trip was Kay’s first since he returned from rehabilitation. Kay was put on leave soon after Skaggs’s death. He never returned to the team. He didn’t testify.
Kay admitted to lying to police when Skaggs was discovered dead. He said he hadn’t seen Skaggs the night before. Adam Chodzko (current Angels director for communications) said Kay confided to him that he had been in Skaggs hotel room a few weeks later. Chodzko said that Kay informed him that he had not given Skaggs any pills that night, and that Skaggs offered to give him drugs in his room.
Carli Skaggs stated that she did not know the extent of her husband’s drug use and would have attempted to make things right if she had.
Hetman stated that her son was having problems with Percocet in 2013, a combination of oxycodone, acetaminophen. However, he stopped using it “cold turkey”.
Garet Ramos (Skaggs’ stepbrother) testified that he couldn’t recall details of helping Skaggs wean off Percocet nine-years ago. He also denied deleting text messages at Southlake’s police department, where Skaggs was found murdered.
Skaggs’ death was confirmed by the medical examiner who performed the autopsy. Fentanyl is significantly more powerful than oxycodone. Dr. Marc Krouse stated that there was a reduced probability that alcohol or oxycodone were responsible for Skaggs’ death. Skaggs’ death was confirmed by an expert from the government.
