The jury in the case against Eric Kay found him guilty of distributing Fentanyl and causing the death of Tyler Skaggs.
The jury reached its conclusion in less than an hour. The jury took just three hours to reach its verdict.
As the verdict was read, Kay was taken into custody and his family sat in silence.
Carli Skaggs and her mother, Debbie Hetman, shared an emotional hug after the verdict.
Kay will be sentenced on June 28. He will be sentenced to at least 20 years in prison.
Kay and Skaggs used drugs together, sometimes even in the team's locker room. Skaggs introduced Kay to a dealer, and paid for both men's drugs while Kay handled the transactions. Over the next few seasons, Skaggs connected at least four other Angels players with Kay, telling them that he could provide them with drugs.
The Angels traveled to Texas for a series against the Rangers. Evidence shows that Skaggs asked Kay for pills. After the team arrived, Skaggs sent Kay a text to come up to his room.
Kay told investigators that he did not have pills with him, and that when he arrived in Skaggs room there were already drugs on his desk. Skaggs was conscious when Kay left, but he did not ingest any drugs.
Skaggs was found dead in his room the morning of July 1 after he did not respond to texts and calls from his wife.
During seven days of testimony, the government tried to establish that no one but Kay could have given Skaggs the pills, that he was killed by the Fentanyl in them, and that the transaction took place in Texas.
The defense spent 11 hours of testimony trying to poke holes in the government's case, trying to establish reasonable doubt, and no one can say definitely that the fentanyl killed him.
Skaggs died after consuming drugs and alcohol, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner. The death was ruled accidental by him. The government had other experts review the autopsy and toxicology of Skaggs, and they determined that he died of a drug overdose.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
