Former Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay was found guilty on Thursday of distributing the drugs that led to the death of Tyler Skaggs.
A jury found Kay guilty on both charges he faced — distributing counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl that led to Skaggs’ death and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute.
Kay’s trial lasted a total of eight days. The jury felt prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Kay provided Skaggs with the drugs that led to the former pitcher’s overdose on July 1, 2019. Four other MLB players testified during the trial that they got oxycodone from Kay.
Skaggs, who was 27, died after choking on his own vomit in a hotel room with fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system. Before he was charged, Kay had admitted to federal investigators that he provided oxycodone to Skaggs and used opioids himself.
Former Angels pitcher Matt Harvey testified this week that he gave Skaggs some Percocet pills days before Skaggs’ death. Harvey said Skaggs once shared oxycodone pills with him that Skaggs had purchased from Kay, though Harvey said he tried the drug and did not like how it made him feel. Harvey, who was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony, also admitted to using other illegal drugs during his MLB career.
Two other former Angels players — first baseman C.J. Cron and pitcher Mike Morin — testified that Skaggs connected them with Kay and that Kay provided them with opioids in the Angels’ clubhouse on numerous occasions.
Kay is scheduled to be sentenced on June 28. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
