Jose Fernandez was the victim of a robbery scheme that got him drugged the night of his death, according to his estate’s attorney.
According to TMZ Sports, Ralph Fernandez, who is defending Fernandez’s estate against a wrongful death lawsuit, claimed in a new court filing arguing that the Miami Marlins pitcher was carrying a backpack containing $15,000 in cash the night of his death. This made Fernandez a target for robbery, and he and Eduardo Rivero were “unwitting recipients of a spiked drink or a mickey of sorts.”
The filing argues that no drug residue or paraphernalia was found at the scene of the crash. It also blames “inexperienced” investigators in the case for refusing to consider the possibility that Fernandez was not driving the boat at the time of the fatal crash, calling the entire case “compromised.”
Investigators had determined that Fernandez was behind the wheel at the time of the crash. No talk of a robbery or drugging had ever come up to this point. Cocaine and liquor were found in his system at the time of the crash.
