Eric Kay has been indicted on two counts in relation to the death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs
This tragic tale took another turn on Friday morning, as the federal grand jury in Texas opted to indict Kay. Skaggs, who died of an overdose with a detectable amount of fentanyl in June of 2019, was a pitcher for the LA Angels at the time. The team honored his memory with several moving tributes over the remainder of the season.
Kay, who had been a team employee, allegedly sought to possess and distribute the drug as early as 2017.
“On or about June 30, 2019 … Eric Prescott Kay, the defendant, did knowingly and intentionally distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, and the use of said substance resulted in the death and serious bodily injury of [Skaggs],” the indictment said, per the Los Angeles Times.
Kay and his legal team continue to negotiate a plea bargain, but to no avail
The two sides have been hard at work trying to avoid the hysteria of the court system. The evidence against Kay includes text messages, which reportedly contain a conversation in which Skaggs asks for five pills. Upon his death, officials found white residue and a fake oxycodone pill, which was laced with he drug fentanyl.
“It was later determined that but for the fentanyl in [Skaggs’] system, [he] would not have died,” DEA special agent Geoffrey Lindenberg wrote in the affidavit.
The Skaggs family broke their silence several months after his death to report that his demise may have included Kay, a member of the Angels organization. The grand jury indictment is a step towards their wishes of finding out the truth of what happened to Tyler that fateful night.