Former Los Angeles Angels communications director Eric Kay on Thursday was found guilty of two charges related to the death of ex-Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, according to ESPN.
A 12-person jury (10 women, two men) deliberated for three hours Thursday morning and found Kay "guilty of distributing fentanyl and causing the death of former pitcher Tyler Skaggs in 2019," ESPN reported. Kay could face life in prison -- the maximum sentence -- or a minimum of 20 years, with sentencing scheduled for June 28.
Skaggs was found unresponsive in a hotel room in Southlake, Texas, on July 1, 2019. An investigation into his death revealed he choked on his own vomit and had fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system.
According to CNN, Kay "regularly dealt pills of fentanyl ... to Skaggs and others in the Angels organization at the stadium where they worked." According to USA Today's Gabe Lacques, eight other Angels players testified during the eight-day trial and five admitted to receiving opioids from Kay.
A Drug Enforcement Agency special agent said "but for the fentanyl" that was found in Skaggs' system, the 27-year-old "would not have died."
According to Lacques, Kay, Angels vice president of communications Tim Mead and the Angels organization are involved in a wrongful-death lawsuit brought forth by Skaggs' parents and his widow in Texas and California.
Skaggs was a first-round pick by the Angels in 2009 and made his MLB debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011. He returned to Los Angeles ahead of the 2014 campaign and went 28-38 through seven MLB seasons.
