Tyler Skaggs Cause Of Death: The former Los Angeles Angels employee who supplied the medications that ultimately killed Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs in 2019 was given a 22-year jail sentence on drug charges on Tuesday.
Upon his conviction in February for distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled narcotics, former Angels communications director Eric Prescott Kay faced a sentence of twenty years to life in prison.
Skaggs, a 27-year-old pitcher, was found dead in a Texas hotel room on July 1, 2019, the night before his club was scheduled to face the Texas Rangers. He had been accused of giving the substances that caused Skaggs’ death. Prosecutors presented emails and phone calls from Kay’s time in jail on Tuesday, in which he insulted Skaggs, his family, and the jury.
“I hope people realize what a piece of s*** he is,” he told his mother in a recorded jailhouse call. “Well, he’s dead, so f*** ‘em.”
An ex-official of the Los Angeles Angels has been accused in relation to the overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Kay also referred to the Skaggs family as “dumb” and “white trash”, and the jury condemned him as “fat, sloppy, toothless, and unemployed.” He expressed regret for his remarks in court and explained that he had been “selfish,” frustrated with life, and acting out.
“Tyler Skaggs was a sweetheart of a man,” Kay said, calling him “kind.”
Judge Terry R. Means stated that he sentenced Kay to 22 years in prison, rather than the mandatory minimum of 20, due to her demeaning remarks..
“What I see coming from your mouth … was not just vitriol but a callousness and a refusal to accept responsibility or even be remorseful for something you caused,” Means said.
Kay’s attorney argued in a statement that his client merited at least 20 years in prison..
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What Happened At Trial Regarding Tyler Skaggs’ Cause Of Death?
According to the evidence presented in court, the pills that murdered Mr. Skaggs were distributed. The investigation into the death of Mr. Skaggs, 27 years old, at the Southlake Town Square Hilton began on 1 July 2019 when the Southlake Police Department received a 911 call reporting the death.
After further investigation, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office determined that Mr. Skaggs perished as a result of a toxic mixture of ethanol, fentanyl, and oxycodone. In Mr. Skaggs’ hotel room, a number of pills, including a solitary blue pill marked M/30, were discovered. The capsule tested positive for fentanyl, a potent synthetic narcotic, despite appearing to be a 30-milligram oxycodone tablet.
Dr. Hail: “My conclusion was that Tyler Skaggs died from fentanyl, and perhaps a slight contributor of oxycodone, but the ‘but/for’ cause of death is fentanyl.”
Says the autopsy was wrong because ME didn’t have all the information needed.
— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) February 15, 2022
Mr. Kay initially told police he was unaware of Mr. Skaggs’ substance use. He reported seeing Mr. Skaggs last on June 30 at the hotel’s front desk. A search of Mr. Skaggs’s phone, however, revealed text messages from June 30 indicating that he had asked Mr. Kay to bring tablets to his room that evening.
PLAYER’S MYSTERY DEATH: Tyler Skaggs, a 27-year-old LA Angels pitcher who played Saturday, was found dead in his hotel room, with the cause of death under investigation and tonight’s game postponed; police do not suspect foul play.
Mr. Kay later disclosed to a colleague, contrary to his statement to police on the day Mr. Skaggs’ body was discovered, that he had been in Mr. Skaggs’ room the night he was murdered. Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration discovered evidence that Mr. Kay distributed blue M/30 tablets (nicknamed “blue boys”) to Mr. Skaggs and others at the stadium where they worked.
Matt Harvey, C.J. Cron, Mike Morin, and Cameron Bedrosian, among others, testified during the trial that Eric Kay also supplied them with blue 30mg oxycodone tablets. In addition, they testified that he was the only dealer in the vicinity of Angels Stadium and that he sold tablets there.
Tuesday, prosecutors presented Mr. Kay’s inmate emails and phone calls as proof of the gravity of his crime and his lack of remorse.
