Tyler Skaggs Death: Eric Kay Gets Slapped with 22-Year Jail Time Over Distribution of Fentanyl Pills That Killed Ex-Angels Pitcher

Chad Meacham, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said that Eric Kay, a former Los Angeles Angels employee, was sentenced today to 22 years in federal prison for Tyler Skaggs's death in 2019 from an overdose of Fentanyl.

In February, a federal jury convicted Kay of conspiring to possess drugs with the intent to distribute them as well as distributing a dangerous substance that caused death.

According to a Department of Justice post, Kay was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means Tuesday.

Based on the evidence presented during the trial, Kay distributed the pills, causing Skaggs's death.

Tyler Skaggs Fentanyl Overdose

On July 1, 2019, the Southlake Police Department received a 911 call reporting that Tyler Skaggs, 27, had been found dead in his hotel room at the Southlake Town Square Hilton.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office found out later that Skaggs had oxycodone, fentanyl, and alcohol in his body at the time of his death.

Investigators found several pills inside Skaggs's hotel room, including a blue pill marked "M/30." The pill looked like a 30-milligram oxycodone tablet, but it was later found to contain fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opiate.

During the initial interview, Kay stated that he did not know if Skaggs was using drugs.

He also claimed that the last time he had seen Skaggs was on June 30 at the hotel check-in. However, when the investigators searched Skaggs's phone, it revealed a conversation with Kay.

Skaggs asked Kay to stop by his room and bring him some pills that evening.

Kay was accused of obtaining fentanyl-laced oxycodone pills and giving them to players.

The trial included testimonies from C.J. Cron, Mike Morin, Matt Harvey, and Cam Bedrosian, former MLB players who also received opioid pills from Kay.

Moreover, court documents and testimony said Kay also used drugs, CBS Sports noted.

Eric Kay Mocks the Jury, Prosecutors, Tyler Skaggs, and Family

Eric Kay was initially facing a mandatory minimum of 20 years in federal prison. However, due to his disparaging calls and emails authorities intercepted after his conviction in February, Means added two more years to his sentence.

LA Times noted that Kay, 48, did not appear to react when Means cited his "callousness" and "refusal to accept responsibility."

During a phone call with Skaggs' mother, Kay called Skaggs a "piece of s-", "Well, he's dead, so f- 'em." He referred to the Skaggs family as "stupid" and "white trash," adding, "All they see are dollar signs." They might collect more money now that he's dead than they did when he was playing because he sucked."

Kay, detained at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth since his conviction, insulted Skaggs's mother and prosecutors in previous communications and called the jurors who heard his case "fat, sloppy, toothless, and unemployed."

Meanwhile, Skaggs's family released a statement: "We are very grateful to everyone who worked so hard to investigate and prosecute Eric Kay."

The statement says that the sentencing is not about how many years the defendant will spend in jail but about holding the people distributing the deadly drugs accountable.

It also said they would keep fighting to find those responsible for allowing Kay to provide drugs to Tyler.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

Watch: Angels ex-staffer Eric Kay sentenced to 22 years in Tyler Skaggs' overdose death - From CBSDFW