Months after former Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay was indicted for his role in Tyler Skaggs death, federal prosecutors now plan to provide testimony alleging he provided oxycodone to "approximately" five other MLB players.
The Los Angeles Times obtained documents from a court filing Friday detailing Kay’s alleged role in acquiring oxycodone, providing them to players and his use of the controlled substance since 2017.
As part of the criminal investigation into Kay, prosecutors allege Kay was the “singular source” who provided oxycodone to players with the amounts varying for each. Per the L.A. Times, the court filing from prosecutors against former Kay includes the following:
“The evidence will also demonstrate that Kay often coordinated the distribution through text messages or through conversations involving the victim [Skaggs]. This witness testimony will in many instances be corroborated by text message communications…. Evidence will also demonstrate that Kay was motivated to obtain these pills because Kay could himself use some of the pills that he obtained for the players. It, therefore, provides context and background to the distribution at issue in the indictment.”
The filing further detailed elements of the investigation into Kay’s role as the supplier. However, it doesn’t disclose the names of the MLB players who came forward as witnesses, and it’s not disclosed whether or not they will testify during the trial.
According to the court filings, which include communication between Kay and his supplier, the former Angels’ communications director offered game tickets, memorabilia and even a baseball autographed by Mike Trout in exchange for oxycodone.
Among the details in the 19-page document, prosecutors say Kay overdosed at the stadium three months before Skaggs died of an overdose in Texas on July 1, 2019.
Text messages determined that Skaggs requested painkillers from Kay on June 30, and they were delivered to his hotel room in Texas. A medical examiner ruled that the 27-year-old pitcher had a mix of “ethanol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication” that led to his death. He was found in his hotel room on July 1, hours before the Angels faced the Texas Rangers.
During the DEA’s investigation in 2019, Kay told investigators that the Angels were made aware of Skaggs’ opioid use months in advance of his passing. The organization immediately denied his allegations.
Skaggs’ family is suing the Angels and two former employees for negligence. Kay is scheduled for his criminal trial on Oct. 4 in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth, Texas.
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