Kyren Lacy, a standout wide receiver at LSU who faced criminal charges for a fatal car crash in December, was found dead Sunday in Houston. He was 24.
Lacy died by suicide, sources told Baton Rouge ABC affiliate WBRZ and CBS affiliate WAFB. His case was scheduled to go before a grand jury Monday.
“It is with profound sorrow that we confirm the tragic passing of Kyren Lacy. First and foremost, we ask that the public and the media give his family the space and time they need to grieve this unimaginable loss in peace,” Lacy’s attorney Matthew Ory told ESPN.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy is pictured last year. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
On the field, Lacy was a star at LSU last season. He led the team with nine receiving touchdowns and was second with 866 receiving yards and 58 catches. Following his senior season, he was expected to be selected as early as the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
But on Dec. 17, Lacy was involved in a car crash in Lafourche Parish, La., that killed a 78-year-old man.
Police said Lacy was traveling the wrong way in a no-passing zone on Louisiana Highway 20, which forced other vehicles to swerve to avoid him. One of those vehicles, a Kia Cadenza, drove into the other lane and struck a Kia Sorento.
Herman Hall, riding as a passenger in the Sorento, was killed in the wreck. According to authorities, Lacy fled the scene and never alerted emergency responders. He was charged with negligent homicide, hit-and-run and reckless driving.
Lacy turned himself in to police on Jan. 12, but his NFL Draft prospects were significantly diminished by the wreck.
“This so-called investigation took on the appearance of an overzealous, targeted effort — what can only be described as a witch hunt — fueled by who Kyren was and the public profile he carried,” Ory told WAFB. “The decision by the investigating agency to charge him at all, in our view, was not only unjustified, it was disturbing.”
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