The Chiefs haven’t done much, and the NFL has done absolutely nothing, since troubling audio emerged last night regarding receiver Tyreek Hill. The Johnson County, Kansas prosecutor is definitely doing something.
Via KCTV in Kansas City, the criminal case arising from injuries suffered by the three-year-old son of Hill and Crystal Espinal has been reopened.
KCTV provided the audio to Johnson County district attorney Steve Howe, who is reviewing it. On Wednesday, Howe said at a press conference that he believes a crime was committed against Hill’s son, but that the identity of the perpetrator could not be proven with sufficient certainty.
In addition to the audio constituting evidence of potential crimes against the child, it’s possible that Hill could be charged with lying to authorities, depending upon how his statements to the authorities mesh or conflict with the contents of the audio. Hill and Espinal could face charges arising from a conspiracy to obstruct justice or to otherwise frustrate and derail the investigation.
Hill has a “no contact” order with the child, who is living with a different family. The boy was removed from Espinal’s custody on April 5, and an April 17 hearing resulted in neither parent securing custody.
Espinal, not Hill, has been permitted to have supervised visits with the child.