Before his name became central to a legal dispute involving the Louisiana State Police, Kyren Lacy had been emerging as one of LSU’s most promising wide receivers ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. That trajectory shifted sharply after he was charged in connection with a December traffic crash in Lafourche Parish that left a 78-year-old passenger dead. Investigators accused Lacy of negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run, and reckless operation of his Dodge Charger, allegations that affected his draft outlook and led to the withdrawal of his invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine. Police later obtained an arrest warrant, and Lacy was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex on Jan. 12, 2025. Those charges, however, did not go unchallenged.

Lacy maintained his innocence through his attorney as the case continued to unfold, and later-released surveillance footage raised questions about whether his vehicle was directly involved in causing the collision. An independent review commissioned by the Lafourche Parish District Attorney later identified “several inconsistencies” in the Louisiana State Police investigation and concluded troopers had created the impression that Lacy was actively passing vehicles at the time of the crash. 

Months later, on April 12 last year, Harris County Precinct 4 deputies responded to a weapons-disturbance call after a family member reported that Lacy had fired a gunshot into the ground. Authorities said Lacy drove away as deputies attempted to respond, and during the pursuit, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, bringing a sudden end to his life at age 24 while the criminal case against him remained unresolved. Now, Lacy’s parents have sued the Louisiana State Police, alleging malice.

“The extreme emotional distress inflicted by Defendants’ intentional and reckless misconduct was the direct and proximate cause of Mr. Lacy’s decision to take his own life,” Kenneth Lacy and Kandace Washington’s lawsuit reads. “But for Defendants’ fabricated investigation, false arrest, and malicious prosecution, Mr. Lacy would be alive today.”

The parents of the former LSU wide receiver have alleged that the Louisiana State Police “fabricated an investigation” into a deadly traffic crash, blaming their son for the crash. They filed the lawsuit Friday, two days before the one-year anniversary of Lacy’s death, and named two troopers who investigated Lacy’s alleged traffic collision in Chackbay, north of Thibodaux, Louisiana. A 78-year-old service veteran died due to the crash, and Lacy was immediately arrested.

Although he was released after posting a $151,000 bond, his attorney, Matthew Ory, maintained the late WR’s innocence from the start. Lacy’s parents now allege that the two troopers falsely framed their son for “recklessly passing multiple vehicles at high speed,” which resulted in a head-on collision. They allege that the troopers filed a false crash report, which contradicts the video evidence Lacy’s attorney released in October last year.

The video evidence Matthew Orry released, surveillance footage from a nearby gas station, showed Lacy’s car was “well behind the crash.” According to him, the late LSU WR was over 70 to 90 yards behind the actual collision and “had nothing to do with the accident.” Despite the Louisiana State Police defending their findings, the state attorney general, Liz Murrill, announced an independent review for Lacy’s case.

Now, according to Kenneth Lacy and Kandace Washington’s lawsuit, the troopers not only refused to report the witness who was saying “that lady behind me…she caused the wreck,” but also allegedly instructed the witness to attribute responsibility to Lacy before marking the statement as “refused” when the witness declined to sign it. The lawsuit further alleges investigators failed to identify or interview a passenger who was visible inside Lacy’s vehicle in available video evidence. Additionally, as per the lawsuit, the two troopers allegedly fabricated evidence and allowed the actual accused to go despite identifying them.

Kyren Lacy’s parents’ lawsuit indicates a potential cover-up

According to the lawsuit, the driver who actually caused the accident has already been cited twice for following too closely in 2015 and 2020. Despite that, the Louisiana State Police didn’t mention that history in their investigation. The suit also says that the two troopers ticketed the driver who actually caused the wreck for “following too close” but altered the citation to “crossing left to center” to shift blame to Lacy.

Moreover, when the troopers interviewed the actual driver for the crash, Body Cam footage showed that they told her mother she wouldn’t be charged with anything. The trooper said, “She’s not being charged with anything, so y’all don’t stress about that at all.” Later, one of the troopers was also heard assuring the mother about the following too-close ticket, saying, “I kind of jumped the gun on that one a little bit.”

Lacy’s parents now allege that their son died by suicide after “being overwhelmed by the emotional distress, public scrutiny and reputational harm.” The lawsuit additionally states that the crash case was approaching a scheduled grand jury review at the time of his death, and the loss of professional opportunities was the biggest factor, and the mental anguish came with it. That was allegedly caused by the State Police’s wrongful accusations, leading to his “false arrest.” The family is seeking damages for wrongful death, survival action, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.