Terry Kennedy is set to be released from prison later this month, marking the end of a chapter that sharply diverted one of skateboarding’s most recognizable careers.
The Illinois Department of Corrections confirmed to TMZ Sports that Kennedy will be released on December 31, 2025, after receiving sentence credit that shortened his original term. He will remain on supervised release through June 30, 2026.
Before his legal troubles, Kennedy was best known as one of street skating’s most visible figures. Hailing from Long Beach, California, Kennedy built a reputation not just on technical ability, but on personality and presence.
He competed in high-profile events like the X Games and the Maloof Money Cup, landed major sponsorships with Baker Skateboards and Pharrell Williams’ Billionaire Boys Club, and helped co-found the clothing and music brand Fly Society.
Kennedy’s visibility extended well beyond skate videos. He appeared on MTV shows including Viva La Bam, Bam’s Unholy Union, and Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, made a cameo associated with Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” and showed up in multiple entries of EA’s Skate video game franchise.
For much of the 2000s and 2010s, “TK” was a name that crossed between skate culture, music, and television.
That public image changed following a July 27, 2021, incident outside a Comfort Suites motel in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. Prosecutors alleged that Kennedy struck fellow skateboarder Josiah Kassahun, who fell backward and hit his head on the pavement.
Kassahun, who was 23 at the time, later died. A medical examiner determined he succumbed to multiple internal injuries sustained during the incident.
Kennedy was initially charged with first-degree murder. In December 2022, he was acquitted of that charge but convicted on two counts of aggravated battery.
In February 2023, he was sentenced to two five-year prison terms, to be served consecutively at 50 percent, resulting in an effective sentence of five years.