American rapper Taymor McIntyre, known professionally as Tay-K 47, has received an 80-year prison sentence for the 2017 killing of photographer Mark Anthony Saldivar in Texas.
A Bexar County jury handed down the decision on Tuesday after a series of testimonies during the sentencing phase.
Tay-K, now 24, was just 16 years old at the time of the deadly incident. Prosecutors said the crime occurred after the rapper stole photography gear from Saldivar and then fatally shot him.
The original charge of capital murder was later reduced to murder following court deliberations.
Despite facing a potential life sentence, the rapper’s punishment was set at 80 years, which he will serve at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Judge Stephanie Boyd addressed Tay-K directly, emphasizing the gravity of his actions. “While you still have a life to live, the victim does not,” she stated, urging him to reflect and change.
Tay-K’s defence team contested the investigation’s credibility, claiming it relied too heavily on biased witness statements from individuals present in the vehicle during the crime. His lawyer, John Hunter, argued the case lacked proper investigative rigour.
This isn’t Tay-K’s first brush with the law. In 2019, he was sentenced to 55 years for his involvement in the 2016 shooting death of Ethan Walker in Fort Worth.
Despite his criminal record, Tay-K gained viral fame with his song “The Race,” which was recorded while he was a fugitive.
The track has since amassed over 400 million streams on Spotify.