SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Texas rapper Taymor McIntyre, better known as Tay-K, has been convicted of murder for a second time following a jury’s decision in a 2017 fatal shooting case.
The 23-year-old victim, Mark Anthony Saldivar, was shot and killed after McIntyre allegedly attempted to rob him. Prosecutors say McIntyre invited Saldivar, a photographer, under the pretense of doing a music shoot before turning on him.
McIntyre was found guilty of murder but acquitted of capital murder, sparing him a life sentence without parole. He now faces up to life in prison with parole eligibility, pending the sentencing phase of the trial.
Defense attorney John Hunter criticized the investigation, arguing that police relied too heavily on unverified witness accounts. “You have to do the work, and it clearly wasn’t done,” he said during closing arguments.
McIntyre is already serving a 55-year sentence for his involvement in a 2016 home invasion that left 21-year-old Ethan Walker dead. That crime took place near Fort Worth, and it was while on the run that Tay-K recorded his viral hit “The Race.”
The jury is expected to hear additional evidence before handing down a final sentence in the coming days.
