Texas rapper Tay-K, best known for his 2017 hit single “The Race,” has been convicted of murder for a second time after a jury found him guilty of fatally shooting 23-year-old Mark Anthony Saldivar in 2017. Taymor McIntyre, the rapper’s real name, faces up to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the killing of Saldivar, a photographer. McIntyre had already been serving a 55-year sentence for a separate fatal shooting.
Prosecutors argued that McIntyre shot Saldivar during an attempted robbery. They explained that McIntyre had asked Saldivar to take photos of him for a new song, then picked him up in a car before the shooting occurred.
McIntyre’s defense attorneys challenged the investigation, claiming it relied too heavily on self-serving statements from witnesses in the car at the time of the shooting. “Taymor McIntyre is not guilty of capital murder, murder, or manslaughter,” defense attorney John Hunter told jurors. “You have to do it right. You have to do the work. And this case clearly demonstrates the work wasn’t done.”
The jury found McIntyre not guilty of capital murder, which would have meant a life sentence without parole. The jury will now hear evidence in the punishment phase of the trial before deciding on McIntyre’s sentence.
In 2019, McIntyre was convicted for the 2016 shooting death of 21-year-old Ethan Walker during a home invasion in Mansfield, Texas. McIntyre had recorded “The Race” while evading authorities for the home invasion.