Rapper Tay-K has been found guilty of murder for the second time and now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.
The 24-year-old, already serving a 55-year sentence for a separate killing, was convicted in connection to the 2017 shooting death of photographer Mark Anthony Saldivar.
The incident happened while Tay-K, born Taymor McIntyre, was on the run after escaping house arrest. Although he was not found guilty of capital murder, which would have meant life without parole, the murder conviction still carries a sentence of five to 99 years.
A jury will decide the length of his sentence. A judge will later rule on whether he serves the new sentence alongside or in addition to his current prison term.
During the trial, McIntyre was named as the shooter by his former girlfriend Joanna Reyes. She was originally charged for her role in the incident but accepted a plea deal on a lesser charge and testified as a government witness.
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Reyes told the court that she had arranged a photoshoot involving Tay-K and Saldivar. They were in a vehicle with two others, Jalen Bell and Jeremiah Rodriguez. According to her, Tay-K pulled a gun on Saldivar during the shoot and demanded his backpack.
When Saldivar refused, a fight broke out. Reyes said the victim climbed onto the car’s hood to escape. Tay-K then allegedly ordered her to get him out of the car. When she didn’t, he reportedly leaned out and fired the shot that killed Saldivar.
Reyes said she didn’t report the incident right away because she was scared for her safety. She also said that Tay-K threatened her and her family.
This is not the first murder conviction for the rapper. He was previously found guilty for his role in a deadly 2016 home invasion.
In that case, he was given 30 years for aggravated robbery, plus two 13-year sentences for other robbery charges. Those sentences are being served at the same time.
Tay-K rose to fame in 2017 after releasing his hit song ‘The Race’ while on the run from police. The track went viral and was later certified platinum, but his growing fame didn’t stop the legal cases from catching up with him.
