Taymor McIntyre, the rapper known as Tay-K, was found guilty of murder by a Fort Worth jury this morning. The 19-year-old rapper was also found guilty of robbery, though avoided a more serious conviction for capital murder, which would have carried a mandated 40 years in prison.
Local stations report that the sentencing phase of the trial began immediately after the verdict was read aloud in the courtroom on Friday. McIntyre now faces between five and 99 years in prison.
McIntyre was accused of participating in a home invasion and robbery in 2016 that left 21-year-old Ethan Walker dead after seven masked assailants stormed his house. Prosecutors during the trial showed video of a police interrogation of a then-16-year-old Tay-K confessing to being a part of the raid, saying that his role was to find drugs in the house.
It was while Tay-K was on house arrest awaiting trial for the Walker murder that he cut his ankle monitor and fled. As he evaded authorities, Tay-K filmed the music video for "The Race." The song become a smash hit, peaking at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. He was captured by police in New Jersey on July 30, 2017.
Tay-K is still awaiting trial for a number of other crimes. He is accused in the April 2017 shooting death of 23-year-old Mark Anthony Salvadir at a San Antonio Chick-Fil-A, and in the beating and robbery of 63-year-old Arlington resident Owney “Skip” Pepe in May 2017.
More to follow.
