Rapper Tay-K jailed for 80 years for shooting photographer while fleeing other murder

Rapper Tay-K has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for the murder of a photographer in 2017.

The 24-year-old artist (real name Taymor McIntyre) was found guilty earlier this week of killing Mark Anthony Saldivar, 23.

McIntyre reportedly shot Saldivar dead while the former was on the run from house arrest, after being an accessory to the murder of a 21-year-old man in 2016. The rapper was subsequently convicted of murder in 2019, and is currently serving 55 years in prison at the Texas Department Of Criminal Justice.

As Complex reports, McIntyre was sentenced to 80 years behind bars for killing Saldivar yesterday (Tuesday April 15). A jury in Bexar County, Texas, delivered its sentencing after hours of testimony during the punishment phase of the trial.

Tay k sentenced to 80 years pic.twitter.com/YO0XK8U7Rs

— DJ Akademiks (@Akademiks) April 16, 2025

Addressing McIntyre directly, Judge Stephanie Boyd said: “I do realise that while this is a lot of time, you’re still alive. You can still better yourself.”

She continued: “But the complainant in this case is deceased, and you need to internalise that the complainant in this case is deceased. You’re going to have to make changes.”

Lucy Saldivar, the victim’s mother, read out her witness statement in court yesterday. “When he left that day, I didn’t know he was giving me his last goodbyes,” she said. “A hug and a kiss that will stay in my heart

“[…] He never came back that day. My son was full of love, full of hope and ambitions. He had trust in the good nature of people. He was an entrepreneur, he had a love for the arts, music, photography, videography, people and business.”

According to prosecutors, McIntyre – who was 16 at the time – fatally shot Saldivar after stealing his photography equipment.

The rapper was already facing life in prison with the possibility of parole, for his first murder conviction.

According to News 4 San Antonio, the jury found McIntyre guilty of murder on Monday (April 14); they did not find him guilty of capital murder.

The judge reduced to a lesser charge of murder after court deliberations. McIntyre’s attorneys criticised the police investigation, claiming that the case relied heavily on “self-serving” witness accounts.

His lawyer, John Hunter, had told jurors in the closing arguments: “Taymor McIntyre is not guilty of capital murder, murder, or manslaughter, and the reason for that is very simple. You have to do it right. You have to do the work. And this case clearly demonstrates the work wasn’t done.”

Tay-K is best known for his 2017 song ‘The Race’, which he recorded while on the run from authorities. The rapper was once again apprehended in New Jersey on the same night he released the video for the aforementioned single on June 30, 2017. The clip currently has almost three million views on YouTube.

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