By Guest 
In a stunning courtroom conclusion, rapper Taymor Travon McIntyre, better known as Tay-K, has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for the 2017 murder of 23-year-old photographer Mark Anthony Saldivar.
The Bexar County jury delivered the verdict on April 15, 2025, marking the rapper’s second murder conviction and piling onto an already hefty 55-year sentence for a 2016 killing. With a combined 135 years behind bars, the 24-year-old’s once-promising music career now seems a distant memory.
Tay-K’s Shocking 80-Year Sentence for 2017 Murder
The case stems from a chilling incident on April 23, 2017, when Saldivar was lured under the pretense of a photoshoot for Tay-K’s rising rap persona. Prosecutors alleged that McIntyre, then just 17 and on the run after cutting off his ankle monitor, attempted to rob Saldivar of his camera equipment in a Chick-fil-A parking lot in San Antonio.
The encounter turned deadly when Saldivar was fatally shot, his body left in the parking lot. While no witnesses could definitively identify Tay-K as the shooter, the jury convicted him of murder rather than the more severe capital murder charge, sparing him an automatic life sentence without parole.
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The trial, which spanned two weeks, was fraught with emotional testimony and high tension. A key witness, Tay-K’s ex-girlfriend Joanna Reyes, testified that she drove the car during the incident and claimed McIntyre threatened her and her family to keep silent. Reyes’ graphic account painted a grim picture of the events leading to Saldivar’s death.
Meanwhile, Tay-K’s defense attorney, John Hunter, argued the prosecution’s case relied on shaky witness statements and lacked concrete physical evidence, pleading for leniency by citing McIntyre’s troubled upbringing.
Tay-K’s sister, Kayla Beverly, took the stand to describe their abusive childhood, alleging their father beat them with 2x4s and tied Tay-K to an ironing board. Despite these pleas, prosecutor Meghan Galloway dismissed calls for sympathy, stating, “That’s a slap in the face to every child of abuse who chooses to be a law-abiding citizen.” The jury ultimately handed down the 80-year sentence, to run concurrently with his 55-year term for the 2016 murder of Ethan Walker during a home invasion.
Tay-K rose to fame with his 2017 viral hit “The Race,” recorded while he was a fugitive and flaunting his outlaw status. The track, which racked up over 251 million YouTube views, became an anthem of defiance, but its release coincided with his arrest in New Jersey just hours later. Now, as the rapper faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison, fans and critics alike are left grappling with the stark contrast between his fleeting stardom and his violent crimes.
Posts on X reflect a mix of shock and debate, with some users lamenting Tay-K’s fate while others argue justice was served. “Tay K got a 55 years sentence, and a 80 year’s sentence with two more cases on the way,” one user wrote, hinting at further legal battles looming for the rapper. Another post highlighted the emotional weight of his sister’s testimony, underscoring the complex personal history behind the headlines.
Saldivar’s family, meanwhile, expressed bittersweet relief. A representative stated that Tay-K “stole dreams, ambitions, aspirations, and goals” from the young photographer, whose life was cut short before he could fulfill his potential. As the gavel fell, the courtroom marked the end of a nearly eight-year quest for justice in Saldivar’s case, but for Tay-K, it’s a stark reminder that the race he once rapped about has led him to a lifetime behind bars.