Rapper Tay-K found guilty of murder in 2017 killing of photographer Mark Saldivar

Tay-K found guilty in 2017 murder of photographer Mark Saldivar, avoids death penalty but faces up to 99 years.

Rapper Tay-K, whose real name is Taymor McIntyre, has been found guilty in the 2017 murder of photographer Mark Anthony Saldivar.

The jury convicted McIntyre of murder but acquitted him of capital murder, sparing him the death penalty. The conviction carries a potential sentence of 5 to 99 years in prison.

The incident occurred on the North Side of the city in 2017, when McIntyre allegedly robbed and fatally shot Saldivar during a dispute over stolen photography equipment. Prosecutors claimed that after Saldivar attempted to retrieve his belongings, McIntyre shot him in cold blood. The defense argued there was insufficient evidence, pointing to conflicting eyewitness statements and unclear surveillance footage.

A key moment in the trial came from Joanna Reyes, McIntyre’s former girlfriend. Reyes testified that she was driving the car involved and that McIntyre shot Saldivar as he climbed onto the vehicle to retrieve his stolen gear. Reyes had previously accepted a plea deal for probation related to evidence tampering.

Although several witnesses gave differing accounts and the surveillance video lacked clarity, the prosecution maintained that the footage and Reyes’ testimony confirmed McIntyre’s role in the shooting. The jury ultimately sided with the prosecution, finding him guilty of murder but not capital murder due to his age at the time of the crime.

Now 24, McIntyre faces decades in prison for the robbery and killing of Mark Saldivar, bringing a long and controversial legal saga to a turning point.