Tay K sentenced to 80 years after dodging death sentence

Tay-K has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for the 2017 murder of 23-year-old Mark Anthony Saldivar.

The sentencing was announced by 187th District Court Judge Stephanie Boyd on Tuesday after the 24-year-old was found guilty of killing the photographer in San Antonio.

Tay-K was originally charged with capital murder and was facing a death sentence but irregularities in eyewitness accounts and conflicting evidence resulted in the rapper getting a long sentence instead.

According to KENS5, the jury deliberated whether Tay-K’s turbulent childhood should be taken into account before passing the sentence.

"I do realize that while this is a lot of time, you’re still alive. You can still better yourself," Boyd told Tay-K at the court session.

The judge 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.”

Prosecutors alleged that Tay-K and his accomplices attempted to rob Saldivar’s photography equipment but a scuffle broke out which resulted in Tay-K shooting Saldivar.

It should be noted that Tay-K is already serving a 55-year sentence since 2019 for the murder of Ethan Walker during a 2016 home invasion in Mansfield, Texas.

What is Tay-K famous for?

Born in California and raised in Texas, Tay-K found fame after his 2017 track The Race became a surprise hit. The song is about the rapper’s criminal activities and peaked at number 44 on Billboard Hot 100.

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