Tay-K was back in a Texas courtroom on Tuesday (July 23) where a Tarrant County jury decided his fate.
According to CBS Dallas-Fort Worth, the 19-year-old rapper was sentenced to 55 years for the murder of 21-year-old Ethan Walker along with 30, 13 and 13 years for three counts of aggravated robbery. The sentences will be served concurrently..
The sentences will run concurrently.
Tay-K — real name Taymore McIntyre — was convicted on Friday (July 19) of murder and three aggravated robbery charges related to a 2016 home invasion in Mansfield that resulted Walker’s death.
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[This article has been updated. The following was published on July 19, 2019.]
A jury has found 19-year-old rapper Tay-K (real name Taymor McIntyre) guilty of “lesser included offense of murder.”
According to CBS Dallas-Fort Worth, prosecutors argued in court on Friday (July 19) that while he didn’t pull the trigger that killed 21-year-old Ethan Walker, he knew the robbery would result in someone getting shot.
Tay-K pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery by threats in connection to the 2016 botched robbery earlier this week.
Tay-K’s lawyer Jeff Kearney explained on Tuesday (July 16) that his client had already “accepted responsibility” for the robbery through his plea.
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He believed the evidence wouldn’t support his client was aware Latharian Merritt “was going to go in and intentionally kill for no reason, intentionally kill Ethan Walker.”
The punishment phase is reportedly underway.
The Texas-bred teenager is also charged in a second capital murder case out of Bexar County and an aggravated robbery case in Tarrant County that occurred while he was on the run.
[This article has been updated. The following was published on July 16, 2019.]
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Tay-K’s capital murder trial got underway in Fort Worth, Texas on Tuesday (July 16) according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The day before the trial began, Tay-K pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery by threats in connection with the 2016 robbery of Ethan Walker’s girlfriend and another man inside the Mansfield home.
Walker was shot in the stomach during the botched home invasion and later died.
Authorities are still trying to determine if Tay-K anticipated or should have anticipated a murder would be committed when he participated in the robbery.
Tay-K has also pleaded not guilty to capital murder and to a separate count of aggravated robbery for the robbery and shooting of Walker’s roommate, Zachary Beloate. Beloate was shot in the shoulder during the robbery.
One of Tay-K’s three defense attorneys, Jeff Kearney, told jurors in opening statements Tuesday morning that “Tay agreed to participate in a robbery. Tay participated in a robbery.”
Kearney pointed out he’s already “accepted responsibility” for the robbery through his plea. He added the evidence won’t support Tay-K thought Latharian Merritt “was going to go in and intentionally kill for no reason, intentionally kill Ethan Walker.”
The now 19-year-old is one of seven defendants — three juveniles and four adults — accused in the robbery and fatal shooting. Although Tay-K was only 16 when the incident occurred, he was certified to stand trial as an adult.
The once-burgeoning rapper is also charged in a second capital murder case out of Bexar County and an aggravated robbery case in Tarrant County that occurred while he was on the run.
Officials allege he robbed and fatally shot 23-year-old Mark Saldivar at a Chick-fil-A in San Antonio in April 2017. The following month, he allegedly attacked and robbed 65-year-old Skip Pepe who was walking along Fish Creek Trail in Arlington’s Cravens Park at the time.
Tay-K was ultimately taken into custody in New Jersey in June 2017. Since his incarceration, he allegedly started a “Rug-Rats” jail gang and was charged with possessing a cellphone inside a correctional facility.
The capital murder trial is to continue at least through this week.
