Tay-K has asked for a “second chance at adulthood” while serving a 55-year prison bid for murder, claiming race was a factor behind his lengthy sentence.
The “Race” rapper shared several tweets from behind bars on Thursday (January 5) speaking out against his decades-long imprisonment. The 22-year-old argued that he should have been tried as a juvenile instead of an adult and claimed if he was white his punishment wouldn’t have been as severe.
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Tay pointed to one of his co-defendants, a white girl who was also 16 at the time, who he claimed was given 10 years probation and has since been released from prison.
“I really just need 1 chance @ adulthood,” he wrote. “I bet if I was a lil white kid they wouldn’t have gave me no 55 years for a crime I was alleged to play the most insignificant role in when I was 16….they woulda rightfully argued that my mind wasn’t fully developed and gave me rehabilitation and a 2nd (1st) chance at adulthood.”
He added: “one of my codefendants was a white girl who was 16 jus like me…they didn’t certify her as an adult but they certified me n pimp as adults, pimp got 30, I got 55, she ended up getting 10 years of probation without no deal…that girl @ home rn.”
Tay-K (real name Taymor Travon McIntyre) was found guilty of murder in July 2019 for his role in the 2016 Texas home invasion that killed 21-year-old Ethan Walker.
He was sentenced to 55 years for the murder charge, 30 years for aggravated robbery and given two additional 13-year prison sentences on two other counts of aggravated robbery. The sentences are being served concurrently.
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After his initial arrest, the teen rapper cut off his ankle monitor, sent out a tweet that read: “fuck dis house arrest shit fuck 12 they gn hav 2 catch me on hood” and went on the run.
It was during this period that he released “The Race,” catapulting him to notoriety and No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, which contains lyrics like: “Pop a n-gga then I go out my way,” was used as evidence in his trial.
Tay also allegedly committed a number of other violent crimes while evading the law, including shooting and killing a 23-year-old man during a robbery attempt in San Antonio, Texas and assaulting and robbing a 65-year-old man in Arlington, Texas.
He was eventually captured by U.S. Marshals in Elizabeth, New Jersey in June 2017. He was later indicted for capital murder over the San Antonio killing, for which he is currently awaiting trial.
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Tay-K previously spoke out about his legal situation in December 2021 when he clamored for new legal counsel on social media. “I need a new appeal lawyer,” he tweeted to his 160,000-plus followers at the time.
