Teen Rapper Tay-K Sentenced For Murder Of Young Dad Killed During Home Invasion

Teen rapper and former fugitive Tay-K, also known as Tay-K 47, has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for the murder of a young father who was fatally shot during a 2016 armed home invasion and robbery.

A court in Tarrant County, Texas sentenced Tay-K, whose legal name is Taymor McIntyre, to 55 years in prison for murder, 30 years for one count of aggravated robbery, and 13 years each for two additional counts of aggravated robbery, according to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. The 19-year-old was also slapped with a $21,000 fine, online records show.

Tay-K took part in a home invasion three years ago that left Ethan Walker, a 21-year-old father, dead. Alyssa Rowell, Walker’s girlfriend, testified last week that she and Walker were together in his room on July 26, 2016 — the day of the robbery — when a man dressed in all black, whose face was partially hidden, appeared with a gun, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. She said that the man repeatedly asked “Where’s the s--t?” before shooting Walker in the stomach while his hands were raised, according to the outlet.

Walker’s roommate — Zachary Beloate, whose father owned the house in Mansfield — was also injured during the robbery, which reportedly involved six other co-conspirators who stormed the house in search of drugs and money, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Aside from the rapper, the other six defendants have reportedly all either pleaded guilty or accepted plea deals.

The Tarrant County jury on Friday, July 19, 2019, found McIntyre of Arlington guilty for his role in the death of Ethan Walker. Photo: Tarrant County Sheriff's Office/AP

Tay-K, who was 16 at the time of the incident, stood trial as an adult, with his lawyer arguing that he was not the one to plan the robbery or fatally shoot Walker, according to the Forth Worth Star-Telegram. However, prosecutors argued that Tay-K knew that a shooting would take place when he agreed to participate in the scheme, according to The Times.

The teen rapper pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery but pleaded not guilty to capital murder and another count of aggravated robbery related to the shooting and robbery of Beloate, the Forth Worth Star-Telegram reports.

The man convicted of fatally shooting Walker, Latharian Merritt, was sentenced to life in prison last year.

Tay-K enjoyed a brief run of viral internet fame after he cut off his ankle monitor in 2017, defying the terms of his house arrest and turning himself into a fugitive from justice, and then released a song about it, according to The New York Times. “The Race” was released three months after his escape, and the accompanying music video features a shot of Tay-K posing next to a wanted poster with his face on it. Authorities apprehended him on the same day that the song, which went on to climb the Billboard charts and go platinum, premiered online, the outlet reports.

After Tay-K’s sentencing this week, a court clerk confirmed that he will serve his sentences concurrently, according to CNN.

His legal troubles seem to be far from over, as he's also been accused of killing another person and beating and robbing an elderly man during his time as a fugitive, all accusations that he will face at additional trials to be held at a later date, according to The Times.