Rapper Tay-K has been sentenced to 55 years in jail after being found guilty of murder for his role in a 2016 home invasion in Tarrant County, Texas.
According to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Deanna Boyd, the rapper also received 30 years for one of his aggravated robbery convictions and 13 years on the others. The sentences will be served concurrently since he was a minor when the crimes were committed. He will also face a total of $21,000 in fines.
Rapper @tayk sentenced to 55 years in prison for his role in the 2016 murder of Ethan Walker, 21. https://t.co/tU8phV9c80
— Deanna Boyd (@deannaboyd) July 23, 2019
Prior to the sentencing, the 19-year-old Texas rapper pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery and was found guilty of a third count tied to the incident, but pleaded not guilty to capital murder. He was found not guilty on the capital murder charge that carried a mandatory prison sentence of 40 years.
Tay-K went viral in 2017 after releasing “The Race, which was written and recorded after Tay-K cut off his ankle monitor while under house arrest pending his trial and ran from the police. According to The Fader, the music video and lyrics for the song were entered into evidence for his sentencing.
The Fader reported that prosecutors played the music video in full for the jury during the testimony of the prosecution’s final witness on Monday afternoon. A print-out of the lyrics was also admitted into evidence.