The jury convicted McIntyre on a lesser charge

According to NBC News, McIntyre initially faced a capital murder charge, which carries an automatic life sentence without parole. However, the jury instead convicted the 24-year-old rapper of murder, meaning he now faces up to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

McIntyre reportedly shot Saldivar after the rapper tried to rob him, prosecutors said. Police said McIntyre had picked up Saldivar in a car after asking him to take photos of the Texas native for a new song, per NBC News.

Saldivar was found with a gunshot wound at a Chik-Fil-A across from the North Star Mall in San Antonio on April 23, 2017, KSAT news reported.

‘Taymor McIntyre is not guilty of capital murder’

McIntyre’s defense attorney, John Hunter, pushed back on the jury’s murder conviction during closing arguments, stating that his client was not guilty of that or any other charges.

“Taymor McIntyre is not guilty of capital murder, murder or manslaughter and the reason for that is very simple,” Hunter said, per KSAT news. “You have to do it right. You have to do the work. And this case clearly demonstrates the work wasn’t done.”

“They can’t tell you a single thing about what happened in the car at all from the evidence piled in here,” he added.

Prosecutor Jason Garrahan said the initial capital murder charges were justified and asked the jury to uphold the charge.

“Go to capital murder and say guilty of capital murder because we have proven every single moment beyond a reasonable doubt and Mark Anthony Saldivar deserves justice,” he said, according to KSAT news.

McIntyre was known for his song “The Race” after being on the run and was later arrested in 2017 at age 17.

What happened to Ethan Walker and what was Tay-K’s prior murder conviction?

McIntyre had already been serving a 55-year sentence over a separate fatal shooting. In 2019 at age 19, the rapper was found guilty of murder in the 2016 shooting death of 21-year-old Ethan Walker during a home invasion inside Walker’s home, according to Blavity and Complex.

At the time, he shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, how his sentence seemed unfair because of his race.

“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 said on Twitter.

The punishment phase of McIntyre’s case began on Monday afternoon, but it will resume at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.