Rapper Tay-K Sentenced to 80 Years for 2017 Murder of Photographer Mark Saldivar in San Antonio

Rapper Tay-K was sentenced to 80 years in prison for the 2017 murder of 23-year-old Mark Anthony Saldivar in San Antonio.

The verdict followed a two-week trial, ending late Tuesday night when 187th District Court Judge Stephanie Boyd delivered the sentence after extensive testimony. Much of it focused on the young artist’s troubled upbringing.

“I do realize that while this is a lot of time, you’re still alive. You can still better yourself,” Boyd said. “But the complainant in this case is deceased, and you need to internalize that…You’re going to have to make changes.”

Tay-K was found guilty of murder rather than capital murder, facing life with the possibility of parole. Prosecutors said he tried to rob Saldivar, a photographer he had picked up for a photoshoot and then shot him in a Chick-fil-A parking lot. Tay-K was just 16 at the time.

The defense argued police leaned too heavily on biased witness accounts.

“You have to do it right. You have to do the work. And this case clearly demonstrates the work wasn’t done,” said defense attorney John Hunter.

A forensic psychologist testified that the performer’s brain was still developing and cited childhood trauma, including drug abuse and foster care. He was also serving a 55-year sentence for a separate 2016 murder. Both sentences will run concurrently. A representative for Saldivar’s family said Tay-K stole “dreams, ambitions, aspirations and goals.”