19-year-old Tay-K was sentenced to 55 years in prison and a $21,000 fine on Tuesday, July 23 for his involvement in a 2016 robbery that left one man dead.
The rapper rose to fame back in 2017 when he escaped house arrest and went on the run. He later released a song and music video about the murder called The Race. The song charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and now has 174 million views on YouTube. In the video, he can be seen posing next to a wanted poster of himself. He was arrested in New Jersey after three months on the run, according to CNN.
Tay-K was just one of seven defendants in the trials, according to CNN. He was found guilty of murder last week, while the other six were either found guilty or reached plea deals during the trials. According to a witness testimony, Tay-K helped plan to steal drugs and money from the 21-year-old victim’s home in Mansfield, Texas. The victim, Ethan Walker, did not have said drugs or money, and Walker’s girlfriend even testified that he was shot while his hands were in the air.
Throughout the case, Tay-K’s attorney’s argued that since he was not the person who fired the gun, he shouldn’t be charged. However, prosecutor’s state that Tay-K knew what the plan was the whole time.
In addition to the 55 year sentencing and $21,000 fine, the Tarrant County jury has also sentenced Tay-K to 30 years in prison on one count of aggravated robbery and 13 years for each of the remaining two counts of aggravated robbery.
