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The capital murder trial of a local rapper has been handed to the jury Thursday after a day that included emotional testimony from the victim’s mother. The trial resumes Friday morning.
The defense attorney didn’t call a single witness. Closing arguments were Thursday afternoon and the jury was handed the case at about 3 p.m.
Taymor McIntyre, also known as “Tay-K 47,” is accused of murdering 21-year-old Ethan Walker during a home invasion and robbery in July 2016.
McIntyre, 16 at the time, was not armed but admits he participated in the robbery with six other people. Prosecutors argue he is guilty of murder because he knew three of his co-defendants were armed with weapons and should have known someone could be killed
Roberta Walker, the victim’s mother, testified she and her husband adopted Ethan Walker when he was seven years old.
She recalled the early morning when a police captain and chaplain knocked on her door.
“I knew it wasn’t good,” she said.
McIntyre was the focus of a nationwide manhunt when a judge released him on home confinement and he cut off his ankle monitor and ran.
In the months he was on the lam, prosecutors say he killed a San Antonio photographer and robbed and beat an Arlington man in a park.
He also recorded a rap video called “The Race” that has been viewed 173 million times on YouTube. In the video, he waves a gun in front of a real-life wanted poster of himself. The video was released the same day he was captured in New Jersey.
Separate from the criminal case, the victims and their families filed lawsuits against McIntyre and his promoters arguing they should not be allowed to profit from crime.