SAN ANTONIO – A woman accused of being the driver in a 2017 capital murder took the stand Monday in the trial of Taymor McIntyre, also known as rapper Tay-K 47, offering graphic and emotional testimony that identified McIntyre as the gunman who killed photographer Mark Saldivar.
Joanna Reyes, testifying as a key witness for the prosecution, told jurors she was with McIntyre on April 23, 2017, when what was meant to be a photoshoot turned violent.
Reyes said McIntyre, who she said referred to her as his girlfriend at the time, had asked her to help find a photographer. She reached out to Saldivar, whom she knew through Instagram.
Reyes said she picked up Saldivar along with McIntyre, Jalen Bell and Jeremiah Rodriguez. Saldivar later asked to reschedule the shoot and requested a ride to North Star Mall, which Reyes agreed to.
But at a stoplight on McCullough Avenue, Reyes testified that McIntyre pulled a gun on Saldivar and demanded his backpack. When Saldivar refused, Reyes said the group began hitting him.
Saldivar was pushed out of the car and climbed onto the hood, Reyes said.
McIntyre allegedly pointed the gun at Reyes and demanded she get him off the car. When she couldn’t, she testified, McIntyre opened the door and shot Saldivar outside a Chick-fil-A.
“He opened the door and leaned out on one leg,” she said through tears. “He shot him.”
After the shooting, Reyes said they fled the scene. She told jurors that Bell later congratulated McIntyre, allegedly saying, “You caught your first body,” and giving him a high five.
Reyes testified that she did not initially report the crime out of fear, stating that McIntyre threatened to kill her and her family.
She also said that McIntyre and Bell took Saldivar’s backpack when they fled.
Reyes admitted in court that she accepted a plea deal in exchange for her testimony. She faces 10 years of probation for the lesser charge of tampering with evidence. She has not yet been sentenced.
The defense has argued that the plea deal gives Reyes an incentive to testify against McIntyre, questioning her credibility.
Testimony in the trial is scheduled to continue Tuesday.
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