Tay-K's camp insists the incarcerated rapper is not suicidal, despite what a newly surfaced jail photo is leading fans to believe.
Over the weekend, a picture of the 18-year-old artist sitting at a visitation booth sparked rumors about his mental state. People pointed out Tay-K — legal name Taymor Travon McIntyre — was wearing a special, sleeveless uniform that is also known as an "anti-suicide smock."
On Sunday, Tay-K's manager Ezra Veril denied rumors that the rapper was suicidal, and claimed the photo in question was taken more than seven months ago. Though he didn't provide specifics, Veril suggested Tay-K was placed in the smock after pulling some kind of stunt to improve his living conditions.
"[Tay-K] did that to get out of the solitary confinement he's been in for close to two years," the manager wrote on Instagram. "Crazy the extremes you have to take it just to be treated humanely in a fucked up situation."
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According to Slate, the "anti-suicide smock" is a quilted, sleeveless garment that is purportedly "noose-proof": "[...] the smocks are so resilient they can’t be torn, and so thick they can’t be folded or rolled into cords," the outlet reported in 2007. "Since the shoulder seams unfasten under pressure, the armholes can’t be used as makeshift nooses, either."
Tay-K is currently locked up at the Lon Evans Corrections Center in Texas on multiple murder charges. Prosecutors say the rapper was involved in the killings of 21-year-old Ethan Walker in 2016 and 23-year-old Mark Anthony Saldivar in 2017. All of his co-defendants in the Walker case have already accepted plea deals.
