TakeOff‘s alleged killer has been denied an additional bond reduction this week when a judge ruled that his bail will be kept at $1 million.
Patrick Clark was hit with a murder charge relating to the Migos rapper’s death earlier this month, with a bail originally set at $2 million. His lawyers persuaded Judge Josh Hill to lower it by half during a hearing on December 14, and they then attempted to get it down even more by requesting it be reduced to $300,000.
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However, their attempts proved unsuccessful as Judge Hill ruled against Clark and kept his bail at $1 million during another hearing on Tuesday (December 27). Not all hope is lost, though, as TakeOff’s alleged killer can still file an appeal.
According to a report by NBC 2 Houston published on Tuesday, Hill stated he didn’t lower the bond because he feared Clark “may be a flight risk” since he had his passport and a Mexico itinerary on him at the time of his arrest. Hill also said previous statements Clark made hinted that he could afford the bond even though his lawyers claimed he couldn’t.
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Clark was reportedly recorded on a jail phone call stating he could pay the original $2 million. Prosecutors also opposed a lower bond and used Clark’s Instagram page — which had photos of him posing with large amounts of cash — to prove he can cover the bond.
Had the bond been lowered, Clark would’ve been out of custody before New Year’s Eve and would be required to get GPS monitoring through a specific bond company that would immediately notify if bond conditions are violated.
The reason for the large bond was that prosecutors believed Clark was trying to flee to Mexico because he obtained an expedited passport and cash following the shooting. His lawyers claimed he wasn’t trying to leave the country. Jim Willis, a private investigator hired by Clark, confirmed the ticket to Mexico was canceled a few days before the arrest. He was allegedly taking that trip with his sister and her friends.
Clark was arrested after video evidence showed he was the only person who was standing at an angle that aligned with the way TakeOff was shot on November 1 in front of 810 Billiards & Bowling in Houston, Texas. Clark left a bottle of wine he was holding during the incident at the crime scene, which allowed police to match his fingerprints.
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The first arrest in TakeOff’s shooting was made last month when 16-year-old rapper Lil Cam (real name Cameron Joshua) was taken into custody in Houston on November 22 and charged with felony unlawful carry of a weapon.
Prosecutors claimed surveillance footage showed Lil Cam brandishing a weapon at the crime scene, but the district attorney’s office didn’t go so far as to accuse him of shooting the fatal bullets.
