Photo Credit: Benjamin Rauls
Lawyers for the man accused of killing Migos rapper Takeoff have filed a motion to request a bail reduction request. Here’s the latest.
Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, is accused of the fatal shooting of Takeoff on November 1. The man was arrested a month after the shooting, with a Harris County judge setting bond at $2,000,000. Clark’s legal team says this is excessive, and they’re asking for the bond to be reduced to $100,000. Houston Police say Clark was identified as the triggerman who fired the shots outside the Houston bowling alley that killed Takeoff, an innocent bystander.
The motion was filed by Letitia D. Quinones and Carl A. Moore, with money as one of the key issues in the reduction request. The request includes a look at census data where the man lives, with a median income of $65,000. His legal team argues Clark cannot afford to pay bonding agencies the 10% ($200K) down payment required to secure their services.
“It would take four years of income for the average person to raise the 10% cash deposit required to post bond as it is presently set,” the motion argues. “Applicant requests that bond be set at a reasonable amount of $100,000, which is comparable to other defendants similarly situated in Harris County.”
The judge’s decision to set the bond so high may have been influenced by Clark’s possessions when found on December 2. He was taken into custody with a passport, a Mexican itinerary, and plenty of cash. Authorities report he may have been planning to flee the country, but his lawyers argue that is not the case. The motion cites his significant ties to the community, including living in Harris County his whole life and being enrolled as a student at Houston Community College.
Clark appeared for his bond reduction hearing earlier this morning, but the request was not granted. Instead, District Judge Josh Hill said he would consider a $1,000,000 bond if Clark wears an ankle monitor that reports his real-time location to the court. That outcome will require another motion filed by his lawyers. Another court hearing for this case is scheduled on December 20.