Man charged with murder of Takeoff released on $1 million bail
Patrick Clark will remain under house arrest until his trial
By Joe Goggins
The man charged with the murder of Migos rapper Takeoff has been released from jail on a $1 million bond.
The legal team representing Patrick Clark had previously argued against the seven-figure sum set for his bail at a hearing on December 28; the judge in the case had previously halved the figure from the $2 million (£1.68 million) initially set, but refused a further reduction to $300,000 (£252,000) at the behest of lawyers who claimed Clark was unable to raise $1 million (£843,000).
Now, however, Rolling Stone reports that he has secured the asking price and, with it, his freedom from Harris County Jail in Texas until his trial for the killing of Takeoff, real name Kirshnik Ball, begins. The rapper, who enjoyed platinum-selling success in Migos alongside his uncle, Quavo, and first cousin once removed, Offset, was shot dead in his native Houston on November 1, after apparently having been hit by a stray bullet after shots were fired following a disagreement over a game of dice. Police said Takeoff was “an innocent bystander” who was not involved in the dispute.
Clark was arrested on December 1, having apparently researched how to secure fake plane tickets with which to flee the United States. He will remain under house arrest as part of the conditions of his bail, per TMZ, and must wear a GPS tag at all times. He is forbidden from contacting anybody involved in the case, including the other members of Migos and the music executive J Prince.
Addressing the question of how Clark was able to secure the funds and post bail, his attorney, Letitia Quinones, told CNN in a statement: “Neither Patrick nor his family posted the bond in this case. A concerned citizen and family friend who believes in Patrick’s innocence posted the bond on his behalf.” She confirmed Clark’s intention to “comply fully” with the bail terms, and promised that he would “appear for proceedings whenever the court requires him to do so.”
“We believe Patrick is innocent and at the appropriate time, the evidence will reveal that to be the case,” she said in conclusion. Takeoff’s passing at the age of 28 led to an outpouring of grief across the hip hop and wider music world, with tributes paid by the likes of Drake, Travis Scott and AJ Tracey; meanwhile, Quavo dropped the solo tribute single ‘Without You’ yesterday (January 5).