An attorney representing Takeoff murder suspect Patrick Xavier Clark denied allegations claiming Clark tried to flee to Mexico at a court hearing on Monday (December 5).
Clark’s lawyer Letitia Quinones admitted her client purchased tickets to go to Mexico, but she insisted it was a pre-planned vacation. Quinones said Clark, 33, wasn’t trying to flee the country to escape arrest.
“There’s other circumstances surrounding that,” she told reporters. “That was something that was already pre-planned. And it was canceled before he was arrested. I think that’s important. He wasn’t trying to go anywhere.”
Police said Clark had a passport and a large amount of cash on him when he was arrested for Takeoff’s murder. Prosecutors believed he was a flight risk.
A judge set Clark’s bond at $2 million. Clark’s lawyers asked for a bond reduction hearing at Monday’s court appearance.
Clark was arrested and charged with Takeoff’s murder on December 1. Investigators used videos, prints from a wine bottle, phone records and a vehicle to help identify Takeoff’s killer.
“We had to rely on a large volume of video, cell phone, things that surfaced over time,” Homicide Division Sgt. Michael Burrow said. “We had to sift through that, physical evidence, shooting evidence and things that surfaced over time.”
Takeoff was shot and killed at a Houston bowling alley on November 1. He was 28.
