TakeOff’s alleged killer has been granted $5,000 to hire a private investigator from the judge presiding over the case.
According to NBC News, Patrick Xavier Clark, the man accused of murdering TakeOff outside 810 Billiards and Bowling Alley in Houston last month, made the request to the judge according to a motion filed on Monday (December 5).
AD LOADING...
Per the terms of the agreement, the private investigator pledged to take on the case for a price that was lower than the normal rate and he will also receive a printer and laptop from the sheriff’s office.
During the proceedings, Clark was “indigent” and his family claimed they have used up most of their resources to pay for his legal bills, the motion reads.
AD LOADING...
When Houston police announced Clark’s arrest last week, they claimed that he was planning to flee the country and obtained a passport and tickets to Mexico shortly before he was apprehended.
His attorneys argued that the trip was preplanned. “That was something that was already pre-planned, and it was canceled before he was arrested. So, I think that’s important. He wasn’t trying to go anywhere,” said Letitia Quinones of Quinones & Associates.
AD LOADING...
FOX 5 reported that Clark’s legal team said after the preliminary hearing that they didn’t want their client “to be tried in the court of public opinion.” They are seeking a trial that unbiased and fair.
“So, we just ask that everyone keep an opened mind and let the system and constitution do its part; and that is right now, he’s innocent until proven guilty,” said Letitia Quinones, with Quinones & Associates.
AD LOADING...
Meanwhile, new details surrounding the Migos rapper’s murder emerged on Friday (December 9). According to an affidavit viewed by New York Times reporter Joe Coscarelli, the shooting took place after a fist fight ensued in defense of Quavo.
Quavo was involved in a lucrative dice game outside Houston’s 810 Billiards and Bowling Alley and then got into an argument after losing money to a pair of individuals.
AD LOADING...
A man identified as Willie Bland then got involved in a physical confrontation in defense of Quavo and ended up striking one of the opposing individuals, per video surveillance footage.
Two people then exchanged gunfire, one of which has been confirmed to be Bland. However, the location of Bland at the time of the shooting was not consistent with the injuries suffered by TakeOff to deem him responsible for his death.
TakeOff’s death is still reverberating throughout the Hip Hop community and tributes to the late Migos rapper have poured in to honor his memory.
Artist Ron Da Don presented a one-of-a-kind portrait of TakeOff to his father, Kenneth Ball. “Oh my God! Wow! Oh man, oh man,” Ball said. “I love the eyes. And the pictures! Wow.”
AD LOADING...
“So hopefully when times get a little hard, you know, you get to missing him, you can just look at the picture,” Ron said to Ball. “I wanted it to seem like he was a part of the galaxy.”
Since his tragic and untimely passing, TakeOff’s Instagram following has gained over a million new followers.
AD LOADING...
A screenshot taken around at the time of his death displayed 7.7 million followers and since his passing, he’s added about a million followers with his account (at the time of writing) boasting 9 million followers and counting.