Takeoff Murder Trial Rescheduled For April 2027

Patrick Xavier Clark’s murder trial in the killing of Takeoff is now set for April 15, 2027, moving the case out of its planned November start.

The Harris County District Clerk’s public docket lists a 9 A.M. trial setting on April 15 for Clark’s murder case. The setting is marked as a jury trial. The same docket shows that an October 8 pretrial conference was “Reset Upon Defense Request.”

The public record does not say when the April date was first entered. It was visible when the docket was reviewed on November 3. Cause No. 179722001010 remains active, and Clark is listed as free on bond.

That is a major shift from the schedule announced earlier this year. Clark’s attorney at the time told KPRC 2 in February that the trial would begin November 9, with jury selection starting November 5.

Clark is charged with murder in the November 1, 2022 shooting that killed Takeoff, whose legal name was Kirsnick Khari Ball. Prosecutors have accused Clark of firing toward a group outside 810 Billiards & Bowling in downtown Houston after an argument connected to a dice game. Takeoff was not involved in the game or the dispute, police said.

Investigators have said surveillance video showed Clark pointing and firing a gun. They also said his fingerprints were found on a wine bottle left at the scene. Clark has consistently denied firing the fatal shots, and his defense team maintains that he did not kill the 28-year-old Migos rapper.

The defense has continued working on the physical evidence as the case moved toward trial. In September, Clark asked for access to the bullets and other evidence held by Houston police so an independent expert could examine the material.

Clark also changed lawyers in March. Court filings showed that Houston defense attorney Kent Schaffer replaced Letitia Quinones-Hollins, while Dan Cogdell and Anthony Osso joined the team. The current docket lists Schaffer as Clark’s attorney of record.

The April setting comes more than four years after Takeoff was killed. Two other people were wounded in the shooting and survived. Clark was arrested in December 2022, released on $1 million bond in January 2023 and indicted on a murder charge that May. His next listed setting is the April jury trial.