Jury hears more details about the night Pat Stay died
The trial of Adam Drake, the man accused of second-degree murder in the death of Dartmouth battle rapper Pat Stay, is currently underway in Nova Scotia Supreme Court. The chaotic scene at a downtown Halifax bar on the night of Stay’s fatal stabbing is being dissected in detail as witnesses testify about the events that unfolded.
Witnesses have described seeing Stay staggering through the Yacht Club Social with a large bloodstain on his shirt in the early hours of September 4, 2022. Brennan Hartling, a provincial enforcement officer, recounted how he witnessed Stay’s condition deteriorating, with the color draining from his face. Hartling, along with two police constables, was already in the bar investigating a complaint of overcrowding when the stabbing occurred.
Hartling noted that there were 188 people in the bar that night, just under the capacity limit of 195. As he was heading to the front of the nightclub to compare numbers with the bar staff, he noticed the commotion. Stay eventually collapsed on Lower Water Street, where he was found trying to maintain his balance before collapsing next to a planter.
Surveillance footage played in court showed the moment of the stabbing, with Stay making his way to the VIP section before being sucker-punched from behind. The video captured Stay staggering out of view after the attack. Bar co-owner Kevin MacLean testified about his actions following the stabbing, including instructing the DJ to lower the music and observing a security guard cleaning blood from the floor.
Police officers inside the club identified a person of interest in the stabbing and put out an alert for his arrest. The suspect was later intercepted by patrol officers on Quinpool Road and taken into custody. Testimony from employees of the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel revealed that Drake had checked in without a reservation and paid cash for a room two days before the incident.
The ongoing trial is shedding light on the events leading up to Pat Stay’s tragic death and the actions taken in the aftermath of the stabbing. As the case continues to unfold in court, more details are expected to emerge about the circumstances surrounding this senseless act of violence.
