Joseph Clarence (1955 - 9 January 2004), nicknamed the "Swing King," was an American businessman who owned the Southland Amusement Park in Baltimore, Maryland. He was forced to close his business when a Ferris wheel collapsed and killed thirty-six people. Stricken with poverty, Clarence rented his park out to a local gangster known as Scoop in exchange for a percentage of profit. Clarence was killed by Agent 47 when the father of a young boy killed in the accident issued a contract with the International Contract Agency to assassinate him.
Biography[]
Early life and career[]
Joseph Clarence was born in 1955 in Baltimore, Maryland. He eventually became a businessman, opening the highly successful Southland Amusement Park in his hometown. Clarence became a very rich man, marrying a beautiful woman named Rachel as a trophy wife, and earning the nickname of the Swing King.
Decline and death[]
Clarence's success distracted him from his business, and he neglected several safety protocols. This came to a head in 1999, when the Ferris wheel at Southland collapsed and killed thirty-six people, and injuring many more. A class-action lawsuit was issued, and Clarence lost nearly his entire fortune. During his various trials, Clarence closed his amusement park; as he was bankrupt, and his debts were exorbitant, he rented the park to a gangster named Scoop in exchange for a cut of the profits from his drug productions, though Scoop muscled Clarence out of the deal. His wife eventually filed for divorce, tired of living in debt.
Clarence was cleared of wrongdoing by 2004, to the anger of the families who lost their loved ones in the accident. One family member, the father of a young boy who lost his life, put out a contract on Clarence's life with the International Contract Agency, who sent their best agent, 47, to eliminate him. After clearing the park of gangsters, 47 confronted Clarence, who begged for his life. As per the contract orders, 47 showed him a picture of the boy he killed, and shot Clarence in the head.