Florida jury recommends cop killer Markeith Loyd be sentenced to death
A Florida jury recommended the death penalty for a convicted cop-killer who gunned down a lieutenant outside a Walmart four years ago.
A jury unanimously agreed Wednesday that Markeith Loyd, 46, should face capital punishment for the 2017 death of Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton, who was fatally shot while trying to arrest him for killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
The 12-member jury deliberated for roughly five hours over two days, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The jurors had convicted Loyd last month of first-degree murder in Clayton’s slaying on Jan. 9, 2017.
Loyd was arrested later that month following a weeklong manhunt. Before killing Clayton, he was being sought in the December 2016 slaying of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, and her unborn child.
Loyd was convicted of first-degree murder for killing Dixon in 2019, but avoided the death penalty when jurors recommended he spend life in prison without parole, the Sentinel reported.
The 46-year-old, twice-convicted killer — who lost his left eye as Florida cops used what a prosecutor deemed “lawful and justified” force while taking him into custody — was removed from the courtroom Wednesday while arguing over when he would formally learn his fate.
“I want to get sentenced today,” Loyd told Circuit Court Judge Leticia Marques, who replied she wouldn’t be doing so.
“These people been trying to kill me,” Loyd shot back. “Walmart never had to happen. I ain’t scared of nothing going on in this courtroom.”
The judge said Loyd could be sentenced on Jan. 14 if he waives his right to final hearing to present additional evidence. Marques will ultimately decide whether to follow the jury’s recommendation or sentence Loyd to life in prison.
Clayton’s husband, meanwhile, characterized the jury’s decision outside the courthouse as “bittersweet,” the Sentinel reported.
“It’s not going to bring Debra back,” Seth Clayton flatly told the newspaper.
One of Clayton’s sisters, Ashley Thomas, said she was a “bit relieved” by the jury’s recommendation.
“I felt like she was there with us,” Thomas said. “I just felt her presence. I’ll always miss her. She got justice today.”
Orlando’s police chief praised the jury for their decision after the “unthinkable loss” of Clayton, 42, who was shot multiple times as she approached Loyd.
“In the years since her death, Lieutenant Clayton’s loved ones and the entire OPD family waited for the day where the defendant would be held accountable for his heinous crimes,” Chief Orlando Rolón said in a statement. “He will now face the highest penalty provided by law.”
Loyd’s attorney said “there were no winners” upon hearing the jurors’ recommendation while saying he wasn’t surprised that his client wanted to be formally sentenced Wednesday.
“Nothing has changed with Markeith — he’s as paranoid and delusional today as he was four years ago when I met him,” attorney Terence Lenamon told the Sentinel.
