ORLANDO, Fla.—A Florida man was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder in the shooting death of an Orlando police officer who was trying to arrest him outside a Walmart store for the earlier slaying of his pregnant former girlfriend.
Markeith Loyd was convicted of killing Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton on Jan. 9, 2017 as she tried to arrest him in the fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon. Dixon was shot weeks earlier.
The 12-person jury in Orlando deliberated for about five hours over two days. Loyd remained expressionless as the verdict was read. Loyd, 46, faces a potential death sentence.
Loyd had pleaded not guilty. He testified that he shot Clayton in self-defense, and that he did not intend to kill her. Loyd’s attorneys argued that Loyd was insane when he shot Clayton.
He has already been convicted of first-degree murder for killing Dixon and her unborn child. The jury in that case recommended he be sentenced to life in prison.
