ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orange County Circuit Court judge on Monday denied a defense request that he remove himself from presiding over the trial for Markeith Loyd, accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend and then an Orlando police officer.
Chief Judge Frederick Lauten denied the motion filed by Loyd's attorneys last Tuesday requesting that he disqualify himself from overing the first-degree murder trial.
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Loyd is accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon, who was pregnant, on Dec. 10 2017, and then on Jan. 9 killing Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton when she attempted to arrest him.
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Loyd's lawyer, Terry Lenamon, argued that Lauten may not be able to be impartial because before being assigned to the case, he had signed off on warrants during the three-week search for Loyd.
"I need you to back away from this case and provide me the information I’m requesting so we can raise -- in good faith -- a motion to recuse," Lenamon said to Lauten in court last week.
The court found the motion legally insufficient.
Last month, Loyd's first trial was rescheduled for May, but a date was not set for his second trial.