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Convicted killer Markeith Loyd to represent himself in murder case

Judge grants Loyd’s motion to act as own attorney at trial in death of Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Convicted killer Markeith Loyd will act as his own attorney in his upcoming trial for the death of Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton.

A judge granted Loyd’s handwritten motion on Monday, according to the Orange County Clerk of Courts website. It is not clear exactly when the motion was filed, but the postmark on the document shows a date of July 27, 2021.

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In the motion, Loyd cites section 1 of the 14th Amendment, ”Nor shall any state deprive any person of the life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny any person within it’s (sic) jurisdiction the equal protection of the law,” as well as the 6th amendment, ”expressing the peoples (sic) right of self representation (sic).

The judge also ordered that attorneys Teodoro Marrero and Terrance Lenamon remain on as standby counsel to Loyd.

As of this writing, Loyd’s trial for the shooting death of Clayton is scheduled to start Oct. 8.

A hearing was held Tuesday morning in the case, but Loyd did not attend.

The hearing focused on attorney fees for Lenamon, who’s accused by a state agency of submitting excessive legal bills on behalf of Loyd, saying he did not have enough documentation detailing the hours he claimed to have worked on Loyd’s case.

Both sides agreed to reduce fees owed to Lenamon by about $8,000, and the judge ruled that he was entitled to 80% of the reduced fees, which totaled $53,672.

Loyd is accused of shooting and killing the Orlando police officer outside of a Walmart in 2016. The shooting occurred while Loyd was on the run for killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, outside her home.

[RELATED: Timeline: How the hunt for Markeith Loyd unfolded]

If convicted of killing Clayton, Loyd could face the death penalty.

Loyd was convicted of killing Dixon in Oct. 2019. He’s also already serving a life sentence for that conviction.


About the Author
Thomas Mates headshot

Thomas Mates is a Streaming Executive Producer for News 6 and ClickOrlando.com. He also produces the podcast Florida Foodie. Thomas is originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania and worked in Portland, Oregon before moving to Central Florida in August 2018. He graduated from Temple University with a degree in Journalism in 2010.

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