ORLANDO, Fla. – Almost three years after 24-year-old Sade Dixon was fatally shot outside her parents’ home, her family is still waiting for justice.
Dixon, a mother of two, was expecting when she was killed Dec. 13, 2016. Her ex-boyfriend, Markeith Loyd, is accused of killing her and their unborn child.
Loyd is also accused of killing Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton when she attempted to arrest him outside a Walmart for Dixon’s death.
Currently, Loyd is set to have separate murder trials in the deaths of Dixon and Clayton. The trial in Dixon's death is scheduled to begin in September. Loyd's second trial is scheduled for May 2020.
Loyd faces the death penalty if convicted on either first-degree murder charge.
Loyd’s defense team is attempting to combine the trials, which Dixon’s family said they are against.
"Both families need justice, but our daughter deserves justice as well - separately from the Clayton case, because they were two separate cases," said Dixon’s father, Ron Daniels.
However, on Tuesday, before Judge Leticia J. Marques could address several motions, including to combine Dixon’s murder case with Clayton's, the defense asked for a competency hearing for Loyd, possibly further delaying the trial.
The request was met with approval after Loyd spoke for more than 20 minutes claiming his innocence and saying he loved Dixon and wouldn’t hurt her.
Dixon's parents never looked at Loyd during the hearing and were disappointed with the outcome.
"It was a full circus. He knows what he’s doing," Dixon’s mother, Stephanie Dixon Daniels, said. "As far as I’m concerned, he knows what he did and he knows the truth."
With Dixon’s parents sitting in the courtroom Loyd tried to defend his past actions. He talked about Dixon and said he loved her. He said he’s hurt, too.
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"I would never do that,” Loyd said. “If I was guilty, I wouldn’t be in here talking to you.”
Loyd repeatedly said in court Tuesday he tried to turn himself into authorities on two occasions before he was caught in January 2017.
"I been trying to turn myself in. I told the investigator turn myself in, retract that lie. I know y’all trying to kill me," Loyd said.
Loyd was wanted by law enforcement for charges related to Dixon’s death for more than a month before he was arrested. After Clayton was gunned down Jan. 9, 2017, the reward for his arrest went up to $100,000.
In court, when Loyd was order to undergo an evaluation, he said, “I ain’t need to talk anybody, I’m not crazy.”
Loyd will be evaluated by a doctor to determine if he is competent to stand trail on first-degree murder charges. Dixon’s family knows this could mean another delay in justice.
"We understand you have to go through the process, and this process has been super long," Daniels said.