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Markeith Loyd found guilty of murdering pregnant ex-girlfriend: What happens next?

ORLANDO, Fla. — A jury found Markeith Loyd guilty on all counts Wednesday leaving them with one decision left: Will the convicted murderer live or die?

Loyd is facing the death penalty or life in prison after being convicted of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, as well as her unborn baby.

In total, after four and a half hours of deliberation, the jury found Loyd guilty every count possible, including: two counts of first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon, attempted first-degree murder, attempted felony murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The penalty phase will begin Monday.

Loyd's attorney said in a statement: "I think the death penalty is the wrong message from our community. I am hopeful the jury will give Markeith life in prison."

Channel 9 legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said he thinks Loyd getting the death penalty is a real possibility.

"The time it took the jury to deliver this verdict and the force of this verdict, guilty on every single count,  tells me it's going to be a job for this defense to convince the jury not to recommend death," Sheaffer said.

Loyd's second murder trial is scheduled to get underway next year. He is accused of shooting and killing Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton outside an Orange County Walmart while he was on the run after shooting Dixon. He is also facing the death penalty in that case.

Tears fell in the courtroom when the verdicts came in declaring Loyd guilty, but not from the man convicted of murder.

Channel 9 reporters in the courtroom said Loyd didn't seem surprised when the verdicts were read.

The family of Dixon, on the other hand, cried and consoled each other saying they could finally find closure nearly three years after the carnage took place outside their Orlando home.

"I'm in tears of joy. Now we can have some type of closure," Dixon's mother, Stephanie Dixon-Daniels, said.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, who served as Orange County sheriff when the shootings happened, released the following statement on the verdict:

"I am relieved that the facts and evidence in this case have resulted in the conviction of a dangerous individual. I believe that justice has been served and I look forward to the sentencing phase of this trial."

Dixon-Daniels said she is ecstatic at the jury's decision.

"They did an awesome job," Dixon-Daniels said of the jury. "They came back quickly with the right verdict. They saw through the defense's smokescreen, and they saw the truth. They saw the physical evidence and everything was taken care of, so I'm ecstatic."

Before the jury deliberated, Judge Leticia Marques asked Loyd if there was anything he was not satisfied with. Loyd said he had issues about the closing arguments, calling it, "The BS they wrote up."

Loyd also asked for blood tests to be done because officers moved the body

The trial saw Loyd seemingly contradict himself at times, saying the shooting of his ex-girlfriend was in self-defense, but also that he removed a gun from Dixon's hands before the situation was able to escalate.

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