Orange County

Trial date set for accused police officer killer Markeith Loyd

During a hearing on Monday, a judge set a tentative trial date for the man accused of killing an Orlando police lieutenant.

Markeith Loyd was already convicted of killing his pregnant girlfriend, Sade Dixon.

READ: Markeith Loyd’s attorney files motion to dismiss Lt. Debra Clayton murder trial

His trial for Lt. Debra Clayton’s murder is now set for Oct. 8.

The judge said the trial is expected to last four to six weeks.

Monday’s hearing was the first one in the case this year.

READ: A timeline of the Markeith Loyd cases

Loyd made it clear in court on Monday that he intends to talk about why he, like other Black men in America, are afraid of police.

His attorney said they plan to bring up the bias of Orlando police because of the officer’s death and the abuse Loyd suffered after Loyd said he surrendered. They said that will be important in the penalty phase if it gets that far.

See updates from the hearing live on the free WFTV news app or the free WFTV Now app for your smart TV.

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Katlyn Brieskorn, WFTV.com

Katlyn Brieskorn is a Digital Assignment Editor at WFTV. She joined Channel 9 in July 2019.