Jury selection begins in Markeith Loyd’s murder trial

ORLANDO, Fla. — Jury selection started Friday morning in Markeith Loyd’s murder trial.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Loyd in the fatal shooting of Lt. Debra Clayton in 2017. At the time, Loyd was on the run for killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon.

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He was sentenced to life in prison for her murder.

Hundreds of jurors will be brought in because of the high-profile nature of the case. They will wear clear masks and COVID-19 testing will be available if needed.

READ: Markeith Loyd will no longer represent himself in murder trial of Orlando police officer

A judge set aside a month to pick the jury, but in the last trial for Loyd, it took just six days to seat a jury.

Judge Leticia Marques told the potential jurors that serving will be a big commitment.

The trial could go as long as three weeks, and jurors can expect to be sequestered.

READ: ‘Officer Debra was love’ — Friends and family remember slain Orlando officer at candlelight vigil

The issue for some is that it’s not financially feasible to be out of work that long or be away for their jobs for weeks at at time.

But dozens of jurors already have been told to come back for individual questioning, which will include their thoughts on insanity, beliefs about the death penalty, and how much they know about the case.

READ: Judge denies accused police officer killer Markeith Loyd’s request to delay trial further

Loyd is using a defense of insanity, saying that he was afraid that police would kill him when he was on the run for killing Dixon.

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