Officials have determined that four officers were justified when they used deadly force during double murder suspect Markeith Loyd’s arrest.
The defendant shot and killed Police Lt. Debra Clayton on January 9, 2017, when she tried to bring him in on a warrant in the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon. The manhunt intensified. Loyd went blind in his left eye from injuries sustained when he was finally arrested days later on January 17. Footage shows the arresting officers striking the defendant after he crawled out of a residence. The camera immediately zooms back and to the side of the incident
In december 2021 a jury of 12 ,the same jury who found him guilty of first -degree murder the month prior unanimously recommended that this time around, Markeith receive the death penalty on march 23rd 2022 about 5 years after Lt Debra clayton was shot and killed .
Markeith Loyd was sentenced to death.
The Florida Supreme Court officially upheld his conviction and death sentence in November 2023.
oyd attempted to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but they declined to review his case (denied certiorari) on October 15, 2024.
In late 2025, his defense attorneys stepped down after receiving threats of physical violence from Loyd. New state-appointed attorneys from the Capital Collateral Regional Counsel were assigned to his post-conviction relief process in July 2026.
Because death row inmates in Florida have a multi-layered post-conviction appeals process available in both state and federal courts, it typically takes many years before a governor signs an official execution warrant.
