ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — During his testimony on Tuesday, Markeith Loyd told a jury that he pointed a gun at his ex-girlfriend and intentionally pulled the trigger.
Loyd attempted to convince jurors that his ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon was vindictive and out to ruin his life.
"She was mad because I was moving on with my life and she was losing her kid," Loyd said while on the stand.
Throughout the trial, the testimony had been that Loyd showed up to Dixon's house the night she died because he was worried that she was going to have an abortion. Loyd said that when he arrived, Dixon ran inside and retrieved a gun.
"She had her hand on it, but she didn't pull it out," Loyd said.
He later admitted that he got the gun out of her hand before the situation escalated and also that he had never been worried about Dixon's brother, Ronald Stewart Jr., having a gun.
Although his testimony seemingly contradicts claims of self-defense, Loyd said he felt he was under attack, so he went on the defense.
"I went into warrior mode," Loyd said. "I reacted because I was being attacked."
Loyd was later caught falling asleep by the judge during jury instructions.
As testimony concluded, additional jurors were nearly kicked off the case due to conversations regarding the case that happened at the hotel. Judge Leticia Marques has already dismissed two jurors from the case.
At least some of the discussions outside the courtroom have involved questions to the court security deputies assigned to jurors while they're sequestered. Another juror was questioned by the judge after she had asked a deputy about gun ownership.
While the juror who had the conversation with the deputy is still on the case, a juror who overheard the conversation was dismissed after she told the judge she wasn't certain if she could remain impartial. The deputy involved is no longer a part of the trial.
The judge and attorneys have been working on instructions that will be read to the jurors before they begin deliberations Wednesday.
Closing arguments are scheduled for 9 a.m.
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