ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The man accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend and an Orlando police lieutenant has a new lawyer and the first of his two murder trials just got pushed back to the start of next year.
Markeith Loyd is accused of gunning down Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton in a Walmart parking lot in January 2017 after she recognized him as being sought in the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, and her unborn child in December 2016.
Loyd was on the run for nine days before his capture, investigators said.
Orange County Deputy Norm Lewis was killed in a motorcycle crash while responding in the search for Loyd.
Loyd is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, and her unborn baby in December of 2016. #WFTV pic.twitter.com/tjeuZIwQCf
— Field Sutton (@EFieldSutton) July 17, 2018
Loyd is also accused of killing @OrlandoPolice Lt. Debra Clayton in January of 2017. #WFTV pic.twitter.com/ZuAf0lrNv3
— Field Sutton (@EFieldSutton) July 17, 2018
Loyd’s previous attorney, Roger Weeden, left voluntarily because the judge worried he wasn’t legally qualified to represent Loyd.
Loyd will now be represented by well-known Miami attorney Terrance Lenamon, who joined Tuesday’s hearing via video conferencing.
Loyd has been asking to have Lenamon represent him since the beginning of the case, and has been in the loop for some time.
Read: Markeith Loyd withdraws new attorney motion, asks that prosecutor be removed
“[Lenamon] was already being aprised of what was going on in the case. We had discussed certain issues with him before, so he knew what was going on in the case,” said Ted Marrero, Loyd’s second chair attorney, who also said that while the change of attorneys causes an automatic delay for the trial, it’s faster than starting from scratch.
At the end of Tuesday’s hearing, Loyd lashed out in court.
“What I’m saying is more has to be done in my case. And we’ve wasted a year and a half with an incompetent lawyer,” Loyd exploded.
Loyd: “You can’t force us to go to trial real quick when nothing has been done on my case for a year and a half. No investigation, nothing.” #WFTV
— Field Sutton (@EFieldSutton) July 17, 2018
Loyd and his new attorney are scheduled to be in court for a status hearing August 1.
Read: Transcript of Markeith Loyd interrogation (WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE)
On Monday, a judge denied his request to have the prosecutor removed from his case, claiming a conflict of interest.
The one thing we know for certain today is that the court plans on taking up the issue of Loyd's representation going forward. Defense attorney Roger Weeden bowed out over a technicality, leaving the first chair spot on Loyd's team open with a September trial looming. #WFTV
— Field Sutton (@EFieldSutton) July 17, 2018
Read: Markeith Loyd withdraws new attorney motion, asks that prosecutor be removed
Loyd and his legal team claim a conflict of interest based on the fact that State Attorney Brad King, who was appointed to the case when State Attorney Aramis Ayala refused to pursue the death penalty, could be in a unique position to learn secrets about the defense because he serves on the state's Justice Administrative Commission.
Ahead of today's hearing, Loyd had filed a handwritten motion with the court making a second attempt at ousting prosecutor Brad King from the case based on an alleged conflict of interest. That was denied in a written order yesterday. #WFTV
— Field Sutton (@EFieldSutton) July 17, 2018
Loyd and his attorneys made their case for removing King in June as the JAC's general counsel testified by phone that King doesn't handle much.
"The commissioners have no role in our day-to-day operations," attorney Ana Martinez said.
King testified that he has no intention of seeking information.
"There are only two grounds to disqualify the state attorney's office," assistant state attorney Ric Ridgway said. "Neither of those has been demonstrated."
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King's team argued that you could put anyone else in that chairmanship and nothing would change, but Chief Judge Frederick Lauten disagreed.
When Loyd was taken to the Orlando Police Department's headquarters after his arrest in January 2017, his face was bloody and bruised, and he yelled, “They beat me up” to Channel 9’s cameras.
Loyd suffered a fractured eye socket and other injuries to his face.
Watch: Markeith Loyd goes on profanity-laced rant during first court appearance
The judge handling the case said he needs two more weeks to decide whether to take the lead prosecutor off the case.
"What we have here is a scenario in which Brad King is wearing two hats," said Roger Weeden, Loyd's attorney.
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