ORLANDO, Fla. — (AP) — Jury selection resumed for the second day for the trial of a man accused of killing a police officer after he fatally shot his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
Markeith Loyd, 46, is charged with first-degree murder in the 2017 shooting death of Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton. Loyd has already been convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the killing of his former girlfriend, Sade Dixon.
WATCH: Jury selection begins in Markeith Loyd’s murder trial
Loyd again could face the death penalty if convicted in Clayton’s slaying. He has pleaded not guilty.
Jury selection began Friday with an initial pool of 240 people.
Circuit Judge Leticia Marques said once selected, jurors will be sequestered at a nearby hotel to avoid their seeing or reading news about the case.
“When jurors get information from outside the courtroom, you are violating everyone’s right to a fair and open examination of the evidence,” Marques told potential jurors.
Prosecutors said Loyd fatally shot Clayton Jan. 9, 2017, at a Walmart when she tried to arrest him for killing Dixon a few weeks earlier.
READ: A timeline of the Markeith Loyd cases
Dozens of jurors were called back on Monday for more questioning.
The judge got a good idea of just how many people knew about this case.
Jurors were asked about not only if they could put aside that Loyd has already been convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, but also how they felt about mental health. Loyd is using an insanity defense.
READ: Who was Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton?
Loyd has said that he allegedly shot and killed Clayton because he had a brain injury and that he feared for his life because of the tensions between the Black community and police.
Jurors have been asked to come back for a third day, and they will wait to hear later this week when that will be.
They were told when they come back to pack a suitcase, because if they are picked they will be sequestered immediately.
The trial is expected to last up to three weeks.
Channel 9 will will have continuing coverage of the trial on Eyewitness News.
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