ORLANDO, Fla. — Sade Dixon’s mother is coming to the defense of her daughter after a lengthy day in court, as the defense team for Markeith Loyd has asked for access to an Instagram post from Dixon.
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Dixon’s accused murderer Loyd was back in court Tuesday, with his defense team going back and forth over motions pertaining to one of his murder trials.
Not only is he accused of killing Dixon and her unborn child but also Lt. Deborah Clayton a month later.
The defense wants access to an Instagram post that shows Dixon with two guns. This will be key in their strategy to show Dixon’s knowledge of guns.
But Dixon’s mother Stephanie made sure to tell Spectrum News to not believe how the defense is painting her daughter.
“Shooting guns, carrying guns, making her seem to be a 'thug.' She is not a thug. She was born and raised a middle class, straight A, B student, commendable in all ways. She would give you the shirt off of her back,” said Stephanie Dixon-Daniels.
“We believe this is evidence that is extremely relevant to show … her and my client’s knowledge of her awareness of guns and the use of guns,” said Terence Lenamon, defense attorney.
But social media requests were just a small part of Tuesday’s hearing, where more than 70 motions were hashed out.
One motion pertained to discovered wiretaps of Loyd issued by the court, a point that is holding up the defense from interviewing certain witnesses.
The defense says they learned Saturday of wire taps the court was reportedly involved in. Because of that, Loyd’s attorneys wanted all that material and requested a "stay on the case" to go through it.
Chief Judge Frederick Lauten denied the stay, but did grant that all the information connected to those wire taps, warrants, and GPS trackers be turned over to the defense.
But within all this, the defense hinted and wanted to know how Lauten was chosen for the case, saying he is too close to preside over it, going back as far as Loyd's arrest.
Lauten says he came to take the case because his position as chief judge gives him a smaller docket, which allows him to take on a case of this magnitude.
He ordered the tapes to be turned over to the defense by Friday. But that might not stop the defense team from asking the judge to still be recused from the trial.
Earlier in the day, they hinted that he was too close to the case to preside over it.
It’s a point Dixon-Daniels strongly contested.
Other motions discussed included law enforcement personnel files, body camera video, and even the investigation into use of force during Loyd’s arrest.