ORLANDO, Fla. — Jurors in the Markeith Loyd murder trial are expected to get the case in less than 24 hours and will decide Loyd’s fate in the death of his ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon.
- Markeith Loyd testified that Sade Dixon pulled gun on him first
- Loyd is accused of killing Sade Dixon, unborn child
- He will also face trial in shooting death of Orlando police officer
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Jurors will hear closing arguments from attorneys on both sides Wednesday morning. Tuesday afternoon the judge and attorneys went over the instructions they’ll give to the jury.
When he took the stand on Tuesday, Judge Leticia Marques told Loyd several times to answer the questions the prosecution has asked him directly and not to stray from the topics.
Both Monday and Tuesday, while on the stand, Loyd, who is on trial for the death of Dixon, told jurors that he broke up with Dixon, but still wanted to work things out, because she was pregnant.
On December 13, 2016, he went to Dixon's parents' house, where she confronted him about having sex with one of his ex-girlfriends.
"My goal is to explain myself so she won't be so mad, and if she wanted to get back together, I would," Loyd told jurors.
Loyd said things escalated with Dixon.
"I go to the side of the house and she's got a gun," he said.
Loyd said after Dixon pulled out a gun, he took out two of his guns. According to Loyd, Dixon's brother Ron Dixon grabbed him. Loyd said he feared for his life, so he acted in self defense.
Loyd said on Tuesday that he went into "war mode" and shot at his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon.
Listen to #MarkeithLoyd talk about going in to "War mode," and shooting Sade Dixon. @MyNews13 #News13Orange pic.twitter.com/B23uwmmf1S
— Spectrum News Asher Wildman (@AsherWildman13) October 15, 2019
Loyd also said that he is a victim in all of this.
Before the state finished questions to #MarkeithLoyd they asked if any of this is his fault? Here's his response, as well as him saying he is the victim. @MyNews13 #News13Orange pic.twitter.com/ylWAJcY9YJ
— Spectrum News Asher Wildman (@AsherWildman13) October 15, 2019
Regarding a text message he sent to Dixon after he left her housing following the shooting, Loyd said that his text to her was misspelled.
State asks #MarkeithLoyd about the text he sent Sade Dixon after he shot her, "Hope you don't make it." Loyd says it was a typo, "It was suppose to say hope you do make it, I have a lot of typos in my texts." @MyNews13
— Spectrum News Asher Wildman (@AsherWildman13) October 15, 2019
#News13Orange
As Loyd stepped down from the stand on Tuesday, the defense rested and the state asked the judge if the lead detective for the shooting death of Orlando Police Department Lt. Deborah Clayton could take the stand.
Markeith Loyd took the stand to testify, explaining his relationship with Sade Dixon, and what happened the night she was killed. @AsherWildman13 asks, do you think him testifying helped his case or hurt it?
— Spectrum News 13 (@MyNews13) October 15, 2019
Get the latest here: https://t.co/rYv5VyKkDh
Loyd was not spotted until a month later, when he was confronted by Clayton at an Orlando Walmart. He is accused of shooting and killing Clayton. He will face another trial for her murder.
The state wanted to show video from the Orlando Walmart shooting of Clayton, in order to dispute what Loyd said on the stand when he testified.
However, Marques refused the request of showing the video.
The defense asked for an acquittal, saying the state did not prove that Loyd did not act in self defense, however, the judge said the state met the burden of proof and denies the defense's motions.
On Monday, Loyd told jurors he spent about a week in Volusia County before returning to the Orlando area, where he was captured at an abandoned house.
He says if Dixon never pulled the gun on him, this never would have happened.
"(The police) was setting me up, if they had killed me, nobody would have known about the gun, nobody would have known. I would have been the monster that this fake news done created," Loyd said.
A juror felt dizzy, ending cross examination of Loyd on Monday evening. The prosecution will pick back up with questioning of Loyd Tuesday morning.
After Loyd's testimony wraps up, his defense attorneys are expected to call a firearms expert to the stand before attorneys present closing arguments.
The jury could begin deliberations by Wednesday.
There was another juror issue that came up on Tuesday.
Apparently on Monday night during the jury's dinner together, they are sequestered at a hotel and a juror asked other jurors about the shooting of Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton, which is being mentioned in this trial, but not that she was killed.
The judge asked jurors about that and has instructed jurors that until they go into deliberations they cannot discuss the case.
They are not expected to deliberate until after attorneys make their closing arguments on Wednesday morning.
Also on Monday, an alternate juror was dismissed after telling the judge she overheard a conversation about guns between other jury members and a deputy during some down time, that could influence her decision making.
On Saturday, a juror was dismissed because of some discrepancies about what she told the court about her job status.