ORLANDO, Fla. — (WESH) – A verdict has been reached in Markeith Loyd’s first-degree murder trial for the December 2016 killing of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon.
Loyd is also accused of shooting and killing Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton and will go to trial in that case at a later date.
Loyd testified that he was defending himself when he shot Dixon during an argument outside of her family’s home in December of 2016.
Prosecutors pointed out that Loyd could have left at any time, and asked Loyd why he did not get in his car and drive away.
“If she asked me to leave, told me to leave, I would have left,” Loyd said.
Loyd said he met Dixon when she sent him a friend request on Facebook and jurors were shown a video of the couple appearing happy at a sonogram just days before the shooting.
Loyd said he was trying to convince Dixon not to get an abortion the night she was killed. It was stated during the trial that Loyd and Dixon had been arguing about Dixon eating meat and smoking marijuana while she was pregnant.
The trial also included emotional testimony from members of Dixon’s family.
Dixon’s brother Ronald Steward, who survived the shooting, testified that Loyd pulled a gun when he tried to get them to stop arguing.
“He held it up and before he did that I was like it’s not that serious, bro. And I had my hands up like this,” Steward said, motioning with his hands in the air.
