ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A jury found Markeith Loyd guilty Wednesday of murdering an Orlando police officer who died in early 2017, one month after he shot and killed his pregnant ex-girlfriend, according to WFTV.
Jurors returned a guilty verdict for Loyd on one count of first-degree murder in the death of Lt. Debra Clayton, WFTV reported. At the time of the shooting, Loyd was on the run after killing his ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, and her unborn child, according to the news station.
Clayton had worked for the Orlando Police Department for 17 years before her death. She was survived by her husband and her son, according to WFTV.
>> On WFTV.com: Who was Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton?
“Everything she worked for, she died for,” Clayton’s son, Johnny, said during a memorial after her death, WFTV reported. “She loved people, and she loved to save people and help people.”
In a statement released by Orlando police, Chief Orlando Rolon called the verdict “a step towards justice for Lieutenant Debra Clayton, her family, the members of the Orlando Police Department, the community and all who loved our hero.”
Former Orlando Police Chief John Mina told WFTV that Clayton was shot outside a Walmart Supercenter after she attempted to question Loyd for his ex-girlfriend’s murder. Dixon was shot to death outside her Pine Hill home on Dec. 13, 2016. Three years later, a jury found Loyd guilty of first-degree murder in her death, according to WFTV. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.
>> On WFTV.com: Who is Markeith Loyd?
The penalty phase of the trial will begin Friday, WFTV reported. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Loyd, according to the news station.
