This story was last posted on: 7:28 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017

The man accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend and an Orlando police lieutenant is competent enough to decide whether to waive his right to a lawyer, a judge ruled Thursday. 

During the hearing at the Orange County Courthouse, Markeith Loyd appeared before Chief Judge Frederick Lauten, who determined whether Loyd is capable of representing himself.

It was the first time Loyd met the judge who will preside over his murder trials.

Loyd walked in with his eye still bandaged up. In police helicopter video released a week ago, Loyd appeared to be kicked by officers during his arrest Jan. 17.

After reviewing the charges, Lauten reminded Loyd that he could face life in prison or execution for them. He then asked Loyd whether he wanted to have an attorney appointed to him.

"Mr. Loyd, do you intend on hiring an attorney to represent you or is it your plan to represent yourself?"

"I don't know," Loyd responded. "Since I've been beaten, they haven't let me talk to nobody. I haven't talked to my family. No phone call. I only took one shower. (expletive) They beat me in my eye with a pistol with a gun. I'm losing my eye. I can't open my mouth and eat. I don't know what's going on.

"They beat me in my eye with a pistol, with a gun, knocked my eyeball out. I’m losing my eye," Loyd said.

Unlike previous appearances in front of a judge, the 41-year-old Loyd was more subdued and civil during Thursday's hearing. He sat mostly silent, with this head down, looking into his lap, fidgeting or turning his head as heavily armed Special Response Team officers in vests sat on either side of him. Occasionally, he would offer a short response to Lauten's questions.

Lauten asked him whether he understood the dangers of representing himself or had any questions for the judge.

"For the record, Mr. Loyd is shaking his head no," Lauten said.

The judge asked Loyd whether he any physical limitations — particularly the left eye injury for which he continues to wear a bandage — that would restrict his ability to adequately represent himself.


Chief Judge Frederick Lauten addresses Markeith Loyd during a hearing at the Orange County Courthouse on Thursday morning, Jan. 26, 2017. (News 13)

"Are you able to clearly hear me? Can you hear me all right?" Lauten said. "In other words, can you hear the volume in which I'm speaking? Or not? You want to think about that for a minute?

"It appears to me that you can only see out of one eye. Is that affecting your ability to read?" Lauten asked.

Loyd fidgeted, refusing to answer Lauten's question.

"He appears to understand what is happening in the court today and has just decided to stop participating in the proceeding. For the moment, I find that Mr. Loyd is competent to make the decision to waive counsel," Lauten said.

Addressing Loyd, he said, "I hope you'll carefully consider what we talked about, and I urge you to consider having a lawyer represent you, because these are charges for which the punishment could be life in prison or execution by lethal injection."

Lauten said he would talk to Loyd later about appointing him a stand-by lawyer, in case he needs help representing himself in court.

Loyd is accused in the slayings of pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, in December and Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton earlier this month.

He was charged with several offenses stemming from Dixon's Dec. 13 fatal shooting, including two counts of first-degree homicide (which includes the unlawful killing of an unborn child), one count of attempted first-degree homicide and two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.

Loyd allegedly also shot Dixon's brother, Ronald Stewart, and critically injured him.

According to court documents, Loyd was charged with resisting arrest without violence, after being accused of not following "repeated commands" to put his hands behind his back, before he was taken into custody last week. Loyd told Orange County Judge Jeanette Dejuras Bigney that he did not resist arrest and that law enforcement officers beat him when they arrested him on Tuesday, Jan. 17, which ended the nine-day manhunt for him.

“The judge is being very cautious, as well as very thorough in asking this questions and making sure that Markeith Loyd understands what is happening and consequences of his decisions," added criminal defense attorney Beryl Thompson-McClary, who is not involved in the Loyd case.

A time and date for Loyd's next appeareance in court has not yet been announced.

Hearing for niece canceled; she bonds out of jail

Loyd's niece, Lakensha Smith-Loyd, also had been scheduled to appear before a judge Thursday for a motion to modify conditions of pretrial release. However, her hearing was canceled.

Smith-Loyd posted bond after it was reduced from $750,000 to $10,000 on Wednesday. She's accused of helping Loyd after police say she picked up money for him.  

Smith-Loyd walked out of the Orange County Jail at about 2:40 p.m. Thursday. She didn't say anything when questioned.


Markeith Loyd walks out after a hearing at the Orange County Courthouse on Thursday morning, Jan. 26, 2017. (News 13)