Three held in case of fugitive

They are charged in case linked to suspected cop killer Markeith Loyd

Markeith Loyd visited his former boss at Texas Fried Chicken restaurant wearing a bulletproof vest and had a pistol in his waistband just two days before police say he killed an Orlando Police officer, court records released Wednesday show.

Zarghee Mayan gave the hungry Loyd some free food Saturday, knowing his former employee had been on the run since police said he killed his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon and injured her brother Dec. 13, he told investigators.

Authorities are arresting people who may have helped Loyd as anxieties grow and the search for him continues. Three people have been arrested so far in the search for Loyd. Mayan was arrested Tuesday; Loyd’s niece, Lakensha Smith-Loyd, and his ex-girlfriend Jameis Slaughter, 25, were arrested Wednesday. All are charged with being accessory to first-degree murder after the fact in Dixon’s death.

Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jeff Williamson said Wednesday that the department had been actively investigating Dixon’s death well before Orlando Master Sgt. Debra Clayton was killed when she confronted Loyd at a Wal-Mart on Monday.

Deputies, Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents and members of the U.S. Marshals Service talked to every member of Loyd’s family that they could find and every associate during those three weeks, he said.

“[Loyd] killed a woman who was pregnant,” Williamson said. “You may not see our work, but our guys are working.”

During Mayan’s confession Monday, he said he gave Smith-Loyd $200 for Loyd two days after Dixon died, according to his arrest report. Mayan said the money was “owed to him” for previous hours Loyd had worked at the restaurant he manages at 400 S. Orange Blossom Trail.

Before his interrogation, Mayan, 33, of Orlando, never contacted authorities about Loyd’s location, though he knew there was an arrest warrant for his former employee, according to an arrest report.

The niece, Smith-Loyd, reportedly told the Sheriff ’s Office sometime after Dixon was killed and before Clayton’s death that she knew where Loyd was hiding, according to an arrest report. She told officers she thought Loyd was defending himself in the act and would encourage him to turn himself in.

Loyd, 41, didn’t turn himself in, and Smith-Loyd later became “uncooperative” with deputies, according to the report.

Investigators first spoke with Mayan the day after Dixon’s death. Then, Mayan said Loyd came to the fried chicken restaurant, ordering Mayan at gunpoint to drive him to a home near Lee Road between Edgewater Drive and Orange Blossom Trail.

Mayan told investigators Loyd said to him, “Drive me or I will kill you, I just did something real bad.”

Mayan never showed detectives where he dropped off Loyd, according to court records.

During his second interrogation Monday, Mayan told investigators a different story of the events of Dec. 13. He said Loyd that night made him drive to Loyd’s ex-wife’s home, where he believed “Loyd was going to shoot her also,” according to the report.

When no one answered the ex-wife’s door, Mayan dropped Loyd off at another location. He told deputies he thought Loyd was dangerous. “Loyd told [Mayan] that he shot his girlfriend and he would shoot any cops if they tried to stop him,” according to the report.

After Dixon’s killing, Loyd also was named in a federal arrest warrant accusing him of violating the terms of probation in a drug case.

On Dec. 19, Mayan’s Facebook page shared a video of a man screaming — while watching a television broadcast of Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings — that people will not give law enforcement tips because no one trusts them to keep sources anonymous.

Deputies say they connected Slaughter, known as “Tiny,” to the story on Dec. 17, four days after Dixon was killed, when they were called to Loyd’s apartment.

Slaughter, one of Loyd’s ex-girlfriends, was looking to collect rent money from a woman at his apartment and got into an argument with her, according Slaughter’s arrest report. Deputies are now alleging she planned to give the money to Loyd and was helping him avoid capture.

During questioning, she lied about her name and gave her twin sister’s at first, her arrest report shows.

Mayan, Smith-Loyd and Slaughter are being held at the Orange County Jail.

Crimeline is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to Loyd’s capture. Crimeline said Wednesday it had received about 600 tips on Loyd since Monday. Those with information on Loyd’s whereabouts can call Crimeline at 407-423-8477.

On Wednesday afternoon, deputies from the Lake and Orange County sheriff’s offices looked for Loyd at a Bay Lake area residence but found nothing, said Lake Sheriff ’s Office Lt. John Herrell. Two other homes in Lake County were searched the day before.

Meanwhile, law enforcement personnel continued to mourn the loss of their brethren Wednesday. Orlando Police Chief John Mina and Demings were among the people who attended a vigil at ICP Orlando, a bilingual Christian church, on Clarcona Ocoee Road.

“I want to thank people for all the tips we’ve received,” Demings said before warning those who have helped Loyd would be found and charged.

“If they are assisting in harboring him in any way, we are going to bring them to justice,” he said. “We’ve made some arrests and we’re going to make more.”

He said deputies “were not going to stop” until Loyd is found.

Besides Clayton, a second law enforcement officer, Norman Lewis, 35, of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, also died Monday in a crash while responding to the massive manhunt for Loyd.

Funeral services for Clayton and Lewis are being planned for later this week. The funeral for Lewis is 11 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church of Orlando. Clayton’s funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the same church.

GoFundMe pages have also been set up for both. As of Wednesday evening, the fund for Clayton’s family was more than $37,000, surpassing its goal of $30,000. The fund for Lewis’ family had raised more than $13,000 of its $20,000 goal. Staff writers Rene Stutzman, David Harris, Stephanie Allen and Jason Ruiter contributed to this report. Continued from Page A1