Accused copkiller

Markeith Loyd remains defiant and refuses to attend his court hearing. His lawyer opts to proceed without him as they discuss administrative issues.

When Markeith Loyd is in court, a heavy security presence follows. Those in the courtroom brace for what the garrulous murder suspect will say. At past hearings, he has been profane, demanding and uncooperative.

Not Tuesday. Loyd displayed a new kind of defiance by refusing to attend his court hearing.

Chief Judge Frederick Lauten told attorneys that he could order Loyd to be forcibly removed from his jail cell and brought to the courtroom if they wanted.

Loyd’s lawyer, Roger Weeden, opted to proceed without his client since they were discussing administrative issues. He told the judge Loyd communicates with him during jail visits.

Loyd is accused of killing Sade Dixon, his pregnant exgirlfriend, in December 2016, and fatally shooting Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton when she tried to arrest him in January 2017.

Dixon’s family watched Tuesday’s hearing from the courtroom gallery. Her mother hugged prosecutors afterward.

Loyd is slated to stand trial for Dixon’s death in September 2018. On Tuesday, the judge scheduled the trial in Clayton’s killing for Jan. 14, 2019. Loyd faces the death penalty.

Lawyers discussed publicity surrounding the case and contemplated challenges in picking jurors from Orange County. Lauten said he probably will order “hundreds and hundreds” of potential jurors and expects the trial to last a month.

Ocala State Attorney Brad King is prosecuting the case after Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala said she would not seek the death penalty for anyone, prompting Gov. Rick Scott to take 29 cases, including Loyd’s, away from her office.

At his last hearing in October, Loyd said he wanted to take a lie-detector test, though he did not say what questions he wanted to answer. Lauten told him he can speak to his attorneys about taking a polygraph. They are only admissible in Florida courts if both parties agree to them. Prosecutors in this case have not requested one.

Loyd has been combative during past hearings. In his first hearing, he yelled “f--you” to the judge and said police were “making up s--t, like I just went in there and shot this girl,” referring to the night Dixon was killed.

“Y’all portraying this s--t to the news people like I just went there and shot this girl when there were other guns found on the scene,” he said. “… A gun was pulled on me first, but y’all acting like I just went there and shot her.”

In a letter to the Orlando Sentinel, Loyd claimed he wanted to turn himself in to let Dixon’s family get the reward money.