ORLANDO, Fla. _ A grand jury Wednesday indicted Markeith Loyd in two first-degree murder cases, Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala announced.
Loyd, 41, is accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, 24, in December and Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton, 42, last month. Clayton was approaching Loyd on Jan. 9 when, prosecutors say, he fatally shot her at a Wal-Mart.
Ayala also announced an internal restructuring that will create a 25-member domestic violence unit within the state attorney's office.
"What my office has not and will not lose sight of is that these tragedies all stemmed from domestic violence," Ayala said.
Loyd is also charged with killing an unborn child by injuring the mother; attempted murder; attempted murder of a law enforcement officer; and carjacking.
Ayala said her office has not determined whether it will seek the death penalty. Florida does not currently have a valid death penalty statute since various courts struck down previous laws.
A Florida House panel approved a new death penalty bill Wednesday.
"We are eagerly anticipating a new statue from the Legislature, and at that point we will determine whether to seek the death penalty for Markeith Loyd," Ayala said.
Loyd was arrested Jan. 14 after a weeklong manhunt for him across the region.
He is also charged in a separate case from August with three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, court records show.
The newly created domestic violence unit will be lead by prosecutor Michelle Latham, who has in the past handled murder cases. It will include 24 other prosecutors, victims' advocates and paralegals, Ayala said.
The 9th Judicial Circuit of Florida had a similar unit for domestic violence cases until 2013, when Ayala's predecessor Jeff Ashton merged it with a sex crimes unit as part of an internal restructuring. During her campaign, Ayala said the merger was part of the reason she decided to run for the office.
