Florida Man Sentenced to Death for Killing Police Officer

Markeith Loyd, convicted of killing Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton in 2017, shouts at the gallery as deputies remove him from the courtroom after he was sentenced to death in Orange County circuit court in Orlando, on March 3, 2021. Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP

ORLANDO, Fla.—A judge on Thursday sentenced a Florida man to death for fatally shooting an Orlando police officer while he was on the run for killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend.

Jurors in November found Markeith Loyd, 46, guilty in the January 2017 death of Lt. Debra Clayton, and unanimously recommended a death sentence during a hearing in December. Circuit Judge Leticia Marques announced her decision during a brief hearing Thursday morning.