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Testimony resumes in Day 10 of Markeith Lloyd Trial

Orlando, Fla. — The first of two trials for Markeith Lloyd continued Saturday in Orange County. Lloyd faces a first degree murder charge in the death of his pregnant ex girlfriend, Sade Dixon. A later trial will be held for the murder of Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton, whom prosecutors say he shot to avoid capture.

Court opened at 9 a.m. with arguments from both sides about a juror who was questioned for lying about her employment at Publix. The state also discovered that the juror had previously been involved in a domestic violence incident as a teenager, and as a result, the juror was dismissed. The juror in this case was an African American female and was replaced by an African American male. The judge noted that this does not change the racial composition of the jury, but that it does change the gender composition.

The first witness to testify was Takeisha Bryant, whose cousin was married to Markeith Lloyd. She testified about going to Walmart to get a jacket for her daughter. She says she noticed Lloyd in line and told an officer who was leaving that he was there. She later said that she heard the officer tell Lloyd to get on the ground, and when he refused, they both drew their guns, and she got on the ground. She added that when the shooting was over, she got back up and Lloyd was nowhere to be seen. Bryant was not cross-examined.

The next witness was Brian Striby, a Walmart employee who was at the store on January 9th, 2017. He said that he was in the parking when he heard an officer yelling and he noticed Lloyd was trying to run around a pillar in what appeared to be an attempt to avoid the officer, but did not do so. That's when Striby says Lloyd pulled out his gun and started shooting. As Striby was being cross examined, the defense attorney asked about pending criminal charges that he was facing at the time, as well as his original interview, in which he says that he was unsure who fired first. During his testimony he said "What do you want from me, man?" He also says he was not offered a deal for his charges to testify in the trial.

Orlando Police Department crime scene investigator Karen Livengood also took the stand. Livengood says she found eight 9 mm casings in the area, along with eight 40 mm casings. She says the 9 mm casings would have belonged to Clayton's police issued gun and that Lloyd allegedly had a .40 caliber handgun.

The defense asked about a mysterious bullet that was found "on the other side of the Walmart." However, Livengood said that since another detective found it, he would have to speak about it.

Orange County Sheriff Detective Charles Ashworth testified about capturing Lloyd at the abandoned house where he was hiding after the death of Clayton. He testified that a loaded .40 caliber handgun was found in the front yard of the house.

The final witness of the day was Richard Ruth, who worked for the FDLE as lab analyst for firearms during the incidents. He described how he figures out if a bullet is unloaded from a specific gun, and in this case, he held the gun found in the yard of Sade Dixon's house. This was found at the time of her death. Ruth noted that since no rounds from the scene matched to the gun, she never fired it. Ruth was also given the handgun that investigators say belonged to Lloyd. He said he believed that the cartridge casings that were found at Dixon's home and at the Walmart were the ones that were fired from the handgun.

The jury was then dismissed for the day ahead of schedule and will resume the trial Monday at 9 a.m..

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