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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A man accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend and a Florida police officer has been found competent to stand trial.
The Orlando Sentinel reports Circuit Judge Leticia Marques ruled Friday that 43-year-old Markeith Loyd's murder cases could move forward, one week after his attorneys requested an evaluation. Loyd could face the death sentence if convicted of first-degree murder.
Authorities say Loyd killed Sade Dixon in December 2016, and then gunned down Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton in January 2017 while she was trying to arrest him.
The judge also denied a defense request to combine the two trials. Loyd's lawyers argued he would have to defend himself twice for Clayton's slaying because the judge ruled jurors in the Dixon trial could learn the same gun was used in both shootings.
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Information from: Orlando Sentinel, http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
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