ORLANDO, Fla. – Markeith Loyd, who is accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend and an Orlando police officer, is blind in one eye as a result of his arrest in January, according to emails that he obtained.
Loyd, who faces multiple charges in the shooting deaths of Sade Dixon and Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton, obtained the emails using Florida's public records law.
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Loyd was arrested Jan. 17 after a nine-day manhunt in the wake of Clayton's death. An arrest video shows an officer kicking Loyd after he crawled out of a home where he'd been hiding. Police said they used force because Loyd was resisting arrest.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that Loyd filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get the emails. One email sent to Orlando Police Chief John Mina said surgery would leave Loyd blind in his left eye.
Lt. Dan Brady sent Mina an update on Jan. 18 about Loyd’s condition at the hospital.
"(Orlando Regional Medical Center) needed to perform surgery on his left eye and as a result the doctor said he will be permanently blind in his left eye," Brady said. "This was as a result of the injuries Loyd received during his response to resistance."
Gov. Rick Scott appointed a special prosecutor after Orlando-area State Attorney Aramis Ayala announced she wouldn't seek the death penalty. The special prosecutor, State Attorney Brad King, filed notice of intent Monday to seek the death penalty.
Loyd, who previously said he would represent himself in both murder trials, asked a judge earlier this week to allow Terence Lenamon to represent him. The judge was expected to make a ruling Wednesday during a court hearing.