Markeith Loyd's ex-girlfriend arrested as manhunt continues

Loyd has been evading arrest since December, police say

ORLANDO, Fla. – One of Markeith Loyd's ex-girlfriends has been arrested for helping collect money for him after he fatally shot his pregnant ex-girlfriend in Pine Hills in December, according to an arrest affidavit.

Jameis Slaughter, 25, was being questioned around 7 p.m. Wednesday and deputies announced around 9 p.m. that she was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

Deputies said Slaughter originally gave them the name of her twin sister, Jamesia Slaughter, when they apprehended her. She told them her real name as she was being taken to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the affidavit said.

In the hours after Loyd fatally shot Orlando police Master Sgt. Debra Clayton outside a Walmart on John Young Parkway, Slaughter's vehicle was seen circling the grocery store and the area where Loyd was believed to have escaped.

Deputies said Slaughter also attempted to collect rent money from a woman on Loyd's behalf on Dec. 17, days after police said Loyd fatally shot his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon.

Jamesia Slaughter was also named in the affidavit, but she has not been arrested.

Slaughter's arrest marks the third in about 24 hours in connection with the search for Loyd. Zarghee Mayan, 33, was arrested Tuesday night and Loyd’s niece, Lakensha Smith-Loyd, 27, was arrested Wednesday afternoon.

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Slaughter, Mayan and Smith-Loyd are all charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

Deputies said Mayan has seen Loyd multiple times since Dixon's murder on Dec. 13. In one of those encounters, the two hugged and Mayan realized Loyd was wearing a bulletproof vest.


Mayan gave Loyd money and food in the days after Dixon's murder, according to an arrest affidavit. He also gave Smith-Loyd $200 to give to her uncle.

Orlando police Chief John Mina said Tuesday that arrest warrants were being prepared for people who aided and abetted Loyd after Sade's murder.

Loyd is also wanted in the shooting death of Clayton, 42, who was slain Monday after confronting Loyd outside a Walmart, according to authorities.