A man already serving life in prison in the 2015 shooting of a deputy in the Florida Keys has been given an additional life sentence for a man’s murder in Florida City just days before the deputy shooting.
Timothy Thomas, 35, was charged this past April with first-degree murder in the Oct. 19, 2015 killing of 32-year-old Renaldo Clayton.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Thomas accepted a plea agreement in Clayton’s murder on Thursday and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Florida Department of Corrections
Florida Department of Corrections
Timothy Thomas
Clayton, who family members said worked for the City of Florida City in the Parks and Recreation department, was found shot to death inside his home in the 1600 block of Northwest 1st Avenue by his girlfriend and child.
Just hours earlier, he was in the front yard playing t-ball with his 3-year-old son.
“He’s a good… a very good dad. Always paid a lot of attention to his son. Made sure his son did a lot of things outside,” Clayton’s nephew told NBC6 at the time.
The deputy shooting happened on Oct. 24, 2015, just days after the shooting of Clayton.
Authorities said Thomas shot Deputy Joshua Gordon as Gordon was trying to apprehend him in connection with a robbery.
Gordon was hit in the chest but was wearing a bulletproof vest, which saved his life and left him uninjured.
Thomas was arrested the next day when he was found hiding in a Key West house with two gunshot wounds.
Investigators later discovered internet searches tied to Clayton’s murder on a phone linked to Thomas. That led to a closer look at ballistics and detectives determined the same gun used to shoot the deputy also killed Clayton.
Family Photos
Family Photos
Renaldo Clayton
Miami-Dade detectives also spoke with witnesses who confirmed Thomas’ involvement in the planned robbery and murder of Clayton, authorities said.
Thomas was found guilty of Gordon’s shooting and sentenced in 2018 to life in prison.
In a statement Friday, the sheriff’s office said they now consider the cold case killing of Clayton closed.
“The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office remains committed to seeking justice for all victims, no matter how much time has passed,” the statement read.