A decade-old murder case has come to a close with the conviction and life sentencing of the man responsible for the death of a South Florida father.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit announced Friday that the 2015 murder of Renaldo Clayton has been resolved following the conviction of Timothy Thomas III. In a court hearing on Thursday before Judge Michelle Delancy, Thomas accepted a plea deal and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Earlier this year, Thomas was extradited to Miami-Dade County and charged with second-degree murder. At the time, he was already serving a life sentence for attempted murder after shooting a Monroe County Sheriff’s deputy during a 2015 shootout.
According to the Miami Herald, Thomas is also facing charges in a separate cold case involving the 2010 murder of a Gainesville boy.
An “Execution-Style” Murder in Florida City
On October 19, 2015, Clayton was shot and killed inside his home at 1635 NW 1st Ave.
A video shared with CBS News Miami showed Clayton just hours earlier, playing T-ball with his three-year-old son and a cousin in the front yard.
Family members said Clayton and his son were playing before the boy’s mother picked him up. Clayton then went to the store, and when he returned shortly before 10 p.m., someone was waiting.
They said the suspect “ambushed” Clayton, following him inside as he opened the front door and shooting him first in the mouth and then in the head “execution-style.”
At the time, Miami-Dade Police (now the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office) investigated whether the killing was random or targeted. Despite extensive efforts, the case went cold.
Shootout with Deputies in the Florida Keys
Just four days after Clayton’s murder, Thomas shot a Monroe County Sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop in the Florida Keys, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. The deputy survived, and Thomas was arrested after a multi-agency manhunt.
New Evidence Links Thomas to the Murder
During Thomas’ bond court appearance in April, investigators revealed new evidence connecting him to Clayton’s death.
When Clayton’s body was discovered, officers also found nine 9mm shell casings nearby.
In May 2024, Alachua County authorities contacted Miami-Dade homicide detectives, leading them to a phone belonging to Thomas that contained incriminating evidence.
Ballistics testing confirmed that shell casings from the deputy shooting matched those found at the scene of Clayton’s murder.
In August 2024, investigators traveled to Graceville Correctional Facility in Jackson County to interview Thomas. After further investigation, he was brought back to Miami-Dade County to face an additional homicide charge in Clayton’s murder.
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