A decade-old murder case involving a South Florida father has been closed following the conviction and life sentencing of the man responsible for his death.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit announced on Friday that the 2015 murder case of Renaldo Clayton has been closed following the sentencing and conviction of Timothy Thomas III. On Thursday, during a court hearing before the Honorable Judge Michelle Delancy, Thomas accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Earlier this year, Thomas was extradited to Miami-Dade County and charged with second-degree murder after he was found having already been serving a life sentence for attempted murder after he shot a Monroe County Sheriff’s deputy during a shootout in 2015.
According to CBS News Miami’s partners at the Miami Herald, Thomas was also charged in a separate cold case involving the murder of a Gainesville boy in 2010.
An “execution-style” murder in Florida City
On Oct. 19, 2015, Clayton was shot and killed inside his home at 1635 NW 1st Ave.
A video shared with CBS News Miami at the time showed him hours before his murder, playing with his then-three-year-old son in the front yard and a cousin.
Family members told CBS News Miami at the time that Clayton and his son were playing T-ball in the front yard before the boy’s mother came and picked him up. Afterward, he went to the store and when Clayton returned home just before 10 p.m., someone was waiting for him.
According to family members, it appeared that the suspect “ambushed” Clayton by waiting for him to open his front door and following him inside his home before shooting him in the mouth and then shooting him in the head “execution-style.”
At the time, Miami-Dade Police (now the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office) was investigating whether the shooting was random or if Clayton was targeted. Despite extensive efforts, the case went cold.
A shootout with deputies in the Florida Keys
Thomas’ shootout with the Monroe County Sheriff’s deputy happened just four days after the Florida City murder.
According to MDSO, Thomas shot the deputy during a traffic stop in the Florida Keys. The deputy survived and Thomas was arrested after a multi-agency manhunt.
New evidence connected the two cases
During his April bond court appearance, new details emerged that connected Thomas to Clayton’s murder.
When Clayton’s body was found, investigators also discovered nine 9mm casings next to him.
In May 2024, Alachua County authorities contacted Miami-Dade homicide investigators, leading them to the discovery of a phone belonging to Thomas containing evidence.
Ballistics testing then confirmed that the casings from the deputy shooting matched those from the scene of Clayton’s murder.
In August 2024, investigators then traveled to the Graceville Correctional Facility in Jackson County to interview Thomas. After further investigation, he was then brought to Miami-Dade County to face an additional homicide charge in Clayton’s murder.
