08/29/2026
NICHOLAS COUNTY JURY FINDS MAN GUILTY OF TWO COUNTS OF MURDER AND TWO COUNTS OF FIRST-DEGREE ASSAULT FOR DEADLY 2023 CRASH AND RECOMMENDS 25-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE
CARLISLE, KY – At around 7:00 PM on August 28, 2026, a Nicholas County jury found Cheyeene Clifford guilty of two counts of Murder, two counts of First-Degree Assault, Tampering with a Witness, DUI, Reckless Driving, Failure to Wear Seatbelt, and No/Expired Registration Plates. The jury then recommended a sentence of 25 years imprisonment. As a violent offender, Clifford will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 20 years in prison.
On June 3, 2023, Cheyeene Clifford wrecked and overturned his truck in a single-vehicle crash on Myers Road in Nicholas County. Passengers Gage Gaunce and Clay Welch were killed, and passengers Emily Earlywine and Dylan Saucedo were seriously injured. No one in the truck was wearing a seatbelt, and Earlywine, Welch, and Clifford were all ejected.
Clifford’s blood alcohol concentration at the time of the collision was between 0.140 g/100mL and 0.148 g/100mL according to Dr. Greg Davis, an expert in forensic medicine, pathology, and toxicology. Kentucky law states that no person shall operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration over 0.08 g/100mL. A download of Clifford’s truck’s event data recorder revealed that Clifford was driving at approximately 69.6 MPH five seconds prior to the crash. This was nearly 25 MPH over the 45 MPH posted speed limit and nearly double the 35 MPH posted suggested speed limit in the curve where Clifford crashed.
In interviews with law enforcement after the wreck, Clifford claimed that passenger Gage Gaunce was the driver. However, the Commonwealth established during the trial that Clifford was the driver. Emily Earlywine and Dylan Saucedo testified that Clifford was driving at the time of the wreck. Other individuals at the bar that Clifford and his passengers left immediately prior to the wreck testified that Clifford was driving. Witnesses at the crash scene testified that Clifford admitted to driving immediately after the wreck. Medical Examiner Dr. Ashley Mathew-Brothers testified that Gage Gaunce’s injuries were consistent with him being in the passenger side of the truck at the time of the collision. Photographs of Clifford after the crash showed an injury to his right side consistent with him sitting in the driver’s seat and striking the console arm rest when he wrecked. Clifford came out of his shoes during the wreck, and those shoes were located in the driver’s side floorboard when a search warrant was executed on his truck. Dylan Saucedo testified that Clifford tried to get him to lie and say that Gage Gaunce was driving at the time of the collision.
During the week-long trial, Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael W. Laws and First Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney James G. Stone presented 88 exhibits and called 38 witnesses between the guilt phase and the penalty phase.
In his closing argument, Laws stated, “The Defendant says that somebody else was driving. But the evidence told you who was driving. Emily told you. Dylan told you. The witnesses at the Gyp Joint told you. The witnesses at the crash scene told you what the Defendant himself said immediately after the wreck before he talked to law enforcement. His injuries told you. Gage's injuries told you. His shoes told you. The truck's event data recorder told you how fast he was going. His blood told you how intoxicated he was. The evidence told you the same story from the beginning to the end. The Defendant was driving. He was intoxicated. He was speeding. He was warned. He was given opportunities to stop. And he refused. And when his choices finally caught up with him, two boys lost their lives and two others suffered devastating injuries. This crash didn’t begin and end in two seconds. It didn’t begin when the truck left the roadway. It began with the Defendant's choices long before he reached that curve.”
Laws expressed his gratitude to Nicholas County Sheriff Jeff Sidles, Nicholas County Deputy Sheriff Shane Adams, Nicholas County Coroner Emily Gaunce, Paris Police Lieutenant Lewis Boyer, Paris Police Detective Austin Short, and Kentucky State Police Sergeant Jack Hedges for their thorough investigation. He thanked First Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Stone, Commonwealth’s Detective Alan Judy, Victim Advocate Sheila Wiley, and Executive Administrative Assistant Jennifer Terhune for their hard work on the case. Laws also thanked the jurors for their careful consideration of the case and their verdict.
Laws said, “This has been a three-year-long journey, and I understand that no jury verdict could possibly alleviate the pain and loss caused by the Defendant. But I am glad that we were finally able to obtain some measure of justice for Emily Earlywine, Dylan Saucedo, and the families of Clay Welch and Gage Gaunce. I appreciate their patience and support. They showed tremendous strength during an extremely difficult process. My office will continue to vigorously prosecute those individuals who choose to drive while intoxicated in Nicholas, Harrison, Pendleton, and Robertson Counties.”
Final sentencing for Clifford is currently scheduled for September 21, 2026, at 9:00 AM, before 18th Judicial Circuit Court Judge William J. Verax, IV.
