CARLISLE, Ky. (LEX News) — A Nicholas County man convicted of murder and other charges in connection with a deadly 2023 drunk-driving crash has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
According to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for the 18th Judicial Circuit, Cheyeene Clifford was sentenced Monday after a Nicholas County jury found him guilty in August of two counts of murder, two counts of first-degree assault, tampering with a witness, DUI, reckless driving and several additional traffic-related offenses. The jury recommended a 25-year prison sentence, and Nicholas Circuit Judge William J. Verax IV followed that recommendation.
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Prosecutors said Clifford will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 20 years of his sentence because he is classified as a violent offender.
The convictions stem from a June 2023 crash on Myers Road in Nicholas County. Investigators said Clifford was driving a pickup truck when it left the roadway, struck a tree and overturned down an embankment.
The crash killed 17-year-old Nathaniel Clay Welch and 20-year-old Gage Gaunce. Two other passengers, identified in the prosecution's release as Emily Earlywine and Dylan Saucedo, suffered serious injuries.
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Court records and investigators previously alleged Clifford was driving while intoxicated at the time of the crash. Prosecutors said evidence presented at trial showed his blood-alcohol concentration exceeded Kentucky's legal limit.
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