NICHOLAS COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Cheyeene Clifford, 27 of Carlisle, was found guilty of murdering 20-year-old Gage Gaunce and 17-year-old Nathaniel Clay Welch in a 2023 drunk driving accident earlier this week after a five-day trial, according to documents filed in Nicholas County Circuit Court.
On June 19, 2023, Clifford was indicted by a Nicholas County Grand Jury on the following charges after he was accused of hitting four people on Myers Road at Kentucky Highway 32 East during a drunk driving accident on June 3, 2023:
- Murder (two counts)
- Assault in the first degree (two counts)
- Tampering with a witness
- Operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (first offense with aggravating circumstance)
- Reckless driving
- Failure to wear a seat belt
- No or expired registration plates
- Failure of owner to maintain required insurance (first offense)
- Failure to produce an insurance card
According to court documents, Clifford was not only charged with murdering Gaunce and Welch, but he was also charged with assaulting a male and a female on the night of the incident. Clifford was also accused of tampering with one of the surviving victims two days later on June 5, 2023.
On Friday, Aug. 28, Clifford was found guilty of two counts of wanton murder, two counts of assault, tampering with a witness, driving under the influence, and additional charges, according to the Nicholas County Sheriff's Office.
