Lexington man pleads guilty in deadly shooting, faces 23 years in prison
A man initially charged with murder for a deadly Lexington shooting in 2021 has agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges.
Juanyah Clay, 21, of Lexington, agreed to plead guilty Friday after he was charged with shooting and killing 26-year-old Bryan Greene. Clay was originally charged with murder, trafficking fentanyl, receiving a stolen gun, identity theft, carrying a concealed weapon and trafficking marijuana.
As part of the plea deal, the murder charge was amended to first-degree manslaughter and the fentanyl trafficking charge was amended to possession of a controlled substance. The charges of carrying a concealed weapon and trafficking marijuana could be dismissed, according to court records.
Clay faces 23 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced at 1 p.m. on May 5, according to court documents.
Amanda Naish, the first assistant Fayette commonwealth’s attorney, said Clay’s case had been scheduled for mediation in October. A deal wasn’t reached at that point, but the prosecutors and defense later reached an agreement.
Lexington man had cut off ankle monitor before he shot, killed 26-year-old, detectives say
Clay was arrested in March 2021 and charged with Greene’s murder. Greene’s body was found on Jan. 30, 2021, after someone spotted a large amount of blood outside an apartment at 2800 Alumni Drive, according to previous police testimony.
When police went inside the apartment they found Greene dead of what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds.
Also found in the back bedroom of the apartment was one spent 9 mm shell casing and seven spent .45-caliber shell casings, indicating that was the room where the shooting happened, Atkins said. After talking with witnesses, police identified Clay as a possible suspect.
Police encountered Clay in February 2021 when they received a report of someone trying door handles and discovered Clay was the suspect of the report. However, Clay identified himself as a minor named Demarcus Rashad Clay, according to court testimony. He had a Sig Sauer P250 .45-caliber handgun on him at the time.
Police talked to a woman who confirmed she was Clay’s guardian and they released him into her custody. But officers later found out the gun he had at the time matched the shell casings found at the apartment where Greene was killed, and there was no record of a minor named Demarcus Rashad Clay living in Fayette County, according to previous court testimony.
The woman later admitted to police she had lied and identified the man as Juanyah Clay. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he was taken into custody.
