Lexington man wants to withdraw his guilty plea in a deadly shooting
A Lexington man accused of killing 26-year-old Bryan Greene more than two years ago wants to withdraw his guilty plea in the case.
Juanyah Clay, 21, of Lexington, agreed to a plea deal in March which would see him admit guilt on charges of first-degree manslaughter and possessing a controlled substance. Clay was scheduled to be sentenced Friday, but when he appeared in court, his attorney said Clay wanted to change his plea.
He was originally charged with murder, trafficking fentanyl, receiving a stolen gun, identity theft, carrying a concealed weapon and trafficking marijuana. The deal amended the murder charge to first-degree manslaughter and the fentanyl trafficking charge to possession of a controlled substance. The charges of carrying a concealed weapon and trafficking marijuana could have been dismissed under the plea agreement, according to court records.
Fayette Circuit Judge Kimberly Bunnell scheduled a new hearing for next month. She’ll make a ruling whether to let Clay change his plea or sentence him on the charges for which he previously agreed to plead guilty.
Clay’s case previously underwent mediation in October, but a deal was not reached. Amanda Naish, the first assistant Fayette commonwealth’s attorney, said the prosecutors and defense later reached an agreement.
How the investigation unfolded
In January 2021 Greene’s body was found inside an apartment at 2800 Alumni Drive after someone spotted a large amount of blood outside the unit, police said. Greene was declared dead on scene from multiple gunshot wounds.
Detectives found one spent 9 mm shell casing and seven spent .45-caliber shell casings in the backroom of the apartment, according to previous testimony from Lexington police detective Jeremy Adkins. After talking with witnesses, police identified Clay as a possible suspect.
Officers encountered Clay nearly three weeks after the shooting while conducting another investigation, but Clay lied about his identity and said he needed to talk to his guardian. A woman claiming to be Clay’s guardian lied about Clay’s identity too, according to prior police testimony. At the time, Clay was released into the custody of the woman police thought was his guardian.
But police later found out Clay had lied, and they obtained a warrant for his arrest. Clay was found with more than $1,000 in small bills, three guns and pills, according to previous police testimony.
After his arrest, Clay admitted to Adkins that he shot Greene, Adkins testified. Clay also said another person was present at the time of Greene’s death, and that person has since died.
