On a tragic day in September of 2020, the life of 20-year-old Trevor Cleary, a White male from Tompkinsville, Kentucky, was cut short. On September 20th, law enforcement responded to a residence in the Fountain Run community of Monroe County, where they discovered a grim scene. Inside the home on White Oak Ridge Road, Cleary and his 19-year-old friend, Austin Copas, were found deceased, both having suffered apparent gunshot wounds to the head. The initial investigation into the double homicide was led by the Kentucky State Police, with assistance from several local law enforcement and emergency services agencies.
The investigation quickly led to the identification of two suspects, 29-year-old Edward Whitledge of Bakersfield, California, and 28-year-old Kayla Spivey of Hiham, Tennessee. Arrest warrants were issued, charging Whitledge with two counts of murder and Spivey with two counts of complicity to commit murder. The pair had fled after the killings and were last seen driving a black Nissan Altima. Authorities considered them to be armed and dangerous, prompting a multi-state search.
The manhunt for Whitledge and Spivey came to an end on October 9, 2020, when they were located and apprehended in Bakersfield, California. Following their arrest, the two were extradited back to Kentucky to face the charges against them. The legal process culminated in convictions for both individuals. Edward Whitledge was convicted on two counts of murder for the deaths of Trevor Cleary and Austin Copas. He received a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 25 years. Kayla Spivey was convicted of criminal facilitation to murder and was sentenced to ten years in prison for her role in the events that led to the deaths of the two young men.
