A close friend of Carly Williams and Jeffery Wilkerson Jr. said the two were on their way to meet them when the wreck happened.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Loved ones of a couple killed in a crash on Clinton Highway just hours after celebrating Christmas are speaking for the first time.
According to authorities, the pair were traveling on the highway when a driver crossed lanes and hit them head-on. Documents show the driver who hit the couple appeared high on drugs at the time of the wreck.
Malcolm Cleavon, a close friend of Carly Williams and Jeffery Wilkerson Jr., said the two were on their way to meet with him when the crash happened. Minutes later, the couple’s story came to an end.
“I knew Carly was going to marry Jeff before she knew she was going to marry Jeff,” said Cleavon. “They’re the couple you would want everywhere — when you invite one, you invited both”
The couple got engaged in November and were planning to officially tie the knot in the summer of 2025.
“She already had her wedding dress picked out,” said Cleavon.
At just 33 years old and 35 years old, the life of the newly engaged couple was just beginning. They had bought a home and had plans to start a family.
“I was shocked, I couldn’t believe it for two to three days,” said Gracie Caughorn, a friend and co-worker of Carly.
Williams was a hair colorist at a Knoxville hair salon.
“She can capture anybody and make them smile,” said Autumn Pelfrey, a friend and co-worker.
Almost two weeks after the couple’s love story was left unwritten, their impacts continue to live on.
“She could always crack a joke and tell the craziest stories,” said Megan Dux, a friend and co-worker.
Pictures of the couple now overflow Williams’ station at work.
“These are her items — she doesn’t share so we all knew these were Carly’s,” Pelfrey said.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol charged Brent A. Morgan, 45, of Deer Lodge, Tennessee, with two counts of vehicular homicide driver intoxication, reckless endangerment and vehicular assault, records show.
Loved ones closest to the couple said they just want justice served.