In the early hours of a Saturday morning in Lexington, Kentucky, a dispute escalated into a fatal encounter that ended the life of 36-year-old Michael Yocum. On March 5, 2022, police responded to a report of shots fired at the Victorian Square parking garage on West Short Street at approximately 2:52 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Yocum suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:04 a.m. by the coroner.
Another man, Anthony True, was also found at the scene, seriously injured from a severe beating.
The events leading to the deadly confrontation reportedly began with a verbal altercation. According to court documents, Juan Linares, 23, said something to Yocum and True, who were in True's car. This escalated to a physical fight. Surveillance footage from the garage partially captured the fight, which showed True initiating the physical altercation after Linares's comment, with Yocum joining in shortly after.
Following an investigation, police arrested three suspects in connection with the incident. Juan Linares was charged with murder. Humberto Saucedo-Salgado, 25, and Oziel Saucedo-Salgado, 28, were both charged with first-degree assault for their role in the beating of Anthony True. During a preliminary hearing, a detective testified that Yocum was shot in the back and the bullet pierced his heart. The detective also stated that the Saucedo-Salgado brothers kicked True in the head while he was defenseless on the ground. All three suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Linares was held on a $750,000 bond, while the Saucedo-Salgado brothers were released after each posting a $10,000 bond.
Michael Lynn Yocum, a former football player at Tates Creek High School, was a father to six children. His death marked Lexington's sixth homicide of 2022. The case was set to go before a grand jury.
