Yanaga convicted of murder
September 26, 2015
Thomas Yanaga
A jury voted Friday to convict Thomas Yanaga of second-degree murder in the killing of Atascadero resident Marshall Savoy.
On March 14, Yanaga, 53, shot Savoy, 32, after the Atascadero man tried to break up an argument between Yanaga and his wife at their Paso Robles home. Yanaga claimed he shot Savoy in self defense and that Savoy was an intruder.
Ashley Moss, Savoy’s girlfriend, witnessed the shooting and testified that Yanaga shot Savoy with a smirk on his face. Yanaga walked into the kitchen, grabbed a gun, loaded the clip with a happy smirk and then shouted, “Hey Marshall,” Moss said. Yanaga then shot Savoy five times.
Shortly after police arrested Yanaga, he posted $1 million bail and gained release from the San Luis Obispo County Jail. A week later, Yanaga was one of three men arrested following a shooting in Hanford.
In the Hanford case, Kings County Sheriff’s deputies charged Yanaga with attempted murder, participating in a street gang and committing a new offense while on bail and committing a new felony.
Yanaga faces a minimum of 15 years to life in prison for killing Savoy, but he also faces an additional 25 years to life for discharging a firearm during the murder, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office. Yanaga’s sentencing at the San Luis Obispo County Courthouse is scheduled for Tuesday.
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