After Lexington fight, two men said they were victims. They’re now charged with murder
A Lexington man was charged with assault in a December fight with his neighbors and died weeks later. After investigators learned more from witnesses and evidence, they began to suspect he was a victim.
William T. Justus, 50, and Mervil Spencer Jr. 48, were both charged with murder on Feb. 6 in the death of 59-year-old Michael Coyle. Both of their cases were sent Monday morning to a grand jury.
Coyle was charged with two counts of second-degree assault after police were called to an apartment complex at 1401 Bayou Court on Dec. 14 for a fight involving a machete.
At the time, Justus and Spencer told investigators that Coyle had come out of his apartment yelling and wielding a machete, according to court records. They said they’d been forced to grab the blade with their hands to avoid being struck by the weapon.
Coyle had been injured in the fight and taken to a local hospital, where he stayed for two weeks, Lexington police detective Tim Moore said at Spencer’s hearing Monday morning.
When Coyle was released from the hospital, he was allowed to stay with his sister, according to court records. He died in January, and the Fayette County coroner’s office ruled that his death was caused by blunt-force injuries he got in the December fight with Justus and Spencer, Moore said.
As police continued to investigate, they talked to two other people who were in the apartment complex at the time of the fight. Both witnesses reported seeing Justus and Spencer hold Coyle down while beating him around the head, neck and side, Moore said.
Before dying, man described attack
One of the witnesses told police they saw Justus and Spencer pull Coyle out of his apartment before the beating started, Moore said.
After the fight, Coyle told police that Justus and Spencer had knocked on his door and offered to shake his hand, Moore said. Coyle said that the men then sucker-punched him and began beating him.
Coyle told police he had the machete with him when he answered the door because he “never knew” what he’d find when answering the door, Moore said.
Moore testified Monday that investigators believed Coyle had previously reported Justus and Spencer for a noise complaint, but it was unclear if that disagreement led to the fight.
After Monday’s hearing, Spencer’s attorney argued that the allegations were not grounds for a murder charge. Judge Joseph T. Bouvier found that there was enough evidence to move the case forward to a grand jury, which will determine whether the case will go to circuit court to be prepared for trial.
Justus waived his right to a hearing Monday, sending his case directly to a grand jury.
This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 1:42 PM.
