Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) to murder by strangulation or by cutting someone’s throat from behind.

1992

Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 94: Yoke To kill someone by grasping his throat and choking him.

2. to rob while choking or strangling the victim, either with a rope or stick; one person does the yoking, the other rifles the victim’s pockets.

1966		M. Braly It’s Cold Out There (2005) 196: How easy it would be to yoke the clerk [...] and empty the till.
1995		(con. 1985–90) P. Bourjois In Search of Respect 36: It started when two crackheads [...] yoked this girl. They beat her down and took her jewelry.
1996		(con. 1946) G. Pelecanos Big Blowdown (1999) 4: I got yoked, that’s all. Some guys jumped me.