Woman Convicted of Murdering Ex-Chicago Bears Player's Girlfriend Seeks Retrial
Marni Yang, who is currently serving dual life sentences for the 2007 murder of Shaun Gayle's partner, Rhoni Reuter, and her unborn child, has made headlines again as a judge has consented to re-examine the evidence that led to her conviction.
Yang, who was found guilty in 2011 of the murder of former Chicago Bears player Shaun Gayle's long-term partner, is seeking a judicial decision that might open the possibility of her eventual release.
During her trial, the prosecution portrayed Yang as a woman driven by jealousy. However, her legal representatives are now presenting what they claim to be new evidence and assert that Yang's confession was extracted under duress. In a recent interview, Yang contended that her confession was fabricated to safeguard her children and alleged that the police had intimidated her with threats of arresting her son for Reuter's murder unless she confessed. Additionally, a year earlier, the Chicago Tribune disclosed Yang's assertion that she was aware of being recorded when she admitted her actions to an acquaintance who was secretly using a wire.
Moreover, Yang has indicated that she told her father in a taped phone conversation about her intent to lie regarding the murder as a protective measure for her children.
Her lawyer, Jed Stone, is poised to argue that scientific evidence excludes Yang as the perpetrator and implicates another party. With Judge Christopher Stride's approval for a reevaluation of several key pieces of evidence, Stone is eager to present forensic details, such as fingerprint analysis, which he believes will absolve Yang of the crime.
A future court session in January has been scheduled by the judge to render a decision on whether to readdress Yang's confession and the associated forensic evidence.
