Judge Finds Merit In Marni Yang's Wrongful Conviction Case, In Murder Of Former Bear Shaun Gayle's Girlfriend
CHICAGO (CBS)-- The woman serving two life sentences for murdering former Bear Shaun Gayle's girlfriend and his unborn child, says she's innocent.
Judge Christopher Stride on Tuesday ruled Marni Yang's petition for a retrial has merit and gave prosecutors until Feb. 20 to file a response.
Yang is ten years into a double life sentence for killing Rhoni Reuter in 2007.
Reuter was pregnant with the child of former Chicago Bears player and member of the 1985 super bowl winning team Gayle.
She was shot six times in her Deerfield home.
Prosecutors said Yang and Gayle were romantically involved and she was jealous of Reuter.
Yang's retrial petition is 700-pages long.
The 51-year-old's lawyers claim it proves her innocence by offering new scientific evidence and how prosecutors used illegal tactics to threaten witnesses. At the Tuesday hearing, prosecutors asked for the DNA evidence cited in the petition.
In a statement, Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said:
"This is a formal three stage process. During stage 1, the judge is only required to review the statements made by the defense attorney. Therefore, to make it from stage 1 to stage 2 was and is expected. At stage 2, we will have the opportunity to respond to the claims made by the defense for the first time."