Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Closing arguments set to begin in court at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
The defense rested Monday without Marni Yang taking the stand. The 43-year-old is on trial for first-degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child. She’s accused of shooting and killing 42-year-old Rhoni Reuter at her Deerfield condo back in 2007. At the time Reuter was six months pregnant with the child of former Bears player Shaun Gayle. Prosecutors say Yang was obsessed with Gayle and wanted to "eliminate the competition." Before the defense rested Monday, Yang’s lawyers called three witnesses including Yang’s mother, a Deerfield neighbor of Reuter and an assistant commander with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force. Yang’s mother, Francine Merar, of Niles confirmed that her daughter had dropped off a case of guns at her…
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Lawyers believe Marni Yang purchased books and equipment to create silencer for shooting.
Prosecutors allege Marni Yang used a gun silencer during the murder of 42-year-old Rhoni Reuter and spent the majority of Monday in court trying to prove it. Yang is on trial for first-degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child. Authorities say she shot and killed Reuter at her Deerfield condo on Oct. 4, 2007. Reuter was the longtime girlfriend of former Bears player Shaun Gayle and was six months pregnant with his child. Prosecutors claim Yang was also intimate with Gayle and killed Reuter in a jealous rage. During court proceedings Monday prosecutors questioned Lawrence Riling of Pennsylvania. Riling told jurors he used to own a mail order arms books business and in August of 2007 received an online order from Yang. …
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Lawyer says Super Bowl winner Shaun Gayle could take the stand in Marni Yang’s murder trial Monday.
“Cold, calculated and pre-meditated,” is how prosecutors described Marni Yang’s actions in the alleged murder of 42-year-old Deerfield resident Rhoni Reuter during opening statements in court Friday. Reuter was the longtime girlfriend of former Bears player Shaun Gayle and at the time of the shooting in 2007 was six months pregnant with his child. After months of investigations, police linked Yang to the crime and charged her with first-degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child. Yang first met the Super Bowl winner at the Hilton in Chicago and prosecutor Patricia Fix told jurors Friday it evolved into something more. “Sometime realtor and sometime sexual partner,” she explained. “The defendant became obsessed with Gayle and…
Friday, March 4, 2011
Lawyers nail down a dozen jurors, move on to alternates.
After three days of jury selection, 12 Lake County residents were chosen to weigh the guilt or innocence of accused murderer Marni Yang. Yang allegedly shot and killed Rhoni Reuter at her Deerfield condo in 2007. At the time, Reuter was pregnant with former Bears player Shaun Gayle’s child. Yang is charged with first-degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child. The jury picked to determine Yang’s fate is comprised of nine men and three women including a Deerfield research scientist and a Highland Park CPA. The Deerfield resident, originally from Detroit, currently works as a senior scientist at Abbott. The Highland Park mother of two is employed by Illinois Tool Works. Friday lawyers were scheduled to select three …
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Lawyers dismiss local woman from participating in high profile murder case.
A longtime Deerfield resident was questioned Wednesday by lawyers about the murder of 41-year-old Rhoni Reuter, a pregnant woman who was gunned down in 2007 “four or five blocks away” from where she currently lives. Reuter was the girlfriend of former Chicago Bears player Shaun Gayle. “It took a while before they made any arrests,” the juror said in describing what she initially remembered about the incident but then recalled police breaking the case and arresting Marni Yang. Close proximity to the scene of the murder and a connection to several Deerfield law enforcement officers may be why she was dismissed from serving. This potential juror worked for the Village of Deerfield for 31 years before retiring 6 and a half years ago. As …
