Experts say Marni Yang could not have killed romantic rival, unborn child in 2007

Defense experts told a Lake County judge Monday that convicted murderer Marni Yang could not have killed a 42-year-old pregnant woman whom authorities say she saw as a rival for the affections of former Chicago Bear Shaun Gayle.

Yang was convicted of first-degree murder charges in 2011 for the killing of Rhoni Reuter, who was found shot to death Oct. 4, 2007, in her Deerfield home. Yang later received two life sentences for the deaths of Reuter and her unborn child.

Prosecutors say jealousy prompted Yang, now 58, to kill Reuter.

But former Oak Park police officer and forensic expert Arthur Borchers testified Monday that the 5-foot-tall Yang was too short to have fired the shot that killed the 5-foot-9 Reuter. During earlier proceedings, defense attorney Jed Stone introduced crime scene evidence he argues exonerates Yang. It includes DNA from an unknown man on five unspent bullet shells found at the crime scene and a report stating the killer was taller than Yang.

Prior to Monday’s hearing, defense expert Dr. Cyril H. Wecht testified that he determined blunt-force injuries found on Reuter's face, including a black left eye and scrapes around her lips and chin, occurred two to four days before she was killed. “These are not fresh injuries,” said Wecht, an attorney and forensic pathologist who has performed more than 21,000 autopsies.

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