In Lake County, Illinois, Marni Yang, formerly a Chicago real estate agent, is returning to court on Monday. She was previously found guilty of the 2007 murder of Rhoni Reuter and her unborn child.
Reuter was the girlfriend of former Chicago Bears player Shaun Gayle.
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Attorneys for Yang began by questioning their first witness, a forensic specialist.
That’s when Yang’s attorney introduced a document into evidence that prosecutors said they had not had enough time to review.
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“We needed to clarify the math and science behind our innocence claim for the judge,” stated defense lawyer Jed Stone.
Monday is day one of a three-day hearing in which Yang’s defense will present evidence they say shows her innocence.
The evidence set to be presented includes DNA from shell casings and other sources, accounts from a barber who saw Gayle on the morning of the 2007 murder, and expert testimonies indicating that Yang’s height would have made it unlikely for her to have fired the shots at the angle that struck Reuter.
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Yang is serving a double life sentence after being convicted of two counts of first-degree murder.
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There is still a long road ahead of Yang. If her attorney is able to convince a judge the new evidence is sufficient, the judge could then grant her a new trial.
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