LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) — Marni Yang, the former Chicago real estate agent convicted in the 2007 killing of Rhoni Reuter and her unborn child, is back in court Monday.
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.
“We had to file an explanation to make sure the judge understood the mathematics and the science of our claim of innocence,” defense attorney Jed Stone said.
Monday is day one of a three-day hearing in which Yang’s defense will present evidence they say shows her innocence.
The evidence is expected to include DNA samples from shell casings and other material, testimony from a barber who saw Gayle the morning of the murder in 2007, and testimony from scientific experts who say Yang is too short to have fired shots at the angle they hit Reuter.
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Yang is serving a double life sentence after being convicted of two counts of first-degree murder.
RELATED | Marni Yang’s attorney says injuries on Rhoni Reuter’s body prove she’s innocent
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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