Woman indicted in murder of ex- Bears players' girlfriend, unborn child

A Chicago woman charged with the 2007 murder of a Deerfield woman and her unborn baby was indicted Wednesday by a Lake County grand jury.

Assistant State's Attorney Patricia Fix said Marni Yang, 41, faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted of killing Rhoni Reuter, 41, and Reuter's unborn daughter.

Fix said the charges against Yang allege the murders were committed "in a cold, calculated and premeditated manner," making her eligible for a sentence of life.

Police said Reuter was gunned down as she opened the door to her apartment Oct. 4, 2007 by someone who shot her seven times with a 9 mm handgun.

Her assailant stole several pieces of property from the apartment before fleeing, police said, including a pearl bracelet inscribed with the word "Pregnant."

Yang became a person of interest in the case early on, because police believed she was jealous over Reuter's relationship with former Chicago Bears safety Shaun Gayle, who was the father of the unborn child.

Gayle has described Yang as a friend and former business associate, but denies being romantically involved with her.

Police secretly recorded Yang's phone conversations and at least one in-person conversation with a friend in which they say she described how the crime was committed in chilling detail.

Yang is said to have told her friend how she put stolen license plates on a rented car to drive to Reuter's home to commit the crime, and later buried the weapon in a bucket of cement.

In addition, the friend told police how she accompanied Yang to a Cook County forest preserve on the day of the killings, where she watched as Yang buried something.

Police went to the area the friend described and say they recovered Reuter's pearl bracelet from a shallow hole.

Yang is held without bond, and is scheduled to appear for arraignment April 8.