Murder suspect wants trial moved from Lake County, less publicity

The attorney for a woman accused of killing a Deerfield woman and her unborn child said Tuesday he wants his client's trial moved out of Lake County.

William Hendricks also said he wants a judge to bar any public discussion, outside of the courtroom, of the case against Marni Yang by anyone involved in the proceedings.

Yang, 41, faces life in prison if convicted of the Oct. 4, 2007 slayings of Rhoni Reuter and her unborn child in their Deerfield home.

Hendricks told Circuit Judge Victoria Rossetti he believes a recent "Dateline" television program on the case has destroyed Yang's ability to get a fair trial in Lake County.

Rossetti scheduled a hearing on Hendrick's motions for a change of venue and a gag order for Sept. 22.

Assistant State's Attorney Patricia Fix said she will oppose both motions, and declined to comment further.

Yang, of Chicago, was arrested in March after a friend had recorded several phone conversations and at least one face-to-face conversation in which Yang described the crime, prosecutors said.

Police said Yang was jealous of Reuter's relationship with former Chicago Bears safety Shaun Gayle, who was the father of Reuter's unborn daughter.

Yang is accused of firing seven shots from a 9 mm pistol into Reuter as she opened the door to her apartment. Several shots, police said, were deliberately aimed at her abdomen.

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

The same friend who recorded the conversations took police to a Cook County forest preserve where she said Yang had buried some items, and police found the bracelet.

Police said Yang is heard on the tapes describing how she put stolen license plates on a rented car to drive to Reuter's home, and how she buried the pistol in a bucket of cement.

Yang is facing life in prison because she is charged with committing the crime in a "cold, calculated and premeditated manner," Fix said.

Yang is also charged with intentional homicide of an unborn child and faces an additional 45 to 60 years in prison.