Prosecutors investigating company with ties to Marni Yang's defense team

The Lake County state's attorney's office is seeking financial documents from a publishing company run by a woman who served time for murder in the same prison as Marni Yang and has become involved in her case.

Yang, 52, is serving a life sentence for the 2007 killings of Rhoni Reuter and Reuter's unborn baby in Deerfield. Authorities say Yang was obsessed with former Chicago Bears safety Shaun Gayle, the father of Reuter's baby, and killed Reuter in hopes of having a relationship with the football star.

According to documents filed in late June, Tammy Koelling is the CEO of Words Matter Publishing LLC, a downstate Salem-based company. Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim's office alleges that Words Matter has engaged in multiple book deals and media contracts with Yang and her children since Koelling's release from prison in 2016 after serving 29 years for first-degree murder.

Lee Filas, a spokesman for Nerheim's office, declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

Yang's attorney Jed Stone, who is seeking a new trial for his client, said he is preparing the defense team's official response to Nerheim's motion and will have it filed by next week.

Nerheim's office is seeking records related to contracts, financial arrangements, inducements or other compensation provided to Yang or anyone in her family by Koelling's company.

Reached by phone Monday, Koelling said she has nothing to hide.

"If they are legally entitled to it, I have no issue turning (financial documents) over to them," Koelling said.

In the 1989 Illinois Appellate Court ruling People v. Daubman, a judge described Koelling, who was then named Tammy Fyke, as a drug dealer and said she asked Gary Daubman to kill Robert "Red" Alderson, Jr. She lured Alderson to a remote location, and Daubman shot him in the back of the head three times.

Koelling confirmed she first met Yang at the prison law library. Koelling said she wanted to write a book on Yang's story but instead formed a team of experts to study and investigate her case.

Koelling said her company was involved with the recent "20/20" special on Yang's case and is in negotiations with a media organization to turn Yang's story into a docuseries.

Stone said the series hasn't been shot yet, but it's possible that he'll be among those interviewed for it.