Marni Yang conviction: Lake County judge will allow new evidence to be presented

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. - A Lake County judge will allow Marni Yang's lawyers to present new evidence that she says could prove her innocence.

Judge Christopher Stride made the ruling Thursday and agreed for Yang to have a stage 3 hearing, but a date has not yet been set. 

The next hearing could focus on the height of the person who fired the fatal shots. 

The proceedings stem from a post-conviction petition filed by Yang's attorney, Jed Stone, on Oct. 1, 2019. 

This petition aimed to challenge Yang's 2007 murder conviction of Rhoni Rueter and her unborn child. 

Rueter, who was romantically involved with former Chicago Bear Shaun Gayle and seven months pregnant at the time, was gunned down at her Deerfield home on Oct. 4, 2007.

MORE: Marni Yang's 2020 jailhouse interview 

In 2011, a jury deliberated for only three hours before convicting Yang of the murders. Prosecutors argued that Yang was motivated by jealousy, as Yang was also romantically involved with Gayle. They presented a secretly recorded confession Yang made to a friend as part of their case.

Yang is currently serving two life sentences for the killings.

Marni Yang

According to Stone, since the filing of the petition in 2019, a stream of new evidence, experts and witnesses have allegedly emerged. Despite Stone's assertions, prosecutors maintain that there exists an overwhelming amount of evidence implicating Yang in the crime.

In 2020, Yang's lawyers questioned the alibi of Gayle, saying his timeline didn't add up. They also requested surveillance tapes from the barbershop where Gayle said he was getting a haircut at the time Reuter was murdered.

The ruling by the Lake County judge will shape the course of Yang's legal battle, with ramifications that could potentially alter the outcome of her conviction.