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Woman Guilty in Murder of NFL Star's Pregnant Lover

Marni Yang faces mandatory life sentence

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 16, 2011 4:30 AM CDT

(Newser) – Former Chicago Bear Shaun Gayle's real estate agent and sometime lover has been found guilty in the 2007 murder of his pregnant girlfriend. Prosecutors said Marni Yang used nasty anonymous letters to try to drive off other women involved with Gayle but her jealousy turned murderous when she learned Rhoni Reuter was pregnant, the Chicago Tribune reports. Yang ambushed Reuter—who was more than 6 months pregnant and had named the unborn baby Skylar—outside her home, shooting her six times with a handgun fitted with a homemade silencer.

A forensic pathologist testified that Reuter wrapped her arm around her belly as she was shot in an apparent effort to save her unborn daughter. Yang's crimes, first-degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child, carry a mandatory life sentence. "Today a huge weight is taken off our shoulders," Reuter's brother said after the verdict. "Unfortunately, it will not bring back Rhoni and Skylar. They will always be missed. They will be with us in our hearts."

This photo provided by the Deerfield, Ill., Police Department shows Marni Yang, of Chicago. (AP Photo/Deerfield Police Department, File)

Chicago police search trash outside the residence of former Bears safety Shaun Gayle Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007. Gayle's pregnant girlfriend was found shot to death in a suburban condo. (AP Photo/Mark CArlson)

8 Oct 1989: Defensive back Shaun Gayle of the Chicago Bears works against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during a game at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Getty Images)

10 Dec 1989: Defensive back Shaun Gayle of the Chicago Bears tackles a Detroit Lions player during a game at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Getty Images)

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Woman Guilty in Murder of NFL Star's Pregnant Lover

Marni Yang faces mandatory life sentence

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