Crime & Safety

Convicted Murderer Yang Contracts Coronavirus In Jail

Marni Yang is serving two life sentences for the 2007 murder of Deerfield resident Rhoni Reuter and her unborn child.

Marni Yang's attorney Jed Stone filed an emergency clemency petition on her behalf regarding the coronavirus in April.
Marni Yang's attorney Jed Stone filed an emergency clemency petition on her behalf regarding the coronavirus in April. (Illinois Department of Corrections)

DEERFIELD, IL — Marni Yang, currently serving two life sentences for the 2007 murder of Deerfield resident Rhoni Reuter and her unborn child, has tested positive for the coronavirus. According to her lawyer, Jed Stone, she has been placed in an isolation unit at the Logan Correctional Center and has not received treatment for a running fever, experiencing extreme headaches and having difficulty breathing.

Stone filed a clemency petition for Yang in April asking that the 52-year-old be released "as quick as possible" to avoid the medical consequences of her possible exposure to the coronavirus. According to the petition, Yang has asthma, Type 2 diabetes and a compromised immune system. The petition also maintains Yang's innocence in the double murder.

According to Stone, Yang was previously housed in Unit 6 (North Wing) of Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln. There were 35 individuals in that unit. Thirteen of those inmates have tested positive and the unit has been considered ground zero for COVID-10 at Logan.

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Patch has reached out to the Illinois Department of Corrections regarding Yang's condition.

Reuter was the girlfriend of former Chicago Bears player Shaun Gayle at the time of her death. Gayle, who played on the 1985 Super Bowl championship team, testified during Yang's trial that he was romantically involved with both women, admitting he had sex with Yang the night before Reuter's death.

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