A state witness can testify at the upcoming hearing for convicted murderer Marni Yang, a Lake County judge ruled, rebuffing a move by Yang’s attorney who sought to bar the expert.
Judge Christopher Stride said the expert can be called at the hearing for Yang, who is seeking to have her conviction overturned for the 2007 shooting death of the pregnant girlfriend of former Chicago Bear Shaun Gayle.
The hearing on Yang’s post-conviction petition is scheduled to take place in January.
Yang’s attorney, Jed Stone, plans to call an expert witness who is expected to testify that evidence shows Yang was not the person who shot Rhoni Reuter in her Deerfield condo. Authorities say that Yang, who had previously seen Gayle, killed Reuter because Yang saw her as a romantic rival.
Yang was sentenced to life in prison following her conviction in 2011, but filed court documents seeking the overturning of her conviction. That effort has reached the final stage, a full evidentiary hearing.
In response to Yang’s expert, Lake County prosecutors plan on calling their own expert.
But Stone filed a motion seeking to bar the prosecution’s expert, arguing that the state expert had failed to disclose any of his findings or offer any opinions on what his testimony would be. Stone said that the alleged lack of disclosure was contrary to the judge’s order for transparency and openness in the case.
Prosecutors told the judge that the expert had not submitted a written report. The state expert had offered some opinions in an email that has been shared with Yang’s defense, prosecutors said.
The judge declined to bar the expert, but did issue a series of directives that he said were intended to make sure both sides had all relevant information before the evidentiary hearing. The hearing is scheduled to begin Jan. 12, and the court has set aside three days to hear testimony.
The case had been scheduled for a July hearing, but was postponed after the main defense expert amended the findings in his report shortly before the hearing date.