Marni Yang Sentenced To Life For Murder Of Shaun Gayle's Pregnant Girlfriend

Marni Yang was sentenced Friday to life in prison for the premeditated murder of Rhoni Reuter and her unborn child.

Lake County Judge Christopher Stride said to Yang that her crime was unique among the many murder cases he'd seen. "What makes it different, Miss Yang, is the methodical, meticulous and maniacal manner in which you committed this crime," the judge said at the sentencing hearing, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Yang was involved in an affair with former Chicago Bears player Shaun Gayle, who was also in a long-time relationship with Reuter. Gayle had admitted to having sex with Yang the night before the murder was committed, and Yang apparently viewed Reuter as a rival for his affections.

In a chilling audio recording of a phone call between Yang and a friend, she describes entering the Deerfield condo and shooting the seven-month-pregnant Reuter repeatedly. (Listen to the phone call here.) As Reuter was being shot, she covered her stomach in an attempt to protect her and Gayle's unborn child.

Gayle was not present at the hearing on Friday, but according to the Chicago Tribune, he asked that a short statement be read:

"The pain has been so unimaginable, and the desire to stop living so strong at times, I do not know how I am still here today.

"Some may be thinking 'May God have mercy on your soul,' but that's not going to happen. If there is a hell, you will burn in the hottest part of it."

Gayle was a member of the 1985 Bears Super Bowl championship team. He had been dating Reuter for more than 17 years before her death.