Community Corner

Update: What $40M Judgment Means to Reuter Family

Civil lawsuit against convicted murderer Marni Yang results in major paycheck for victim's family.

Almost four years after Rhoni Reuter was shot and killed in her Deerfield apartment, the victim’s family can start trying to move on.

On Wednesday a Cook County jury awarded Reuter’s family $40 million in a case against her convicted killer Marni Yang. That judgment wraps up a civil lawsuit filed by the Reuters. Back in March Yang was found guilty of first-degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child.

Yang received two life sentences for gunning Reuter down at her Deerfield apartment. Reuter was six-months pregnant with the child of former Bears player Shaun Gayle at the time of the shooting. On the stand, Gayle admitted to jurors that he was also having a sexual relationship with Yang.   

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“Rhoni Reuter had no known enemies,” Reuter’s Lawyer Christopher Stombaugh explained on Thursday, which is why her death was such a devastating blow to family and friends. “Rhoni Reuter was a light wherever she went.”

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During the criminal trial, prosecutors said Yang “executed” Reuter because she wanted to “eliminate the competition” and spent weeks painting Yang as a cold-blooded killer. This trial was a chance for lawyers to focus on Reuter. 

“A jury was able to listen to the tremendous loses by a tightly knit family,” said Stombaugh, who happens to be best friends with Reuter’s brother, Thad. “They were overwhelmed by the reaction of the jurors, the verdict, and their ability to tell their story.”

After suggesting a $25-$30 million judgment, Stombaugh said the jury decided to award the Reuter family $40 million instead. An emotional decision for both the Reuters and jury members who Stombaugh commented were hugging each other outside the courtroom after the trial finished. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he added.

Stombaugh’s next step is to execute the judgment by tracking Yang’s finances and figuring out where her resources are. While he said he doesn’t expect the family to see the entire amount of money, the court ruling with prohibit Yang from profiting financially in the future from a possible book or movie deal.

While Stombaugh doesn’t know exactly what the family will do with the funds, he thinks some of the money will go towards education since a scholarship fund has already been established in Reuter’s name. 

Previous story on July 27 -

family was awarded $40 million in Cook County court Wednesday according to CBS 2 after the family filed a civil lawsuit against Reuter’s convicted killer .

In March Yang was found guilty of first-degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child. The jury convicted her of killing 42-year-old Rhoni Reuter in her Deerfield condo back in 2007. Reuter was six months pregnant with the child of former Bears player . At the time, Yang was also romantically involved with the Super Bowl winner.  

According to CBS 2’s website, the Reuter’s attorney acknowledged that the family probably won’t see all of the money awarded by the Cook County jury but stated, “We’re going to try, but I don’t think she’s worth $40 million.”

However, the judgment prohibits Yang from profiting from the murder in the future like through a book or movie deal. CBS 2 states that all of those proceeds would be handed over to the Reuter family instead.

Click here to read the full story. 


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