Overview
- The denial, issued Monday, June 29, 2026, came from Lake County Judge Christopher Stride who ruled the defense did not overcome the evidence used at trial.
- Yang, convicted in 2011, is serving two life sentences for the 2007 shooting that killed 42-year-old Rhoni Reuter and her unborn child.
- Prosecutors relied on a secretly recorded statement played at trial and a theory that Yang acted alone out of jealousy over Reuter’s pregnancy with Shaun Gayle’s child.
- The defense highlighted competing forensic claims including DNA from an unidentified man on five unfired shell casings and expert testimony challenging the timing of Reuter’s injuries and the suspect’s height.
- Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart endorsed the ruling as closer to finality for the family while Yang’s attorney Jed Stone said he will immediately appeal and plans state supreme court and potential federal review, including possible federal habeas relief.