1 00:00:08,375 --> 00:00:11,544 and this is "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered." 2 00:00:11,578 --> 00:00:13,813 They were a gorgeous couple. 3 00:00:13,847 --> 00:00:15,148 - From the minute you saw her, 4 00:00:15,181 --> 00:00:17,384 you felt happy just being with her. 5 00:00:17,417 --> 00:00:21,287 - He was once a pro athlete, football royalty. 6 00:00:21,321 --> 00:00:23,990 She was expecting their first child. 7 00:00:26,393 --> 00:00:27,761 - The baby was moving, and she said, 8 00:00:27,794 --> 00:00:29,496 "Come and feel my tummy." 9 00:00:29,529 --> 00:00:32,265 - Then, a crime that stunned the city. 10 00:00:32,298 --> 00:00:36,302 The beaming mother-to-be, gunned down in her own home. 11 00:00:36,336 --> 00:00:37,837 - You'd see bullet holes in the floor 12 00:00:37,871 --> 00:00:40,440 where my sister was murdered. 13 00:00:40,473 --> 00:00:41,274 It was terrible. 14 00:00:41,307 --> 00:00:44,010 - So full of love and life. 15 00:00:44,044 --> 00:00:47,113 Who would want her dead? Her celebrity boyfriend? 16 00:00:49,683 --> 00:00:52,285 Or, maybe one of his other girlfriends. 17 00:00:52,318 --> 00:00:55,855 - She said, "You don't know that he's seeing other girls?" 18 00:00:55,889 --> 00:00:59,092 - Mysterious letters were spilling secrets. 19 00:00:59,125 --> 00:01:01,628 Did someone want her out of the way? 20 00:01:08,068 --> 00:01:09,769 A mother-to-be killed, 21 00:01:09,803 --> 00:01:13,540 and a mother of three who was not what she seemed. 22 00:01:13,573 --> 00:01:16,376 Now, an undercover plan to catch a killer. 23 00:01:20,547 --> 00:01:28,788 ** 24 00:01:28,822 --> 00:01:32,459 - Hello, and welcome to "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered." 25 00:01:32,492 --> 00:01:36,329 Rhoni Reuter was a small town girl from Wisconsin. 26 00:01:36,363 --> 00:01:39,232 Shaun Gayle was a football superstar 27 00:01:39,265 --> 00:01:40,600 with the Chicago Bears. 28 00:01:40,633 --> 00:01:43,103 After dating for nearly two decades, 29 00:01:43,103 --> 00:01:46,106 the couple was expecting a child together, 30 00:01:46,139 --> 00:01:49,876 but their story was no happily ever after. 31 00:01:49,909 --> 00:01:53,113 Instead, Rhoni was dead, and to solve the mystery, 32 00:01:53,113 --> 00:01:55,281 investigators would have to find the person 33 00:01:55,315 --> 00:01:59,019 hiding a secret obsession. 34 00:01:59,119 --> 00:02:02,055 Here's Rob Stafford with "Deadly Liaisons." 35 00:02:02,088 --> 00:02:07,060 ** 36 00:02:07,093 --> 00:02:09,162 - It was morning in a condo complex 37 00:02:09,195 --> 00:02:12,399 in the upscale Chicago suburb of Deerfield. 38 00:02:12,432 --> 00:02:15,368 The day was just getting started, quiet, 39 00:02:15,402 --> 00:02:18,438 until the screaming. 40 00:02:18,471 --> 00:02:20,073 A woman in the building heard it, 41 00:02:20,073 --> 00:02:22,308 so she called her pregnant neighbor upstairs. 42 00:02:33,386 --> 00:02:34,587 No response. 43 00:02:34,621 --> 00:02:36,823 Now, feeling something like dread, 44 00:02:36,856 --> 00:02:38,291 the neighbor picked up the phone again 45 00:02:38,324 --> 00:02:40,293 and dialed 911. 46 00:02:45,832 --> 00:02:47,300 Police rushed to the scene. 47 00:02:47,334 --> 00:02:50,103 The 911 caller had been right to be worried. 48 00:02:50,136 --> 00:02:51,604 In the unit above her, 49 00:02:51,638 --> 00:02:55,241 they found her pregnant neighbor, dead. 50 00:02:55,275 --> 00:02:57,644 What had happened upstairs, and why? 51 00:02:57,677 --> 00:03:00,080 Solving the mystery would lead police 52 00:03:00,113 --> 00:03:02,582 to a famous and beloved pro football player, 53 00:03:02,615 --> 00:03:05,485 would involve several women in his life, 54 00:03:05,518 --> 00:03:06,486 and would set the stage 55 00:03:06,519 --> 00:03:08,922 for a high stakes cat-and-mouse game 56 00:03:08,955 --> 00:03:11,291 between authorities and the person 57 00:03:11,324 --> 00:03:12,959 they ultimately came to believe killed 58 00:03:13,059 --> 00:03:15,895 an expectant mother in cold blood. 59 00:03:17,597 --> 00:03:19,366 Her name was Rhoni Reuter. 60 00:03:19,399 --> 00:03:22,102 ** 61 00:03:22,135 --> 00:03:24,804 - From the minute you saw her, you felt happy, 62 00:03:24,838 --> 00:03:26,706 just-just being with her. 63 00:03:26,740 --> 00:03:30,643 ** 64 00:03:30,677 --> 00:03:34,814 - Rhoni was stunning, stylish, and sweet. 65 00:03:34,848 --> 00:03:36,549 Her brothers, Thad and Wade, 66 00:03:36,583 --> 00:03:40,920 adored her, as did their wives, Anna and Lori. 67 00:03:40,954 --> 00:03:43,690 - Rhoni is the person that you see 68 00:03:43,723 --> 00:03:45,592 that you would want to be. 69 00:03:45,625 --> 00:03:47,627 She was everything. 70 00:03:47,660 --> 00:03:50,363 She would do anything for anybody. 71 00:03:50,397 --> 00:03:53,833 - She was very caring, always thought of other people. 72 00:03:53,867 --> 00:03:55,335 She called us every night. 73 00:03:55,368 --> 00:03:57,971 - There was a warm tenderness that Rhoni brought 74 00:03:58,004 --> 00:03:59,673 everywhere she went. 75 00:03:59,706 --> 00:04:02,042 - Rhoni was a woman with no enemies, 76 00:04:02,042 --> 00:04:05,812 so who on Earth could have wanted her dead? 77 00:04:05,845 --> 00:04:07,681 The investigation began at a crime scene 78 00:04:07,714 --> 00:04:09,516 that was only minutes old. 79 00:04:09,549 --> 00:04:12,052 Detectives Vince Nichols and Juan Mazariegos 80 00:04:12,085 --> 00:04:13,720 of the Deerfield Police Department 81 00:04:13,753 --> 00:04:15,655 caught the case. 82 00:04:15,689 --> 00:04:19,059 - You could still smell the odor of gunpowder. 83 00:04:19,059 --> 00:04:20,860 No immediate signs of a struggle. 84 00:04:20,894 --> 00:04:22,896 - And no signs of forced entry. 85 00:04:22,929 --> 00:04:25,065 Bullet casings and live ammunition 86 00:04:25,065 --> 00:04:28,368 from a nine millimeter Beretta semi automatic handgun 87 00:04:28,401 --> 00:04:29,536 littered the kitchen. 88 00:04:29,569 --> 00:04:31,905 Deerfield police chief John Sliozis thought 89 00:04:31,938 --> 00:04:33,673 that was telling. 90 00:04:33,707 --> 00:04:35,775 - The sheer number of shots would indicate 91 00:04:35,809 --> 00:04:38,078 that this-- there was some emotion, 92 00:04:38,078 --> 00:04:41,281 there was some-- something driving the shooter. 93 00:04:41,314 --> 00:04:42,248 In all likelihood, 94 00:04:42,282 --> 00:04:45,785 the victim could have known the offender. 95 00:04:45,819 --> 00:04:48,555 - So who's the first person you want to talk to? 96 00:04:48,588 --> 00:04:49,389 - Shaun Gayle. 97 00:04:49,422 --> 00:04:51,591 - The boyfriend? - Correct. 98 00:04:51,624 --> 00:04:54,294 - Shaun Gayle, her boyfriend of 17 years, 99 00:04:54,327 --> 00:04:57,964 was an ex football player, smart, popular, and charming. 100 00:04:57,997 --> 00:05:01,301 The two met in 1990 at a charity event. 101 00:05:01,334 --> 00:05:05,505 Back then, Shaun was a member of the iconic '85 Bears team 102 00:05:05,538 --> 00:05:07,040 that won the Superbowl. 103 00:05:08,641 --> 00:05:11,378 - Superbowl champions! 104 00:05:12,679 --> 00:05:13,847 - For the most part, they were just together 105 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:14,781 all the time. 106 00:05:14,814 --> 00:05:16,449 They talked every day on the phone. 107 00:05:16,483 --> 00:05:19,052 Um, they took trips together. 108 00:05:19,085 --> 00:05:21,287 - Rhoni's family says she and Shaun 109 00:05:21,321 --> 00:05:22,922 seemed to make it work. 110 00:05:22,956 --> 00:05:26,259 The revered pro athlete and the girl from a small town 111 00:05:26,292 --> 00:05:27,827 living in a big city. 112 00:05:27,861 --> 00:05:29,729 She eventually juggled two jobs, 113 00:05:29,763 --> 00:05:33,099 one in the food industry, the other part time at Macy's 114 00:05:33,133 --> 00:05:34,968 because she loved fashion. 115 00:05:35,068 --> 00:05:38,705 And then, in March 2007 after many years with Shaun, 116 00:05:38,738 --> 00:05:42,242 Rhoni became pregnant at age 41. 117 00:05:42,275 --> 00:05:44,444 She would finally become a mother. 118 00:05:44,477 --> 00:05:46,513 She was elated, which was obvious 119 00:05:46,546 --> 00:05:49,082 when Wade, his wife, and parents visited Rhoni 120 00:05:49,082 --> 00:05:51,084 in Chicago that September. 121 00:05:51,084 --> 00:05:53,219 - That was the happiest I had ever seen my sister 122 00:05:53,253 --> 00:05:54,254 in my life. 123 00:05:54,287 --> 00:05:55,822 She was just glowing. 124 00:05:55,855 --> 00:05:57,724 - And the baby was moving. 125 00:05:57,757 --> 00:06:00,727 And she said, "Mom, come and feel my tummy." 126 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:01,861 "The baby's moving." 127 00:06:01,895 --> 00:06:03,496 I will never forget that. 128 00:06:03,530 --> 00:06:05,632 ** 129 00:06:05,665 --> 00:06:07,133 - Rhoni was a woman in love, 130 00:06:07,167 --> 00:06:10,136 even though this was no conventional relationship. 131 00:06:10,170 --> 00:06:12,939 She'd been with Shaun for close to two decades. 132 00:06:13,039 --> 00:06:14,874 They never married or even lived together, 133 00:06:14,908 --> 00:06:17,711 so Anna wondered why Rhoni stayed with him 134 00:06:17,744 --> 00:06:19,112 when she wanted both. 135 00:06:19,145 --> 00:06:20,447 - You know, I'd say, "What is it about him?" 136 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:21,881 And she said, "I don't know what to tell you, Anna. 137 00:06:21,915 --> 00:06:23,717 "I just love him." 138 00:06:23,750 --> 00:06:26,286 - And it was unclear if anything would change, 139 00:06:26,319 --> 00:06:28,355 even after the baby was born. 140 00:06:28,388 --> 00:06:29,422 - Did she want to get married? 141 00:06:29,456 --> 00:06:32,525 - Yes, she did. - Did he? 142 00:06:32,559 --> 00:06:34,094 - I don't know. 143 00:06:35,295 --> 00:06:36,563 - And there was one other thing. 144 00:06:36,596 --> 00:06:39,366 Rhoni's family rarely saw Shaun. 145 00:06:39,399 --> 00:06:42,068 - We just knew that Rhoni said Shaun was a private person 146 00:06:42,068 --> 00:06:43,870 and didn't want people bothering him. 147 00:06:43,903 --> 00:06:47,073 - Just as Rhoni's family was wondering how a baby 148 00:06:47,073 --> 00:06:49,776 might affect Rhoni and Shaun's relationship, 149 00:06:49,809 --> 00:06:53,446 she was suddenly gunned down early that October morning. 150 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:55,281 - So that was probably the most angry I'd ever been 151 00:06:55,315 --> 00:06:57,083 in my life. I was in an uproar. 152 00:06:57,117 --> 00:06:59,085 I mean, I just wanted to go down there 153 00:06:59,085 --> 00:07:00,253 and get the person. 154 00:07:00,286 --> 00:07:03,289 I wanted to grab him myself 155 00:07:03,323 --> 00:07:06,192 and do what they did to my sister. 156 00:07:06,226 --> 00:07:08,528 - Police, too, were committed to bringing the killer 157 00:07:08,561 --> 00:07:10,430 or killers to justice, 158 00:07:10,463 --> 00:07:12,399 so they started this investigation 159 00:07:12,432 --> 00:07:13,800 by the book. 160 00:07:13,833 --> 00:07:16,503 Look at the people closest to the victim. 161 00:07:16,536 --> 00:07:18,538 That's why they wanted to talk to Shaun Gayle, 162 00:07:18,571 --> 00:07:20,874 and they didn't have to wait long to do it. 163 00:07:23,543 --> 00:07:25,045 - I said, "This is Shaun Gayle," and they're trying to say-- 164 00:07:25,045 --> 00:07:26,913 they're naming me as a suspect. 165 00:07:26,946 --> 00:07:30,050 - A sobbing boyfriend under suspicion. 166 00:07:30,083 --> 00:07:32,852 [sobbing over the phone] 167 00:07:39,125 --> 00:07:47,067 ** 168 00:07:48,068 --> 00:07:50,236 - Rhoni Reuter, more than six months pregnant, 169 00:07:50,270 --> 00:07:52,505 had been shot to death in her own home. 170 00:07:52,539 --> 00:07:55,275 It would have been a shocking crime anywhere, 171 00:07:55,308 --> 00:07:57,477 but it was especially so in Deerfield, 172 00:07:57,510 --> 00:08:00,146 a tranquil, affluent Chicago suburb, 173 00:08:00,180 --> 00:08:05,051 which had not seen a murder in more than 30 years. 174 00:08:05,085 --> 00:08:07,320 Who could have committed such a crime? 175 00:08:07,354 --> 00:08:10,190 First on the list of people police wanted to talk to 176 00:08:10,223 --> 00:08:13,226 was Shaun Gayle, Rhoni's long time boyfriend. 177 00:08:13,259 --> 00:08:15,462 But before police could call Shaun, 178 00:08:15,495 --> 00:08:19,032 he called them himself a few hours after the murder. 179 00:08:19,032 --> 00:08:22,302 Shaun didn't seem to know yet that Rhoni was dead, 180 00:08:22,335 --> 00:08:24,604 and sounded confused about just what had happened. 181 00:08:50,096 --> 00:08:54,300 [Shaun sobbing] 182 00:09:09,482 --> 00:09:11,418 - Shaun seemed shocked and distressed, 183 00:09:11,451 --> 00:09:14,154 but detectives weren't necessarily buying it. 184 00:09:14,187 --> 00:09:17,290 - As police officers, you're listening to see, 185 00:09:17,323 --> 00:09:19,626 is he acting or is this real grief. 186 00:09:19,659 --> 00:09:20,794 - After playing it several times, 187 00:09:20,827 --> 00:09:22,395 yes, that's what we're listening for. 188 00:09:22,429 --> 00:09:23,596 Appears to be sincere. 189 00:09:23,630 --> 00:09:25,799 - But you're not basing any conclusion on that tape. 190 00:09:25,832 --> 00:09:27,233 - That's correct. 191 00:09:27,267 --> 00:09:29,569 - You want to talk to him. - Oh, absolutely. 192 00:09:29,602 --> 00:09:32,105 - Shaun may be part of football royalty, 193 00:09:32,138 --> 00:09:34,341 a player on a Superbowl winning team, 194 00:09:34,374 --> 00:09:36,643 but now he was a potential suspect 195 00:09:36,676 --> 00:09:39,045 in a high profile murder case. 196 00:09:39,079 --> 00:09:41,715 - Detectives say Shaun was still emotional 197 00:09:41,748 --> 00:09:44,050 as they sat down with him in an interview room 198 00:09:44,050 --> 00:09:45,552 and started with the basics. 199 00:09:45,585 --> 00:09:48,922 Where had Shaun been at the time of the shooting? 200 00:09:48,955 --> 00:09:50,290 - He was en route to see his physical therapist, 201 00:09:50,323 --> 00:09:52,592 but because he was early he decided to go get a haircut. 202 00:09:52,625 --> 00:09:54,060 In North Chicago. 203 00:09:54,094 --> 00:09:55,762 - So he's not far from the murder scene 204 00:09:55,795 --> 00:09:58,264 at the time of the murder? - No, he's not. 205 00:09:58,298 --> 00:10:00,700 - Investigators checked out Shaun's alibi. 206 00:10:00,734 --> 00:10:03,336 The barber shop confirmed he had been there 207 00:10:03,370 --> 00:10:04,404 the morning of the murder. 208 00:10:04,437 --> 00:10:06,539 - We also went as far as pulled a video 209 00:10:06,573 --> 00:10:08,975 from his complex, which captures the alley 210 00:10:09,009 --> 00:10:10,977 where he would drive out and drive through 211 00:10:11,011 --> 00:10:12,645 to leave his house, and sure enough, 212 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:14,447 he is captured leaving his house. 213 00:10:14,481 --> 00:10:16,016 - In terms of the timeline in the shooting, 214 00:10:16,049 --> 00:10:18,451 does that videotape clear him of being at the murder scene 215 00:10:18,485 --> 00:10:19,919 at the time? - Yes. 216 00:10:19,953 --> 00:10:22,756 - No gunshot residue was found on Shaun, 217 00:10:22,789 --> 00:10:24,691 and he did not match the description 218 00:10:24,724 --> 00:10:27,260 police had from neighbors of a small, young, 219 00:10:27,293 --> 00:10:29,496 dark complected male with black hair 220 00:10:29,529 --> 00:10:32,699 wearing a baggy sweatsuit who was last seen 221 00:10:32,732 --> 00:10:34,901 at Rhoni's condo the morning of the murder, 222 00:10:34,934 --> 00:10:36,870 but that didn't let Shaun off the hook 223 00:10:36,903 --> 00:10:38,972 as far as police were concerned. 224 00:10:39,005 --> 00:10:41,608 They said they had to consider whether someone else 225 00:10:41,641 --> 00:10:44,611 perhaps connected to Shaun had committed the crime. 226 00:10:44,644 --> 00:10:48,448 The victim's family was wondering the same thing. 227 00:10:48,481 --> 00:10:50,750 - At first I thought, well, maybe it was someone hired 228 00:10:50,784 --> 00:10:54,187 as a hitman to do this, and that was them 229 00:10:54,220 --> 00:10:55,855 running away from the scene. 230 00:10:55,889 --> 00:10:58,058 I didn't think the person that was behind this 231 00:10:58,091 --> 00:10:59,859 would be stupid enough to do it themselves 232 00:10:59,893 --> 00:11:01,161 in broad daylight. 233 00:11:01,194 --> 00:11:03,530 - Did you think that person could have been Shaun Gayles? 234 00:11:03,563 --> 00:11:05,598 - Did it ever cross my mind? Certainly. 235 00:11:05,632 --> 00:11:11,571 - That maybe he didn't want the baby in the picture. 236 00:11:11,604 --> 00:11:14,074 - Reeling with questions and anguish, 237 00:11:14,074 --> 00:11:16,876 Rhoni's family made the sad pilgrimage to her condo 238 00:11:16,910 --> 00:11:18,478 to collect her things. 239 00:11:18,511 --> 00:11:21,715 - We walked in, and it was stark quiet 240 00:11:21,748 --> 00:11:24,684 and cold and empty, 241 00:11:24,718 --> 00:11:27,620 and it just-- It felt awful. 242 00:11:27,654 --> 00:11:30,623 All of her stuff, but not her. It was awful. 243 00:11:30,657 --> 00:11:35,328 - She had-- All the baby clothes that people had gotten her 244 00:11:35,362 --> 00:11:40,100 were on a great big table next to the kitchen. 245 00:11:40,100 --> 00:11:41,234 - To see bullet holes 246 00:11:41,267 --> 00:11:43,436 in the floor where my sister was murdered, 247 00:11:43,470 --> 00:11:47,173 it was terrible. - As Rhoni's family grieved, 248 00:11:47,207 --> 00:11:49,509 they hoped the police would find answers, 249 00:11:49,542 --> 00:11:51,778 and one tantalizing lead came 250 00:11:51,811 --> 00:11:53,913 when investigators asked Shaun Gayle, 251 00:11:53,947 --> 00:11:55,915 if not him, who? 252 00:11:55,949 --> 00:11:59,919 Shaun gave them a name, a woman's name. 253 00:11:59,953 --> 00:12:03,123 - Shaun's secrets start to unravel. 254 00:12:03,156 --> 00:12:05,325 There's another woman in his life. 255 00:12:05,358 --> 00:12:07,761 Is she a possible suspect, too? 256 00:12:09,763 --> 00:12:11,231 - Spurned lover? - Yes. 257 00:12:11,264 --> 00:12:12,298 - Jealous? - Yes. 258 00:12:12,332 --> 00:12:13,733 - Motive? - Yes. 259 00:12:20,140 --> 00:12:25,111 ** 260 00:12:25,645 --> 00:12:30,116 [cheering and applause] 261 00:12:30,150 --> 00:12:34,087 - Shaun Gayle was a handsome and popular ex-football player 262 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:35,855 for the Chicago Bears. 263 00:12:35,889 --> 00:12:39,125 Now his girlfriend, Rhoni Reuter, was dead, 264 00:12:39,159 --> 00:12:40,960 and it wasn't long before police learned 265 00:12:40,994 --> 00:12:44,097 Rhoni wasn't the only woman in Shaun's life. 266 00:12:44,130 --> 00:12:45,165 Far from it, 267 00:12:45,198 --> 00:12:47,701 and they learned that from Shaun himself. 268 00:12:47,734 --> 00:12:50,003 - It was kind of an open relationship. 269 00:12:50,103 --> 00:12:52,238 He had made it clear to her. - It was not exclusive. 270 00:12:52,272 --> 00:12:54,974 - Correct. - Shaun told police 271 00:12:55,008 --> 00:12:57,477 one of the women he had dated the year before 272 00:12:57,510 --> 00:13:01,781 might be responsible for Rhoni's murder, Monika Kurowska 273 00:13:01,815 --> 00:13:04,584 Originally from Poland, she's a fitness trainer 274 00:13:04,617 --> 00:13:08,488 who met Shaun at a Bear's promotional event in 2005. 275 00:13:08,521 --> 00:13:11,725 She was 27 at the time. He was 43. 276 00:13:11,758 --> 00:13:15,862 - He was a person who I can truly open up. 277 00:13:15,895 --> 00:13:18,498 Gentle outside, and a gentleman manner. 278 00:13:18,531 --> 00:13:20,934 - Monika said Shaun never mentioned other women, 279 00:13:20,967 --> 00:13:23,703 so she assumed she was the only one he was dating. 280 00:13:23,737 --> 00:13:25,071 - Did he tell you that? 281 00:13:25,071 --> 00:13:27,974 - He didn't really have to tell me that, 282 00:13:28,074 --> 00:13:29,776 because we were seeing each other quite often. 283 00:13:29,809 --> 00:13:32,679 - Then late one evening, after nine months of dating, 284 00:13:32,712 --> 00:13:35,348 Monika said she happened to be in Shaun's neighborhood 285 00:13:35,382 --> 00:13:37,517 and decided to stop by his home. 286 00:13:37,550 --> 00:13:41,154 - I came out from the car, and I stopped by the window 287 00:13:41,187 --> 00:13:43,857 where I saw him sitting with another woman. 288 00:13:43,890 --> 00:13:48,194 I never would have suspected there was somebody else. 289 00:13:48,228 --> 00:13:50,230 That was not-- For me, that was a shock. 290 00:13:50,263 --> 00:13:52,732 - She started knocking on Shaun's window. 291 00:13:52,766 --> 00:13:55,635 - And I really got upset, because they went upstairs 292 00:13:55,669 --> 00:13:57,804 instead, you know-- If that would be just a friend 293 00:13:57,837 --> 00:14:01,174 or something, you know, why-- Why wouldn't you open the door? 294 00:14:01,207 --> 00:14:03,309 - Monika admits breaking the window, 295 00:14:03,343 --> 00:14:05,545 although she says she didn't intend to. 296 00:14:05,578 --> 00:14:06,946 - I was very angry. 297 00:14:07,047 --> 00:14:09,582 I don't think I was ever cheated by anybody. 298 00:14:09,616 --> 00:14:11,151 It was shocking for me. 299 00:14:11,184 --> 00:14:13,753 - And Monika remembers confronting the other woman 300 00:14:13,787 --> 00:14:14,788 as she left. 301 00:14:14,821 --> 00:14:16,956 - I asked her, "Are you seeing him?" 302 00:14:17,057 --> 00:14:19,659 And she said, "You don't know that-that-- 303 00:14:19,693 --> 00:14:22,529 "that he's seeing other girls?" And I'm like, "No." 304 00:14:22,562 --> 00:14:24,097 - Monika says that night 305 00:14:24,130 --> 00:14:27,067 marked the end of her relationship with Shaun. 306 00:14:27,067 --> 00:14:28,835 Just a few weeks later, 307 00:14:28,868 --> 00:14:31,338 something strange started happening. 308 00:14:31,371 --> 00:14:34,474 Women in Shaun's life began to receive letters. 309 00:14:34,507 --> 00:14:37,744 - Describing the fact that he was not only 310 00:14:37,777 --> 00:14:40,080 seeing this one particular woman, 311 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,882 but seeing many women at the same time, 312 00:14:42,916 --> 00:14:46,753 trying to dissuade these other ladies from seeing him. 313 00:14:46,786 --> 00:14:48,888 - "Dateline" has obtained some of the letters, 314 00:14:48,922 --> 00:14:51,558 which not only contain angry allegations 315 00:14:51,591 --> 00:14:55,095 that Shaun cheated and lied, but also include copies 316 00:14:55,095 --> 00:14:57,430 of what look like very personal emails 317 00:14:57,464 --> 00:14:59,399 between Shaun and the women, 318 00:14:59,432 --> 00:15:02,102 as well as supposed travel itineraries, 319 00:15:02,135 --> 00:15:04,170 indicating Shaun had taken foreign trips 320 00:15:04,204 --> 00:15:07,307 with two different women less than two months apart. 321 00:15:07,340 --> 00:15:09,609 One was written in poor English, 322 00:15:09,642 --> 00:15:12,112 as if by an immigrant, like Monika. 323 00:15:12,145 --> 00:15:14,781 Shaun, who says the letters were full of lies, 324 00:15:14,814 --> 00:15:17,283 immediately accused Monika of sending them. 325 00:15:17,317 --> 00:15:19,152 After all, she'd broken his window 326 00:15:19,185 --> 00:15:21,054 and confronted that woman. 327 00:15:21,054 --> 00:15:23,857 He got an order of protection against Monkia, 328 00:15:23,890 --> 00:15:26,059 but the letters and other harassing behavior 329 00:15:26,059 --> 00:15:28,428 continued for more than a year. 330 00:15:28,461 --> 00:15:29,362 It seemed to Shaun 331 00:15:29,396 --> 00:15:31,831 that Monika was repeatedly violating 332 00:15:31,865 --> 00:15:34,701 that order of protection. 333 00:15:34,734 --> 00:15:37,737 By the fall of 2007, 334 00:15:37,771 --> 00:15:40,206 Shaun was so frustrated with the harassment, 335 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:42,876 he wanted Monika jailed or fined. 336 00:15:42,909 --> 00:15:47,881 His request was filed in court on October 4, 2007, 337 00:15:47,914 --> 00:15:51,685 the same day Rhoni Reuter was killed. 338 00:15:51,718 --> 00:15:54,087 So Rhoni Reuter didn't have any enemies? 339 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:55,655 - That's correct. - But you learned 340 00:15:55,689 --> 00:15:57,524 that Shaun Gayle did. - Yes. 341 00:15:57,557 --> 00:16:00,360 - Shaun told police about Monika Kurowska 342 00:16:00,393 --> 00:16:02,629 and those letters. Not only did they think 343 00:16:02,662 --> 00:16:05,031 they might have a direct connection to the murder, 344 00:16:05,065 --> 00:16:08,401 but one of those letters was found in Rhoni's purse 345 00:16:08,435 --> 00:16:10,470 the day she was killed. 346 00:16:10,503 --> 00:16:12,439 - How big a break does that seem at the time? 347 00:16:12,472 --> 00:16:13,540 - Well, this is definitely a suspect. 348 00:16:13,573 --> 00:16:14,708 She knew of Rhoni. 349 00:16:14,741 --> 00:16:16,576 If she mailed this letter, and Rhoni had the letter, 350 00:16:16,609 --> 00:16:18,712 she obviously had to know Rhoni's address. 351 00:16:18,745 --> 00:16:21,548 - Does Monika Kurowska sound like a spurned lover? 352 00:16:21,581 --> 00:16:23,583 - Yes. - Jealous? - Yes. 353 00:16:23,616 --> 00:16:24,951 - Motive? - Yes. 354 00:16:25,051 --> 00:16:27,420 - Monika's alibi for the time of the murder 355 00:16:27,454 --> 00:16:30,390 was that she was training one of her regular clients, 356 00:16:30,423 --> 00:16:34,160 who happened to live in a town right next to Deerfield. 357 00:16:34,194 --> 00:16:36,162 Her alibi seemed to check out. 358 00:16:36,196 --> 00:16:38,064 As soon as you talk to the client 359 00:16:38,064 --> 00:16:41,501 that she says she was with, is she crossed off the list? 360 00:16:41,534 --> 00:16:42,602 - Not immediately. 361 00:16:42,635 --> 00:16:44,504 We don't know what their relationship is, 362 00:16:44,537 --> 00:16:46,306 if he could be lying for her or not. 363 00:16:46,339 --> 00:16:49,242 - Police had their hands full juggling Shaun Gayle 364 00:16:49,275 --> 00:16:52,178 and Monkia Kurowska as potential suspects 365 00:16:52,212 --> 00:16:54,481 when yet another woman in Shaun's circle 366 00:16:54,514 --> 00:16:57,083 popped up on their radar from tipsters. 367 00:16:57,083 --> 00:16:59,085 - Three phone calls from people 368 00:16:59,085 --> 00:17:01,855 who gave the name of Marni Yang. 369 00:17:01,888 --> 00:17:03,623 - Marni Yang? - Yes. 370 00:17:03,656 --> 00:17:05,225 And the information they were leaving 371 00:17:05,258 --> 00:17:07,427 was that she would be an individual 372 00:17:07,460 --> 00:17:09,529 capable of doing something like this 373 00:17:09,562 --> 00:17:12,198 because of the relationship she had with Shaun Gayle. 374 00:17:12,232 --> 00:17:13,900 - Capable of this kind of murder? 375 00:17:13,933 --> 00:17:15,335 - Yes. 376 00:17:15,368 --> 00:17:18,738 - The plot, as they say, was thickened. 377 00:17:21,041 --> 00:17:23,443 - Who is Marni Yang? 378 00:17:23,476 --> 00:17:25,178 - She tells us that Marni has always bragged 379 00:17:25,211 --> 00:17:27,047 about Shaun Gayle being her boyfriend. 380 00:17:38,624 --> 00:17:40,759 - Welcome back to "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered." 381 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:42,394 I'm Craig Melvin. 382 00:17:42,428 --> 00:17:44,730 The murder of mother-to-be Rhoni Reuter 383 00:17:44,763 --> 00:17:47,399 left many in Chicago stunned. 384 00:17:47,433 --> 00:17:49,668 It was no secret her boyfriend, Shaun Gayle, 385 00:17:49,702 --> 00:17:52,137 was seeing other women when Rhoni was killed. 386 00:17:52,171 --> 00:17:55,074 Police suspected he could be involved. 387 00:17:55,107 --> 00:17:58,410 But an explosive tip about a girlfriend with a grudge 388 00:17:58,444 --> 00:18:02,348 was about to break their case wide open. 389 00:18:02,381 --> 00:18:05,684 Back to Rob Stafford with "Deadly Liaisons." 390 00:18:05,718 --> 00:18:11,590 ** 391 00:18:11,623 --> 00:18:14,093 - Not long after Rhoni Reuter was gunned down 392 00:18:14,126 --> 00:18:17,329 in her own home in suburban Deerfield, Illinois, 393 00:18:17,363 --> 00:18:19,798 her longtime boyfriend, Shaun Gayle, 394 00:18:19,832 --> 00:18:22,735 and a former lover of his, Monika Kurowska, 395 00:18:22,768 --> 00:18:24,036 were being investigated 396 00:18:24,036 --> 00:18:26,538 as possible suspects in Rhoni's murder, 397 00:18:26,572 --> 00:18:29,141 but now the mystery was deepening. 398 00:18:29,174 --> 00:18:31,810 Callers had given police a new name, 399 00:18:31,844 --> 00:18:35,581 yet another woman in Shaun's life, Marni Yang. 400 00:18:35,614 --> 00:18:39,118 Police soon learned she was a divorced mother of three, 401 00:18:39,151 --> 00:18:41,720 a Chicago native who worked multiple jobs, 402 00:18:41,754 --> 00:18:43,622 including as a real estate agent, 403 00:18:43,655 --> 00:18:45,057 to support her family. 404 00:18:45,090 --> 00:18:47,960 She was also an aspiring fitness model. 405 00:18:48,060 --> 00:18:51,330 - Someone that's promoting, um, sales of fitness equipment, 406 00:18:51,363 --> 00:18:53,065 like we see on TV all the time. 407 00:18:53,098 --> 00:18:55,868 - Photographer Jason Stoller first met Marni 408 00:18:55,901 --> 00:18:59,672 during a quick photo shoot in her garage in 2006. 409 00:18:59,705 --> 00:19:03,208 Marni's children were there: Twins, a girl and boy, 410 00:19:03,242 --> 00:19:06,879 15 at the time, and a younger son, age 10. 411 00:19:06,912 --> 00:19:08,514 How was she with her kids? 412 00:19:08,547 --> 00:19:11,116 - I saw a very in-control mom, 413 00:19:11,150 --> 00:19:13,786 uh, protective of her children, 414 00:19:13,819 --> 00:19:15,354 that communicated very well, 415 00:19:15,387 --> 00:19:18,757 and was even really, really liked by her children's friends. 416 00:19:18,791 --> 00:19:22,027 - He took more than 1,000 photos of Marni 417 00:19:22,061 --> 00:19:26,565 during four modeling sessions in 2006 and 2007. 418 00:19:26,598 --> 00:19:30,102 At nearly 40 years old, Marni was in great shape, 419 00:19:30,135 --> 00:19:33,238 and Jason says Marni was incredibly driven. 420 00:19:33,272 --> 00:19:35,441 - She was looking for success in real estate. 421 00:19:35,474 --> 00:19:38,243 She was looking for success as a fitness model. 422 00:19:38,277 --> 00:19:40,412 - Was the modeling about ego, or was it about 423 00:19:40,446 --> 00:19:41,947 trying to make money? - I think both. 424 00:19:42,047 --> 00:19:44,083 I think this woman was trying to make all the money she could 425 00:19:44,116 --> 00:19:45,818 for her and her family. 426 00:19:45,851 --> 00:19:49,121 - Jason's girlfriend, Miranda Bauman, did Marni's makeup. 427 00:19:49,154 --> 00:19:52,624 - She had a lot of interests, athletic, sky diving, 428 00:19:52,658 --> 00:19:54,159 scuba diving, these kinds of things. 429 00:19:54,193 --> 00:19:57,129 - Marni was also fascinated by police work, 430 00:19:57,162 --> 00:19:59,465 even applied twice to be an officer, 431 00:19:59,498 --> 00:20:00,766 but was turned down. 432 00:20:00,799 --> 00:20:02,701 Still, she was very active in 433 00:20:02,735 --> 00:20:06,105 the Chicago Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Program. 434 00:20:06,138 --> 00:20:07,506 - She talked about wanting to make sure 435 00:20:07,539 --> 00:20:09,808 her neighborhood was safe, um, 436 00:20:09,842 --> 00:20:11,910 and being concerned about her children's safety. 437 00:20:11,944 --> 00:20:14,847 - This was hardly the profile of a murder suspect. 438 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,483 Still, police continued to look into her background 439 00:20:17,516 --> 00:20:20,552 and learned about her connection to Shaun Gayle. 440 00:20:20,586 --> 00:20:23,088 Jason says he first heard about what was going on 441 00:20:23,122 --> 00:20:26,291 between the two of them when she brought it up at a shoot. 442 00:20:26,325 --> 00:20:28,193 - She mentioned Shaun Gayle, 443 00:20:28,227 --> 00:20:31,530 that she was involved in real estate transactions with him, 444 00:20:31,563 --> 00:20:33,799 and this is who she was seeing. 445 00:20:33,832 --> 00:20:35,801 She knew Shaun was involved with other people. 446 00:20:35,834 --> 00:20:38,137 It was clear it wasn't something exclusive. 447 00:20:38,170 --> 00:20:40,439 - Marni had shown up at some of the shoots 448 00:20:40,472 --> 00:20:43,275 with a man she described as "a family friend," 449 00:20:43,308 --> 00:20:46,011 and she was, in fact, seeing a few men, 450 00:20:46,045 --> 00:20:47,880 but it appeared to both investigators 451 00:20:47,913 --> 00:20:49,148 and the photographer 452 00:20:49,181 --> 00:20:52,384 that it was Shaun she was really interested in, 453 00:20:52,418 --> 00:20:55,921 and on her last shoot, in the winter of 2007, 454 00:20:55,954 --> 00:21:00,059 Jason says Marni arrived with an outfit and a request. 455 00:21:00,059 --> 00:21:02,227 - She says, I w-- "I wore this specifically, 456 00:21:02,261 --> 00:21:03,762 "and I would like to get some pictures 457 00:21:03,796 --> 00:21:05,064 "specifically for Shaun." 458 00:21:05,097 --> 00:21:06,331 It said "Chicago Bears" on the front, 459 00:21:06,365 --> 00:21:11,337 and it said "Chicago Bears" on her butt, 460 00:21:11,370 --> 00:21:13,272 and she clearly wanted to take some pictures 461 00:21:13,305 --> 00:21:16,241 in this outfit for Shaun. 462 00:21:16,275 --> 00:21:19,078 - Police were investigating those tips they'd received 463 00:21:19,078 --> 00:21:21,947 from callers pointing them to Marni Yang. 464 00:21:21,980 --> 00:21:24,183 One was from a former friend of hers, 465 00:21:24,216 --> 00:21:25,951 and what she told police 466 00:21:25,984 --> 00:21:28,754 refocused their whole investigation. 467 00:21:28,787 --> 00:21:30,556 - She tells us that Marni Yang has always bragged 468 00:21:30,589 --> 00:21:32,291 about Shaun Gayle being her boyfriend, 469 00:21:32,324 --> 00:21:35,461 but she then starts to tell us stories about these letters 470 00:21:35,494 --> 00:21:37,429 that Monika was being accused of. 471 00:21:37,463 --> 00:21:38,564 Marni has bragged to her 472 00:21:38,597 --> 00:21:40,733 how she hacked into Shaun Gayle's email account 473 00:21:40,766 --> 00:21:43,602 and was able to obtain all these other women's information 474 00:21:43,635 --> 00:21:45,104 and email addresses. 475 00:21:45,104 --> 00:21:46,238 Marni bragged to her 476 00:21:46,271 --> 00:21:48,407 how Monika was the one getting in trouble for all this, 477 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:50,476 and then how Monika might be deported. 478 00:21:50,509 --> 00:21:51,744 She laughed about it. 479 00:21:51,777 --> 00:21:54,246 - She laughed about Monika being deported possibly? 480 00:21:54,279 --> 00:21:55,848 - Yes. - What did that tell you 481 00:21:55,881 --> 00:21:57,750 about Marni Yang? - Well, that just told us 482 00:21:57,783 --> 00:21:59,618 that, uh, she's very vindictive 483 00:21:59,651 --> 00:22:01,520 and that she would do anything 484 00:22:01,553 --> 00:22:04,323 to get anybody out of the way. 485 00:22:04,356 --> 00:22:07,960 - Just hours after speaking with Marni's former friend, 486 00:22:08,060 --> 00:22:11,430 police went to the alley behind Marni's Chicago home 487 00:22:11,463 --> 00:22:14,266 and seized her garbage, no search warrant needed. 488 00:22:14,299 --> 00:22:16,635 They simply scooped up all her trash 489 00:22:16,669 --> 00:22:18,103 and took it with them. 490 00:22:18,137 --> 00:22:21,340 In it, they found a bank statement, and on that, 491 00:22:21,373 --> 00:22:23,842 they discovered she'd been paying for background checks 492 00:22:23,876 --> 00:22:26,211 on other women Shaun was seeing. 493 00:22:26,245 --> 00:22:29,148 Police also learned about the time Marni planned a trip 494 00:22:29,181 --> 00:22:31,183 to the same resort in Mexico 495 00:22:31,216 --> 00:22:34,286 at the same time he was going there with Rhoni. 496 00:22:34,319 --> 00:22:36,555 - She tells him she's just there to do scuba diving. 497 00:22:36,588 --> 00:22:39,625 - Aside from that incident, Shaun said Marni never suggested 498 00:22:39,658 --> 00:22:41,493 she wanted more from the relationship 499 00:22:41,527 --> 00:22:43,195 than what they already had-- 500 00:22:43,228 --> 00:22:46,665 basically, some real estate dealings and sex. 501 00:22:46,699 --> 00:22:49,802 Yes, sex, and police found it very interesting 502 00:22:49,835 --> 00:22:51,704 that Marni had gone to Shaun's house 503 00:22:51,737 --> 00:22:54,106 to bring him dinner and have sex 504 00:22:54,106 --> 00:22:57,109 the very evening before the murder. 505 00:22:57,109 --> 00:23:00,379 When it came to women, Shaun's life seemed complex, 506 00:23:00,412 --> 00:23:03,048 but as police became more interested in one woman, 507 00:23:03,048 --> 00:23:05,617 Marni Yang, they were crossing another 508 00:23:05,651 --> 00:23:08,587 off their list of suspects. 509 00:23:08,620 --> 00:23:11,724 They determined Monika Kurowska had nothing to do 510 00:23:11,757 --> 00:23:14,927 with sending those nasty letters to women in Shaun's life, 511 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:18,197 and she had nothing to do with Rhoni Reuter's murder. 512 00:23:18,230 --> 00:23:20,532 The ordeal was a nightmare for her. 513 00:23:20,566 --> 00:23:22,368 - It was just so mysterious. 514 00:23:22,401 --> 00:23:24,737 Everything sounded crazy, and here, in the middle, 515 00:23:24,770 --> 00:23:27,239 it's me, my name. 516 00:23:27,272 --> 00:23:30,376 I did nothing besides just going out 517 00:23:30,409 --> 00:23:31,910 and dating the wrong person 518 00:23:31,944 --> 00:23:34,346 in the wrong-- at the wrong time. 519 00:23:34,380 --> 00:23:37,182 - Shaun Gayle was also fully cleared of the murder 520 00:23:37,216 --> 00:23:39,218 within a few weeks of the shooting. 521 00:23:39,251 --> 00:23:42,554 The investigation was soon focused on Marni Yang, 522 00:23:42,588 --> 00:23:45,190 and Shaun then went from possible suspect 523 00:23:45,224 --> 00:23:47,559 to unofficial police agent. 524 00:23:47,593 --> 00:23:49,928 He allowed police to wire his home, 525 00:23:49,962 --> 00:23:51,730 and then he invited Marni over 526 00:23:51,764 --> 00:23:54,299 to see what she might say about the murder. 527 00:23:54,333 --> 00:23:57,403 Investigators, who hovered nearby and listened in, 528 00:23:57,436 --> 00:24:00,439 later said Marni sounded more like a concerned friend 529 00:24:00,472 --> 00:24:01,440 than a killer 530 00:24:01,473 --> 00:24:04,076 as she asked questions about the investigation. 531 00:24:04,109 --> 00:24:06,812 - "Did you talk to the police today? What do they think?" 532 00:24:06,845 --> 00:24:09,915 - Police then got a warrant to search her computer at work. 533 00:24:09,948 --> 00:24:12,851 - We find that she had Googled Rhoni Reuter's address, 534 00:24:12,885 --> 00:24:16,922 a Google map from her workplace to Rhoni's residence. 535 00:24:16,955 --> 00:24:21,060 - Marni had also checked online for photos and videos of Rhoni. 536 00:24:21,060 --> 00:24:24,630 Police felt it was time to bring Marni in for questioning. 537 00:24:24,663 --> 00:24:26,165 - She tells us about the relationship 538 00:24:26,198 --> 00:24:27,232 and how she met Shaun Gayle, 539 00:24:27,266 --> 00:24:28,867 and it was at a Bear's convention, 540 00:24:28,901 --> 00:24:30,502 and how they talked about real estate. 541 00:24:30,536 --> 00:24:32,771 - Investigators were particularly interested 542 00:24:32,805 --> 00:24:35,774 in her whereabouts the night before the murder, 543 00:24:35,808 --> 00:24:37,743 which, as they already knew from Shaun, 544 00:24:37,776 --> 00:24:39,945 included a couple hours at his home. 545 00:24:39,978 --> 00:24:41,647 She was honest about that. 546 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:43,449 - She was there on October the 3rd, 547 00:24:43,482 --> 00:24:45,551 uh, between 7:30 and 9:30 P.M., 548 00:24:45,584 --> 00:24:47,653 at his residence. - And Marni told them 549 00:24:47,686 --> 00:24:49,588 something else about that night, 550 00:24:49,621 --> 00:24:53,292 something that would become central to their investigation. 551 00:24:53,325 --> 00:24:56,762 - She then, um, tells us that on that evening, 552 00:24:56,795 --> 00:24:59,098 she was supposed to meet her friend, Christi Paschen, 553 00:24:59,098 --> 00:25:01,300 for a real estate deal at Christi's place, 554 00:25:01,333 --> 00:25:03,235 but had to cancel because her vehicle broke down. 555 00:25:03,268 --> 00:25:05,771 She had to stop at home to check on the kids, 556 00:25:05,804 --> 00:25:07,206 and then her vehicle broke down. 557 00:25:07,239 --> 00:25:09,208 - Christi Paschen. That name comes up. 558 00:25:09,241 --> 00:25:11,677 How important would that name prove to be? 559 00:25:11,710 --> 00:25:15,214 - It would be the most important piece of this whole puzzle. 560 00:25:15,247 --> 00:25:17,516 - In early January 2008, 561 00:25:17,549 --> 00:25:19,418 three months after the murder, 562 00:25:19,451 --> 00:25:22,221 police stepped up their investigation of Marni Yang 563 00:25:22,254 --> 00:25:23,956 and brought her, her children, 564 00:25:24,056 --> 00:25:26,892 and her friend, Christi Paschen, in for questioning. 565 00:25:26,925 --> 00:25:28,961 What they learned was surprising, 566 00:25:29,061 --> 00:25:32,131 especially from Marni's older son. 567 00:25:36,435 --> 00:25:39,772 - Police drop a bombshell on Marni Yang. 568 00:25:48,514 --> 00:25:51,850 When "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered" continues. 569 00:25:55,155 --> 00:26:04,631 ** 570 00:26:05,632 --> 00:26:08,234 - Three months after Rhoni Reuter was gunned down 571 00:26:08,268 --> 00:26:11,271 in her own home with a 9mm Beretta, 572 00:26:11,304 --> 00:26:13,940 police were zeroing in on Marni Yang, 573 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:15,308 a woman also involved 574 00:26:15,342 --> 00:26:18,378 with Rhoni's longtime boyfriend, Shaun Gayle. 575 00:26:18,411 --> 00:26:21,381 Police had been told Marni was obsessed with Shaun, 576 00:26:21,414 --> 00:26:23,183 was a woman who loved guns 577 00:26:23,216 --> 00:26:25,518 and hated people who got in her way. 578 00:26:25,552 --> 00:26:27,187 - She's conniving. She's manipulative. 579 00:26:27,220 --> 00:26:29,055 Very arrogant. 580 00:26:29,055 --> 00:26:31,291 - They searched her home, as well as her mother's, 581 00:26:31,324 --> 00:26:34,060 where Marni had stashed some of her firearms. 582 00:26:34,060 --> 00:26:36,062 They were hoping to find the murder weapon, 583 00:26:36,062 --> 00:26:37,731 a 9mm Beretta. 584 00:26:37,764 --> 00:26:40,567 - We find a few weapons, but nothing of a 9mm. 585 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:41,968 - But they did find evidence 586 00:26:42,068 --> 00:26:44,404 of Marni's true feelings about Shaun, 587 00:26:44,437 --> 00:26:47,507 a revealing photo of Shaun and two Bears mementos 588 00:26:47,540 --> 00:26:49,743 she kept in her top dresser drawer, 589 00:26:49,776 --> 00:26:52,379 and they came across a letter she wrote to Shaun 590 00:26:52,412 --> 00:26:55,215 but never sent. In it, she complained, 591 00:26:55,248 --> 00:26:57,484 "You go on these romantic trips everywhere 592 00:26:57,517 --> 00:26:59,085 "with all these other women, 593 00:26:59,085 --> 00:27:01,454 "but you bring back a $2 key chain, 594 00:27:01,488 --> 00:27:04,224 "and I'm supposed to feel special about that? 595 00:27:04,257 --> 00:27:07,193 "What message does that send about how you view me?" 596 00:27:07,227 --> 00:27:09,629 Police also found mailing labels for those letters 597 00:27:09,662 --> 00:27:12,098 sent to women in Shaun's life. 598 00:27:12,132 --> 00:27:15,769 The noose was tightening. Now, as a camera rolled, 599 00:27:15,802 --> 00:27:19,072 police questioned Marni on and off for three days. 600 00:27:19,105 --> 00:27:20,807 Marni was very talkative. 601 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:22,709 In fact, she had answers for everything, 602 00:27:22,742 --> 00:27:25,378 and seemed confident, even cocky. 603 00:27:25,412 --> 00:27:27,881 When asked what her reaction was when Shaun told her 604 00:27:27,914 --> 00:27:30,517 about Rhoni's pregnancy, Marni responded... 605 00:27:36,756 --> 00:27:39,626 Marni's attitude was interesting to investigators, 606 00:27:39,659 --> 00:27:43,296 but more important to them were the specifics of the case. 607 00:27:43,329 --> 00:27:45,932 They asked her about the murder weapon. 608 00:27:45,965 --> 00:27:49,969 Marni told police she had had a 9mm gun that had gone missing, 609 00:27:50,070 --> 00:27:51,504 along with other things in her home, 610 00:27:51,538 --> 00:27:53,606 but she never reported it. 611 00:28:00,013 --> 00:28:02,148 They asked her about a receipt they'd obtained 612 00:28:02,182 --> 00:28:04,284 showing she'd purchased two books online 613 00:28:04,317 --> 00:28:08,321 in early August 2007, two months before the murder, 614 00:28:08,355 --> 00:28:10,924 about how to make a homemade silencer. 615 00:28:11,024 --> 00:28:13,126 She said she had brought the silencer books 616 00:28:13,159 --> 00:28:15,362 for a child's school project. 617 00:28:17,731 --> 00:28:19,232 - There was no such project. 618 00:28:19,265 --> 00:28:21,034 In fact, when she bought the books, 619 00:28:21,067 --> 00:28:23,203 school hadn't even started. 620 00:28:26,906 --> 00:28:28,208 - She then changed her story, 621 00:28:28,241 --> 00:28:30,610 and said she actually bought the books for a friend 622 00:28:30,643 --> 00:28:32,846 as a gag birthday gift. 623 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:43,423 Police asked Marni about the information she collected 624 00:28:43,456 --> 00:28:45,291 on women in Shaun's life. 625 00:28:45,325 --> 00:28:46,593 She said she did that 626 00:28:46,626 --> 00:28:49,596 because Shaun had started to get closer to her children. 627 00:28:49,629 --> 00:28:52,132 She portrayed herself as a vigilant mother, 628 00:28:52,165 --> 00:28:54,501 wary of the people around her friends. 629 00:29:06,546 --> 00:29:09,683 Most important, police asked Marni where she was 630 00:29:09,716 --> 00:29:11,384 at the time of the murder. 631 00:29:11,418 --> 00:29:12,686 She said she was home, 632 00:29:12,719 --> 00:29:15,188 because she was having car trouble, and, indeed, 633 00:29:15,221 --> 00:29:17,223 her cell phone had bounced off cell towers 634 00:29:17,257 --> 00:29:19,025 near her home that morning, 635 00:29:19,025 --> 00:29:20,894 but there were witnesses she wanted to talk to 636 00:29:20,927 --> 00:29:22,696 who could shed light on her alibi: 637 00:29:22,729 --> 00:29:24,464 Marni's own children. 638 00:29:24,497 --> 00:29:26,666 - Her older son first said Mom was home, 639 00:29:26,700 --> 00:29:28,702 that he had stayed home from school because he was sick. 640 00:29:28,735 --> 00:29:30,637 - But then they spoke with his sister 641 00:29:30,670 --> 00:29:34,040 who said Marni had asked her older brother to lie for her, 642 00:29:34,074 --> 00:29:37,043 so police confronted him with what his sister said. 643 00:29:37,077 --> 00:29:39,412 - And that's when he said, "Yes. I'm done lying for her." 644 00:29:39,446 --> 00:29:42,248 He then admitted his mother, Marni, had told him 645 00:29:42,282 --> 00:29:44,317 to tell police she was home with him 646 00:29:44,351 --> 00:29:45,385 the morning of the murder 647 00:29:45,418 --> 00:29:47,087 when, in fact, she had not been. 648 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:50,156 Then he startled police by what he said next. 649 00:29:50,190 --> 00:29:53,893 - He told the investigators that after hearing 650 00:29:53,927 --> 00:29:56,062 and seeing the story on TV, 651 00:29:56,062 --> 00:29:58,131 some of his friends brought it to their attention, 652 00:29:58,164 --> 00:30:00,500 that one of his gut's reactions 653 00:30:00,533 --> 00:30:02,535 is that she somehow might be involved. 654 00:30:02,569 --> 00:30:04,204 - His own mother might be involved 655 00:30:04,237 --> 00:30:05,939 in the murder of Rhoni Reuter. - Correct. 656 00:30:05,972 --> 00:30:07,474 Very unusual response, 657 00:30:07,507 --> 00:30:11,277 and for a son to do that, I think every investigator 658 00:30:11,311 --> 00:30:13,179 was thinking that that's an honest response. 659 00:30:13,213 --> 00:30:15,882 The son would have no other reason to answer that way. 660 00:30:15,915 --> 00:30:17,217 - Police confronted Marni 661 00:30:17,250 --> 00:30:19,686 with what her own children said about her. 662 00:30:37,237 --> 00:30:38,605 - Investigators also questioned 663 00:30:38,638 --> 00:30:41,307 Marni's best friend, Christi Paschen. 664 00:30:41,341 --> 00:30:43,710 The women had known each other for 15 years, 665 00:30:43,743 --> 00:30:46,780 ever since Christi, a psychic, read Marni's tarot cards 666 00:30:46,813 --> 00:30:48,014 at a psychic fair. 667 00:30:48,048 --> 00:30:49,616 - She denied having any knowledge 668 00:30:49,649 --> 00:30:53,486 of Marni planning or committing the murder. 669 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:55,455 - Believe her? - Um, no. 670 00:30:55,488 --> 00:30:57,023 - Investigators were convinced 671 00:30:57,057 --> 00:30:59,659 both Christi and Marni were lying, 672 00:30:59,693 --> 00:31:02,762 but they didn't have anything close to a confession. 673 00:31:02,796 --> 00:31:05,298 True, police did have circumstantial evidence, 674 00:31:05,331 --> 00:31:08,101 proof she'd had a gun like the murder weapon, 675 00:31:08,134 --> 00:31:09,936 that she bought those silencer books 676 00:31:09,969 --> 00:31:11,905 and purchased parts to make one, 677 00:31:11,938 --> 00:31:14,407 even proof she purchased a bucket of cement 678 00:31:14,441 --> 00:31:16,176 they day after the murder, 679 00:31:16,209 --> 00:31:19,813 and investigators believe she lied about most of that on tape, 680 00:31:19,846 --> 00:31:22,248 but the Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller 681 00:31:22,282 --> 00:31:25,218 said it was not enough to make an arrest. 682 00:31:25,251 --> 00:31:27,620 - We don't have any physical evidence tying her to the scene. 683 00:31:27,654 --> 00:31:28,655 - Blood, hair, anything like that? 684 00:31:28,688 --> 00:31:30,223 - No. There's no physical evidence. 685 00:31:30,256 --> 00:31:32,092 - And that wasn't all police were missing. 686 00:31:32,092 --> 00:31:34,427 - One of the questions I asked was, 687 00:31:34,461 --> 00:31:36,796 "Can we put Marni Yang anywhere near Deerfield 688 00:31:36,830 --> 00:31:38,898 "on the October morning of the murder?" 689 00:31:38,932 --> 00:31:40,166 And they said, "No." 690 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:41,601 I said, "Okay, well, that's a problem." 691 00:31:41,634 --> 00:31:44,104 - Police had checked security tape from a gas station 692 00:31:44,137 --> 00:31:47,507 near the murder scene for Marni's Infiniti SUV 693 00:31:47,540 --> 00:31:48,742 but found nothing. - And when we discussed it, 694 00:31:48,775 --> 00:31:51,478 we said, "You know, have you checked 695 00:31:51,511 --> 00:31:56,282 "all potential avenues, um, you know, rental cars, 696 00:31:56,316 --> 00:31:59,953 "uh, disposable cell phones?" Which is what they did. 697 00:32:00,053 --> 00:32:01,821 - That turned out to be fruitful. 698 00:32:01,855 --> 00:32:05,525 - We find that Marti Yang rented a car on October the 3rd 2007, 699 00:32:05,558 --> 00:32:07,060 and returned it on October the 4th, 700 00:32:07,060 --> 00:32:08,061 the day of the homicide. 701 00:32:08,061 --> 00:32:09,729 - The rental was from Enterprise, 702 00:32:09,763 --> 00:32:12,232 and the pickup address on the form led directly 703 00:32:12,265 --> 00:32:15,702 to the home of Marni's best friend, Christi Paschen, 704 00:32:15,735 --> 00:32:18,805 but more interesting was the odometer reading. 705 00:32:18,838 --> 00:32:20,940 - It was a black Volkswagen Rabbit, 706 00:32:20,974 --> 00:32:22,909 and it was returned with 40 miles on it. 707 00:32:22,942 --> 00:32:24,277 - Forty miles. 708 00:32:24,310 --> 00:32:26,746 Detective Mazariegos had a hunch, 709 00:32:26,780 --> 00:32:29,683 and drove between Enterprise, Christi's home, 710 00:32:29,716 --> 00:32:31,084 and the murder scene. 711 00:32:31,084 --> 00:32:34,721 Round trip, it added up to 40 miles. 712 00:32:34,754 --> 00:32:37,657 - I know the route. I know she did it. 713 00:32:37,691 --> 00:32:40,894 - Then he checked that gas station security video again, 714 00:32:40,927 --> 00:32:43,563 this time looking for a black VW. 715 00:32:43,596 --> 00:32:46,132 He watched the video more than 50 times 716 00:32:46,166 --> 00:32:49,669 and finally located what looked like the VW 717 00:32:49,703 --> 00:32:52,372 passing by less than an hour before the murder 718 00:32:52,405 --> 00:32:55,475 and speeding through just minutes after. 719 00:32:55,508 --> 00:32:58,111 What's more, there was a phone number on the rental form 720 00:32:58,111 --> 00:33:00,113 that was new to investigators. 721 00:33:00,146 --> 00:33:04,050 Turns out, Marni had bought a disposable phone with cash 722 00:33:04,050 --> 00:33:06,086 a week before the murder. 723 00:33:06,119 --> 00:33:09,622 She made only a few calls on it, but that was enough. 724 00:33:09,656 --> 00:33:10,890 And there was at least one call 725 00:33:10,924 --> 00:33:13,927 that placed her in the vacinity of-of Deerfield 726 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:15,328 on the day of the murder. 727 00:33:15,362 --> 00:33:17,964 - More strong circumstantial evidence, 728 00:33:18,064 --> 00:33:20,633 but still not enough, the prosecutor said. 729 00:33:20,667 --> 00:33:21,868 - It was aggrivating. 730 00:33:21,901 --> 00:33:24,137 They kept on pushing, one more thing, one more thing. 731 00:33:24,170 --> 00:33:25,939 - It was maddening for police. 732 00:33:25,972 --> 00:33:27,540 They worried their prime suspect 733 00:33:27,574 --> 00:33:29,442 would never be brought to justice, 734 00:33:29,476 --> 00:33:32,545 but they had a plan, an undercover sting, 735 00:33:32,579 --> 00:33:34,914 and they thought they could convince someone in particular 736 00:33:34,948 --> 00:33:38,351 to try to get Marni Yang to confess on tape. 737 00:33:38,385 --> 00:33:40,820 Police were about to get her own best friend, 738 00:33:40,854 --> 00:33:43,189 Christi Paschen, to turn against her. 739 00:33:53,433 --> 00:33:57,537 - Marni Yang is about to chat up a storm 740 00:33:57,570 --> 00:34:01,074 when "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered" continues. 741 00:34:13,687 --> 00:34:17,290 - Seventeen months had gone by since Rhoni Reuter's murder, 742 00:34:17,323 --> 00:34:18,925 and yet, there had been no arrests, 743 00:34:18,958 --> 00:34:20,960 not even a publically named suspect. 744 00:34:21,061 --> 00:34:24,297 To the community, it seemed the case had gone cold, 745 00:34:24,330 --> 00:34:25,832 but the Deerfield Police 746 00:34:25,865 --> 00:34:27,867 and Lake County Major Crimes Task Force 747 00:34:27,901 --> 00:34:30,303 had been working hard since day one, 748 00:34:30,337 --> 00:34:34,074 including months preparing for a wire tap operation. 749 00:34:34,074 --> 00:34:36,209 They wanted to try to catch Marni Yang 750 00:34:36,242 --> 00:34:38,378 talking about the murder on the phone. 751 00:34:38,411 --> 00:34:39,813 As they geared up for that, 752 00:34:39,846 --> 00:34:42,982 police brought in Marni's close friend, Christi Paschen, 753 00:34:43,083 --> 00:34:45,118 a second time for questioning. 754 00:34:45,151 --> 00:34:48,621 - If Marni told anybody, this was gonna be the individual. 755 00:34:48,655 --> 00:34:50,890 She knew more than she was letting on. 756 00:34:50,924 --> 00:34:53,626 - Police figured from a car rental form they'd seized 757 00:34:53,660 --> 00:34:55,328 with Christ's address on it 758 00:34:55,362 --> 00:34:58,698 that Marni actually had gone from Shaun's place to Christi's 759 00:34:58,732 --> 00:35:01,134 and stayed there the night before the murder, 760 00:35:01,167 --> 00:35:02,302 and they discovered 761 00:35:02,335 --> 00:35:06,139 Christi's employer routinely records all phone calls. 762 00:35:06,172 --> 00:35:08,508 They found one Marni placed to Christi 763 00:35:08,541 --> 00:35:11,044 at 9:11 the morning of the murder. 764 00:35:11,077 --> 00:35:13,813 It seemed to include some kind of code, 765 00:35:13,847 --> 00:35:15,281 but they didn't know what it meant. 766 00:35:24,657 --> 00:35:27,327 - It seems like Christi's bothered by something 767 00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:28,294 with that call, 768 00:35:28,328 --> 00:35:29,929 and she's hesitating, she's thinking, 769 00:35:29,963 --> 00:35:31,564 which is suspcicious nature. 770 00:35:31,598 --> 00:35:32,932 First thing at 9:00 in the morning, 771 00:35:32,966 --> 00:35:34,167 you're asking, you wanna go to dinner? 772 00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:36,903 - At first, Christi wasn't giving the police much, 773 00:35:36,936 --> 00:35:40,273 but eventually, under pressure, she relented. 774 00:35:40,306 --> 00:35:42,275 Police say no deals were made, 775 00:35:42,308 --> 00:35:44,844 but once it was clear they had a lot of evidence, 776 00:35:44,878 --> 00:35:46,946 she opened up. - We knew she knew, 777 00:35:46,980 --> 00:35:49,516 but not as much as she knew. It was a big wow. 778 00:35:49,549 --> 00:35:51,685 It was surprising. 779 00:35:51,718 --> 00:35:53,620 - Christi told them Marni had nicknames 780 00:35:53,653 --> 00:35:55,922 for Shaun's various girlfriends. 781 00:35:55,955 --> 00:35:58,525 Her name for Rhoni was "Miss Macy's," 782 00:35:58,558 --> 00:35:59,793 a little dig at Rhoni, 783 00:35:59,826 --> 00:36:02,028 because she worked at the department store. 784 00:36:02,028 --> 00:36:03,797 - Marni thinks retail's beneath her. 785 00:36:03,830 --> 00:36:05,565 - Right. Exactly. - Because she's a realtor? 786 00:36:05,598 --> 00:36:06,566 - Right. 787 00:36:06,599 --> 00:36:08,368 - Christi said the night before the murder, 788 00:36:08,401 --> 00:36:10,837 Marni asked her to bring out her tarot cards. 789 00:36:10,870 --> 00:36:14,040 She then posed a most unusual question: 790 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:18,044 "Will I be successful in killing Miss Macy's?" 791 00:36:18,044 --> 00:36:20,480 And Christi pulled out the sun card. 792 00:36:20,513 --> 00:36:23,750 - That indicates that Marti was gonna have success 793 00:36:23,783 --> 00:36:27,053 in whatever she was planning on doing. 794 00:36:27,053 --> 00:36:28,655 - Did Christi try to talk her out of it? 795 00:36:28,688 --> 00:36:30,223 - She did try talking her out of it. 796 00:36:30,256 --> 00:36:32,492 She really didn't believe she was gonna go through with it. 797 00:36:32,525 --> 00:36:34,928 - Because of the past couple of times 798 00:36:34,961 --> 00:36:37,063 that she had talked about it with Christi, 799 00:36:37,063 --> 00:36:39,933 about killing Rhoni and-and she didn't follow through with it. 800 00:36:39,966 --> 00:36:41,067 - Christi told police 801 00:36:41,101 --> 00:36:43,169 that before she went to sleep that night, 802 00:36:43,203 --> 00:36:45,638 Marti told her that if she were indeed successful 803 00:36:45,672 --> 00:36:47,874 in killing Miss Macy's, Rhoni Reuter, 804 00:36:47,907 --> 00:36:50,977 she would call Christi that morning with a code. 805 00:36:51,077 --> 00:36:53,680 Police had been right about that phone call. 806 00:36:53,713 --> 00:36:56,149 - And that code was gonna be, "Do you wanna go to dinner?" 807 00:36:56,182 --> 00:36:58,084 - Then police struck pure gold. 808 00:36:58,118 --> 00:37:00,587 Christi told them that the evening after the murder, 809 00:37:00,620 --> 00:37:03,490 Marni went to Christi's home and confessed. 810 00:37:03,523 --> 00:37:05,492 - She told her that she murdered Rhoni Reuter. 811 00:37:05,525 --> 00:37:06,826 She shot her to death. 812 00:37:06,860 --> 00:37:10,030 - Christi told police she and her friend got in Marni's car 813 00:37:10,063 --> 00:37:12,032 and began stopping at dumpsters. 814 00:37:12,065 --> 00:37:14,267 Marni threw out a dark wig 815 00:37:14,300 --> 00:37:16,403 and was about to toss in a sweat suit 816 00:37:16,436 --> 00:37:17,837 when Christi stopped her. 817 00:37:17,871 --> 00:37:20,040 - Christi tells Marni, "Well, don't dispose of it. 818 00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:21,808 "Why don't you just donate it?" - Donate it? 819 00:37:21,841 --> 00:37:23,910 - Donate it. You know, like to a Salvation Army box, 820 00:37:23,943 --> 00:37:26,146 that kind of thing. - Which is what they did. 821 00:37:26,179 --> 00:37:28,581 As investigators drove Christi around, 822 00:37:28,615 --> 00:37:31,685 she showed them which dumpsters they had visited that night. 823 00:37:31,718 --> 00:37:32,819 - So we're driving. She tells them 824 00:37:32,852 --> 00:37:35,221 it came to her mind that she had buried something. 825 00:37:35,255 --> 00:37:38,425 - Marni had buried something small the night of the murder. 826 00:37:38,458 --> 00:37:40,460 Christi had no idea what it was 827 00:37:40,493 --> 00:37:43,530 or how important, how damning it would be. 828 00:37:43,563 --> 00:37:46,366 Investigators needed a metal detector to find it, 829 00:37:46,399 --> 00:37:48,368 but once they pulled it out of the earth, 830 00:37:48,401 --> 00:37:52,272 they knew it was big for them and special to Rhoni. 831 00:37:52,305 --> 00:37:54,240 - It was a bracelet. It said "pregnant" on it. 832 00:37:54,274 --> 00:37:57,811 - A friend later identified that bracelet as belonging to Rhoni. 833 00:37:57,844 --> 00:37:59,612 - Case closed? - It was probably 834 00:37:59,646 --> 00:38:01,281 the definitive piece of evidence 835 00:38:01,314 --> 00:38:03,383 that the investigators had been looking for 836 00:38:03,416 --> 00:38:05,719 for 16, 17 months. 837 00:38:05,752 --> 00:38:09,289 - It tied Marni Yang directly to the crime scene, 838 00:38:09,322 --> 00:38:11,458 but the case was still not closed. 839 00:38:11,491 --> 00:38:13,727 Yet again, prosecutors wanted more. 840 00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:17,364 They wanted to get Marni talking about the murder on tape. 841 00:38:17,397 --> 00:38:20,233 Because she was being so guarded on the phone, 842 00:38:20,266 --> 00:38:22,268 Christi agreed to wear a wire 843 00:38:22,302 --> 00:38:24,838 and meet Marni at their usual dining spot. 844 00:38:24,871 --> 00:38:28,575 Christi, like Shaun, became an unofficial police agent. 845 00:38:28,608 --> 00:38:31,811 She even had her own ideas on how to trap her best friend. 846 00:38:31,845 --> 00:38:34,047 - She knew how Marni's mind works. 847 00:38:34,047 --> 00:38:36,750 - What was her approach? - That we had information 848 00:38:36,783 --> 00:38:38,551 that would link both of them to the scene, 849 00:38:38,585 --> 00:38:40,787 and that's how she got Marni to talk. 850 00:38:40,820 --> 00:38:42,055 - On the audio tape, 851 00:38:42,055 --> 00:38:44,858 as Marni thought she was confiding in her close friend, 852 00:38:44,891 --> 00:38:48,895 she was actually giving police an astounding confession. 853 00:38:48,928 --> 00:38:52,198 She told Christi how she put the 9mm Beretta 854 00:38:52,232 --> 00:38:55,335 in a bucket of cement and threw it in a dumpster 855 00:38:55,368 --> 00:38:58,705 and explained what she wore the morning of the murder. 856 00:39:12,052 --> 00:39:13,753 Just like the mysterious figure 857 00:39:13,787 --> 00:39:16,089 neighbors described seeing near Rhoni's condo 858 00:39:16,122 --> 00:39:17,624 the morning of the murder. 859 00:39:17,657 --> 00:39:19,526 Then she whispered details 860 00:39:19,559 --> 00:39:21,327 it seemed only the killer would know 861 00:39:21,361 --> 00:39:23,029 about the shooting itself. 862 00:39:42,515 --> 00:39:43,583 - She described how 863 00:39:43,616 --> 00:39:46,119 Rhoni started walking backwards in the kitchen, 864 00:39:46,152 --> 00:39:48,321 fell against the counter, 865 00:39:48,355 --> 00:39:51,324 and then fell onto the kitchen floor. 866 00:40:12,278 --> 00:40:13,646 - The next morning, 867 00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:17,217 after 17 months of painstaking investigation, 868 00:40:17,250 --> 00:40:19,319 police headed to Marni's home 869 00:40:19,352 --> 00:40:22,188 and put one of her garbage cans in front of her garage door 870 00:40:22,222 --> 00:40:24,924 to block her in. - We started with the garbage, 871 00:40:24,958 --> 00:40:26,092 and we'll end it with the garbage. 872 00:40:26,126 --> 00:40:28,461 - The detective who logged more hours on the case 873 00:40:28,495 --> 00:40:29,696 than anyone else 874 00:40:29,729 --> 00:40:32,499 then wrapped handcuffs around Marni's wrists. 875 00:40:32,532 --> 00:40:34,167 - Then she asked, "What's this all about?" 876 00:40:34,200 --> 00:40:37,937 Even though she knew. - Marni Yang pleaded not guilty, 877 00:40:37,971 --> 00:40:41,775 so she went on trial on multiple counts of first degree murder 878 00:40:41,808 --> 00:40:46,513 for killing Rhoni Reuter and her unborn child. 879 00:40:46,546 --> 00:40:49,115 The State called the shooting "an execution," 880 00:40:49,149 --> 00:40:52,485 cold, calculated, premeditated. 881 00:40:52,519 --> 00:40:55,755 Prosecutors provided a parade of evidence and witnesses, 882 00:40:55,789 --> 00:40:58,024 including Christi Paschen, 883 00:40:58,058 --> 00:41:00,727 who testified against her once best friend, 884 00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:03,229 and the pathologist, who concluded 885 00:41:03,263 --> 00:41:07,067 Rhoni died while trying to shield her unborn child 886 00:41:07,067 --> 00:41:11,304 from the fatal shots. Marni's defense attorneys, 887 00:41:11,338 --> 00:41:13,306 who declined our requests for an interview, 888 00:41:13,340 --> 00:41:15,975 argued she was the victim of an investigation 889 00:41:16,076 --> 00:41:17,911 that unfairly targeted her 890 00:41:17,944 --> 00:41:20,380 and never found any physical evidence 891 00:41:20,413 --> 00:41:23,149 tying her to the crime, but in the end, 892 00:41:23,183 --> 00:41:25,919 Marni's own words seemed hard to ignore. 893 00:41:25,952 --> 00:41:29,356 Shaun Gayle, the person at the center of the tragedy, 894 00:41:29,389 --> 00:41:31,825 declined as well to speak with "Dateline," 895 00:41:31,858 --> 00:41:33,159 but after the verdict, 896 00:41:33,193 --> 00:41:35,595 he talked about how difficult life has been for him 897 00:41:35,628 --> 00:41:36,963 since Rhoni's murder, 898 00:41:36,996 --> 00:41:39,899 and about his regret about ever knowing Marni Yang 899 00:41:39,933 --> 00:41:42,102 and where that relationship led. 900 00:41:42,102 --> 00:41:44,237 - The fact that Rhoni's not here, 901 00:41:44,270 --> 00:41:45,271 and we don't have a three-year-old-- 902 00:41:45,305 --> 00:41:47,774 three-year-old daughter, um, 903 00:41:47,807 --> 00:41:50,310 that's gonna be something that I live with. 904 00:41:50,343 --> 00:41:51,611 - For the investigators 905 00:41:51,644 --> 00:41:53,646 who worked tirelessly on the case, 906 00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:55,915 witnessing the conviction of Marni Yang 907 00:41:55,949 --> 00:41:57,917 was supremely satisfying. 908 00:41:57,951 --> 00:42:00,220 - Did you see any signs of remorse? 909 00:42:00,253 --> 00:42:03,923 - No. At the beginning of the trial, she seemed confident. 910 00:42:03,957 --> 00:42:06,192 I believe she believed she could beat this. 911 00:42:06,226 --> 00:42:08,928 But after Christi Paschen testified, 912 00:42:08,962 --> 00:42:11,064 and after the audios, that look on her face 913 00:42:11,064 --> 00:42:12,332 wasn't there anymore. 914 00:42:12,365 --> 00:42:13,767 Now she looks scared. 915 00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:15,068 - And how did you feel about that? 916 00:42:15,068 --> 00:42:17,671 - Pretty good. She knew that it was over. 917 00:42:17,704 --> 00:42:19,539 - As for Rhoni's family, 918 00:42:19,572 --> 00:42:22,075 they say a weight has now been lifted, 919 00:42:22,075 --> 00:42:24,077 but their sorrow remains. 920 00:42:24,077 --> 00:42:25,812 - It's something you can't ever get out of your head. 921 00:42:25,845 --> 00:42:27,814 - It's never gonna be over in our lives. 922 00:42:27,847 --> 00:42:30,283 We've lost a dear member of our family. 923 00:42:30,316 --> 00:42:32,452 This is never gonna go away for us. 924 00:42:40,427 --> 00:42:43,730 - That's all for this edition of "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered." 925 00:42:43,763 --> 00:42:46,866 I'm Craig Melvin. Thank you for watching.