Marni Yang, convicted of murdering former Chicago Bear Shaun Gayle's girlfriend, was sentenced Friday to life in prison.
Prosecutor Patricia Fix called the degree of Yang's planning "truly astounding" and said it's the worst in the history of her law career.
"[Yang] is as cold and calculated and premeditated as they come," Fix said.
Gayle was not present in court Friday as the prosecution pushed for the maximum sentence, but his attorney read a heated statement after the sentencing.
"If there is a hell, you will burn in the hottest part of it," Gayle's statement read. "You deserve to spend the rest of your life in a cage like the animal that you are."
"You took away the promise of a daughter and the opportunities I should've had to spend time with her." Gayle decided not to read the statement himself, because his attorney said, there was never evidence entered that he was the father of the child.
Before the sentencing hearing began, Yang's attorneys filed 60 motions requesting a new trial.
One motion went back to a pretrial request for Yang to be allowed to cut and dye her hair.
Judge Christopher Stride denied that request in March, and after 45 minutes of discussion on Friday, it was denied again as reason for another trial.
"It's appalling to me that we spent 45 minutes talking about this woman's hair on the day that she is to be sentenced for murder," Stride said. "Her hygiene was great."
In March, Yang was found guilty for murdering Rhoni Reuter in Deerfield in 2007. Reuter attempted to protect her and Gayle's unborn child from the bullets by shielding her stomach. The conviction carries with it a mandatory life sentence.
Reuter's brother gave the only impact statement, saying the murder was a "selfish act of hate."
"We cannot put pieces back together," he said. "They are buried in a box. ... The images of what happened haunt our memories."
