A pregnant Illinois mother was fatally stabbed inside her home after a Facebook Marketplace transaction escalated into violence, prosecutors allege.
Eliza Morales, 30, was attacked Monday evening in her apartment in Downers Grove, a suburban community outside Chicago. Authorities say the suspect, 19-year-old Nedas Revuckas, had previously purchased a vehicle from Morales and her husband and returned to the residence to exchange license plates and complete registration paperwork.
According to court documents reviewed by NBC affiliate WMAQ, surveillance footage shows Revuckas arriving at the apartment around 5:30 p.m. Morales, who was five months pregnant and home alone, was seen handing him a screwdriver shortly after he entered the unit.
Pregnant mother killed after Marketplace meeting turns deadly
Video evidence cited in the filings shows the apartment door opening and closing several times around 5:47 p.m. before Morales and Revuckas appeared to struggle near the doorway. The door then closed, and the handle was seen moving repeatedly from inside the unit. Investigators described the movement as someone attempting to get out.
About ten minutes later, smoke was seen coming from the apartment. Police and firefighters arrived at approximately 6:09 p.m. and found Morales inside, unresponsive and suffering from extensive stab wounds. Prosecutors allege she was stabbed about 70 times and left inside the burning unit.
Morales’ husband and the couple’s two-year-old child were not home at the time of the attack. Police said the family’s pit bull mix, Zula, ran from the apartment after being stabbed between the eyes. The dog was later found and taken to an animal hospital for treatment.
Community mourns as charges are filed
Investigators identified Revuckas after locating the truck he had purchased parked at the residence where he lived with his girlfriend. Court documents allege detectives later found bloody clothing inside his home.
Neighbors described Morales as a devoted mother who consistently put others before herself. Angelica Silva, who lives nearby, told reporters that Morales had been cooking dinner for her family when she was attacked. “She was always cooking and the last one to eat,” Silva said, describing the killing as “pure evil.”
Around 100 people gathered at a makeshift memorial outside the apartment complex to mourn Morales and her unborn child. “None of us get it,” Silva said. “She did not deserve this.”
During his initial court appearance Wednesday, Revuckas told the judge he went to the building for the plate exchange but claimed he left without incident. Prosecutors allege that he later confessed to killing Morales during questioning.
Court records also state that detectives recovered a bag of evidence from an Ace Hardware trash can after employees reported seeing Revuckas’ truck in the parking lot. The bag allegedly contained Morales’ lanyard, work identification from Lurie Children’s Hospital, and her husband’s debit card.
Revuckas has been charged with first-degree murder, intentional homicide of an unborn child, armed robbery, aggravated arson, and animal cruelty. He is scheduled to appear in court again Thursday.
