A 19-year-old from Illinois was arrested on murder and related charges in the stabbing of a pregnant woman in a Chicago suburb earlier this week, prosecutors said Thursday.
Nadas Revuckas is accused of stabbing 30-year-old Eliza Morales 70 times following a misunderstanding related to a Facebook Marketplace transaction, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said at a news conference Thursday.
Revuckas allegedly purchased a pickup truck from Morales’ husband on Saturday but the couple “inadvertently” left their license plates on the vehicle, Berlin said.
He then agreed to meet Morales at the couple’s Downers Grove home to return the plates — a transaction that quickly turned into a horrific scene when Revuckas allegedly became upset with Morales about the condition of the truck, according to authorities.
“While he was inside [the home], an altercation ensued, resulting in the defendant stabbing the victim 70 times, causing her death and the death of her 5-month-old unborn child,” Berlin said.
The family dog was also stabbed but managed to escape, prosecutors said. Her husband and their 2-year-old daughter were not home at the time of the attack.
After fatally stabbing Morales, Revuckas set fire inside the apartment before fleeing in the truck, officials said.
He was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder with intent to cause death or great bodily harm, armed robbery, aggravated arson, intentional homicide of an unborn child and aggravated cruelty to animals.
In an interview with Downers Grove police, Revuckas “made statements that implicated him in the crime,” according to Chief Michael DeVries.
Police also said he cried in custody as he confessed to the killing and told investigators where he’d hid his blood-stained clothes, CBS News reported.
At a Thursday morning court appearance in Wheaton, Revuckas was ordered held until trial, officials said. He’s due back in court Feb. 18.
Morales is being remembered by her loved ones as a “devoted mother” who was “gentle, patient and fiercely committed to her family,” according to a GoFundMe page set up on the family’s behalf.
