Inset, top to bottom: Neda Revuckas (Downers Grove Police) and Eliza Morales (WLS). Background: Neighbors gathered at the apartment building where Revuckas allegedly killed Morales (WLS).
A 19-year-old man in Illinois is accused of killing a mother who was six months pregnant, allegedly stabbing her 70 times and setting her home on fire because he was frustrated with the condition of the truck the victim and her husband were selling through Facebook Marketplace.
Nedas Revuckas was taken into custody this week and charged with first-degree murder with intent to cause death or great bodily harm, armed robbery, aggravated arson, and intentional homicide of an unborn child in the slaying of Eliza Morales, authorities announced.
After fatally stabbing the 30-year-old mother who was three months away from welcoming her second daughter into the world, Revuckas allegedly stabbed the family”s dog in the head, investigators say, leading to an additional charge of aggravated cruelty to animals.
According to a news release from the Village of Downers Grove, at 6:10 p.m. on Monday, municipal police and firefighters responded to a reported structure fire at an apartment complex in the 2300 block of Ogden Avenue. Upon arriving at the location, first responders located a female victim, later identified as Morales, suffering from multiple sharp-force trauma injuries.
Paramedics treated Morales at the scene, but she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead. A second person was treated at the scene by medics before being transported to Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment.
Court documents obtained by Chicago CBS affiliate WBBM provided additional details about the circumstances that led to the horrific attack on Morales. In a petition seeking to have Revuckas detained until trial, prosecutors said Morales and her husband — reportedly her high school sweetheart — had made arrangements to sell the defendant a truck through Facebook Marketplace. Revuckas was already in possession of the truck and was coming to the couple’s home to pick up the bill of sale and return the vehicle’s license plates.
While Revuckas was at the front door, he and Morales reportedly got into a physical altercation. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Revuckas trying to get into Morales’ apartment as she struggled to keep him out. A short while after getting inside, Revuckas stabbed Morales 70 times, killing her and her unborn child.
After the stabbing, Revuckas allegedly stabbed the couple’s dog between the eyes, then doused the kitchen in chemicals and set it aflame. The dog reportedly ran away from the apartment and is currently in the care of a local veterinarian.
The couple’s 1-year-old daughter was not at home during the attack.
Following his arrest, Revuckas allegedly admitted to the attack, telling detectives he was angry about the condition of the truck and “decided to take out his frustration on Eliza,” local ABC affiliate WLS reported.
Her husband, identified by WLS as Gabriel Morales, said he was at work when he received a call informing him that his wife, who worked in the payroll department at a children’s hospital, and unborn child had died.
“I’m gonna spend the rest of my life missing her,” he told the station, adding that he will “just continue to try to live through her for my daughter and continue to be strong for my family.”
