An Illinois girl has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing and killing a pregnant mother, setting a house on fire
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An Illinois teenager has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing to death a pregnant mother and attacking her dog with a knife before setting the woman’s house on fire during a meeting on Facebook Marketplace.
Nedas Revuckas, 19, faces multiple charges, including first degree murder, first degree murder of an unborn child, animal cruelty, armed robbery and arson, after allegedly stabbing Eliza Morales, 30, multiple times at her Downers Grove apartment on Monday, according to Downers Grove police.
Revuckas responded to a Facebook Marketplace listing for a red 1994 Ford Ranger truck that Morales’ husband posted Saturday. Investigators said Revuckas visited the Morales home to look at the truck and later left with it still bearing Morales’ license plate, according to Fox 32.
He planned to meet at the couple’s building on Monday to return the plates and obtain a deed of sale, the newspaper reported.
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Nedas Revuckas, 19, is facing many charges, including intentional homicide, intentional homicide of an unborn child, cruelty to animals, armed robbery and destruction of property. (Downers Grove Police)
Surveillance video later showed Revuckas meeting Morales, who was five months pregnant with her second child, around 5:30 p.m.
Morales was seen at one point handing Revuckas a screwdriver. He entered the building with a screwdriver in hand five minutes later, and video shows the door to Morales’ unit opening and closing during what investigators say was a struggle inside.
Police said the door handle was turned inward, indicating someone was trying to escape.
After a while, smoke was seen coming from under the apartment door.
Firefighters responded and found Morales near the apartment door. He is said to have died after being put in an ambulance.
Morales’ husband was at work when they met, and the couple’s two-year-old child was not at home.
But the couple’s old dog was inside the house and was stabbed between the eyes, authorities said. Revuckas also admitted that he kicked the dog.
The dog managed to escape through a sliding door during the fire and was treated at a veterinary hospital.
Eliza Morales, 30, had about 70 stab wounds on her body. (GoFundMe)
Investigators later arrived at Revuckas’ home in Westmont, where he lives with his girlfriend, and found the truck in the driveway. He was arrested on Monday night.
Revuckas told the investigators that he was at Morales’ house to return the licenses and collect the loan but he said he left through the main gate. However, surveillance footage does not show him leaving the building.
During a search of his home on Tuesday, investigators found boots and clothes that showed blood.
He later confessed to killing Morales, telling investigators he stabbed him 10 times. He said he was upset with the condition of the truck he bought and took out his frustration on himself. She had told him she was pregnant during the struggle at the apartment, authorities said.
An autopsy conducted by the DuPage County Coroner found about 70 stab wounds to Morales, most of them inflicted with a knife. The coroner said there were defensive wounds and most of the wounds were on Morales’ head and neck. The first cause of death was multiple injuries. An assistant was found in his airway.
The coroner also stated that the primary cause of death included the death of the fetus as a result of her injuries.
It was reported that there were bruises on the genital area, and a sexual assault kit was made, but Revuckas denied that he had sexually assaulted the woman.
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The couple’s old dog was inside the apartment and was stabbed between the eyes. (GoFundMe)
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Revuckas also admitted that he started the fire using items from the apartment and the kitchen stove. He told police that he packed household items on the stove and used chemicals and sanitizers as an accelerator.
“I will spend the rest of my life missing her,” Morales’ husband, Gabriel, told WLS-TV. “I can get every second to be back with him and continue to try to live through him for my daughter’s sake, and continue to strengthen my family.”
A GoFundMe set up for the family has raised nearly $30,000 as of Thursday morning.
“Losing a beloved wife, daughter and mother – and her unborn child has left a pain that words cannot fully describe,” reads a fundraiser set up by a family member.
