Suspect due in court on charges of stabbing pregnant woman 70 times, killing her in Downers Grove, Illinois
A 19-year-old man was due back before a judge Thursday on charges that he stabbed a pregnant woman 70 times and then set her apartment on fire after killing her in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
Police and prosecutors were set to hold a news conference after Nedas Revuckas' second appearance in DuPage County Court in Wheaton, Illinois.
Revuckas, of Westmont, was arrested and charged on Tuesday in the death of 30-year-old Eliza Morales. He is 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.
Revuckas will be back before a judge on Thursday because defense attorneys asked for more time to review almost 200 pieces of evidence linking him to Morales' murder.
Police said Revuckas cried in custody as he confessed to the killing and showed them where he stashed bloody clothes.
Court documents revealed the horrific scene off Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove began with a Facebook Marketplace transaction. Revuckas apparently purchased a pickup truck from Morales' husband on Saturday, and then returned to collect a bill of sale on Monday from Morales.
Investigators said Revuckas told them he got into a fight with the pregnant mom about the condition of the truck, attacked her with a knife, and then lit the apartment on fire.
An autopsy showed Morales was stabbed 70 times.
The family gathered for a vigil outside Morales' home Thursday night. They remembered Morales as a loving mother to a 1 1/2-year-old daughter and someone who always cooked and cared for others.
"I know she's a sweetheart, and she didn't deserve this, and it's just too painful, and honestly, you just don't ever expect this to happen" said Carolina Castro, Morales' cousin, "and so I'm just there for my uncle, her sisters, everybody."
The baby with whom Morales was pregnant did not survive. This led prosecutors to add intentional homicide of an unborn child to Revuckas' list of charges.
The cruelty to animals charge comes from allegations that Revuckas stabbed and kicked the Morales' family dog. The pit bull was recovering as of Thursday.
