According to prosecutors, Nedas Revuckas, 19, stabbed a pregnant woman 70 times over a Facebook car deal gone sour and then set her apartment on fire, leaving her to die inside.
It happened on Monday, when Revuckas went to the home of Eliza Morales and her husband in Downers Grove, Illinois, after arranging to exchange license plates and get his registration after a Facebook Marketplace deal.
According to court documents, surveillance footage captured the teen arriving at around 5:30 pm, and being handed a screwdriver by Morales, a five-months-pregnant mom who was at home alone.
NBC affiliate WMAQ, at 5:47 pm, the footage shows the apartment door opening and closing several times before Revuckas and Morales appear to get into a struggle. The door was then shut, and the handle was seen moving from the inside, as if someone was trying to open the door to get out.
Ten minutes after the door closed, smoke started billowing out from the apartment. When police and firefighters arrived at the home at 6:09, they found Morales inside, unresponsive and clearly suffering from many stab wounds.
PURE EVIL. Nedas Revuckas allegedly stabbed Eliza Morales 70 times kiIIing her and her unborn child. He also reportedly stabbed her dog before lighting her house in fire.
Nedas went to her apartment to inquire about a car she was selling through Facebook marketplace.
Eliza… pic.twitter.com/wMyX2HpXTb
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 29, 2026
According to police, Morales’ husband and their two-year-old child weren’t at home at the time, and the family’s pitbull mix dog Zula had run out of the apartment after being stabbed between the eyes. The dog is now at an animal hospital receiving treatment.
Police tracked down the suspect after spotting the truck he purchased in the driveway of his home where he lived with his girlfriend.
Neighbors are heartbroken after Morales’ death, saying she was a dedicated mother who always put others first. Angelica Silva said the killing was “pure evil” and adding that Morales was home cooking dinner for the family when Revuckas attacked her.
“She was always cooking and the last one to eat. She wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of before herself,” Silva said.
“None of us get it,” she said. “She did not deserve this.”
Friends and neighbors gathered around a makeshift memorial for Morales and shared their condolences.
Meanwhile, Revuckas was in his first court appearance on Wednesday and told the court he was at the building to exchange plates. However, he claimed he left through the main doors without incident.
However, according to court documents, detectives found blood-soaked clothes in his home and he eventually “confessed to murdering Eliza.” Moreover, police also discovered a bag of evidence in an Ace Hardware garbage can after employees spotted Revuckas’s truck in the parking lot. The bag contained Morales’ lanyard and work IDs for Lurie Children’s Hospital and her husband’s debit card.
After detectives grilled Revuckas about the killing, they said he broke down in tears. He has now been charged with first-degree murder, intentional homicide of an unborn child, armed robbery, aggravated arson, and animal cruelty.
Revuckas is due to appear before a judge in court again on Thursday.
