A suburban Chicago community is in shock after police said a Facebook Marketplace dispute ended with the murder of a pregnant woman, Newsmax crime correspondent Jason Mattera reported Friday on Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
"As friends and family struggle to process this loss, we can't believe that evil even exists," Mattera said. "That type of evil exists like that evil. That's exactly what prosecutors say this case represents."
Police said 19-year-old Nedas Revuckas is charged in the killing of 30-year-old Eliza Morales, who was five months pregnant, in what authorities described as an unusually brutal attack inside her Downers Grove apartment.
"This was a horrific act of violence," a local prosecutor said.
Prosecutors said Morales was stabbed 70 times, with the majority of wounds to her head and neck. Mattera reported the attack also caused "the death of her five-month-old unborn child — two lives lost in one violent attack."
"But the horror didn't stop there," Mattera said, reporting that authorities allege the attacker "stabbed the family dog in between the eyes and then torched the apartment."
According to Mattera's report, investigators tied the case to a Facebook Marketplace pickup truck sale involving Morales' husband on Jan. 24.
Authorities said Revuckas was angry about the truck's condition and returned two nights later, allegedly to return a license plate and obtain a bill of sale.
"As a police chief, this is the worst call that you can get," Downers Grove Police Chief Michael DeVries said, as investigators detailed the scene and the impact on Morales' family.
Revuckas was arrested on Jan. 26 and faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, aggravated arson, and intentional homicide of an unborn child, according to Mattera's report.
Mattera said police believe the suspect confessed and "even led investigators to where he dumped some evidence, including bloody clothes."
"The evil that men do," Mattera said. "But justice should be swift here."
Morales' husband described the loss as shattering, saying that he will "spend the rest of my life wishing I could get every last second back with her, and just continue to try to live through her for my daughter and continue to be strong for my family."
Mattera reported that Revuckas was denied pretrial release and is due back in court on Feb. 18.
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