Pregnant woman killed in Downers Grove suffered 70 stab wounds: court docs

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. (WLS) -- A detention hearing for a man accused in the stabbing death of a pregnant woman in Downers Grove has been postponed until Thursday.

Court documents revealed the incident appeared to stem from a car sale, and the victim was stabbed 70 times.

Loved ones gathered for a vigil Wednesday evening as they continue to mourn Eliza Morales. She and her family were months away from welcoming a new child, their second after their two-year-old daughter. Now the family is left crippled with heartbreak, not knowing what those two lives could have become.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The woman was found dead after an apartment fire Monday night in the 2300-block of Ogden Avenue.

Nedas Revuckas, 19, of Westmont was set to face a DuPage County judge Wednesday. He's accused of killing a pregnant mother and setting her Downers Grove home on fire.

Revuckas' detention hearing has been postponed until Thursday morning because both the state and defense need more time to process the sheer volume of evidence in the case.

Revuckas faces first-degree murder, armed robbery, arson, animal cruelty and other charges.

Investigators said 30-year-old Eliza Morales resisted the suspect at her doorstep, as he tried to rob that young mother, who was set to deliver her second child, a baby girl, in March.

Gabriel Morales had listed a pickup truck on Facebook Marketplace, and Revuckas had intended to purchase it, court documents showed. Revuckas was upset about the condition of the truck and "decided to take out his frustration on Eliza," the documents say.

Court documents allege, during a struggle, Morales suffered 70 stab wounds.

Revuckas is also accused of stabbing the Morales family's dog.

"You get angry and then you get sad and then you get angry again and it's such a rollercoaster," Morales' mother-in-law Angelica Silva said.

A candlelight vigil was held Wednesday night, after court documents revealed the disturbing details about Morales' death that took place Monday at her Downers Grove home.

"It was a horrific, violent crime committed," Silva said. "She fought for her life." (:07)

"She's a sweetheart and she didn't deserve this and it's just too painful and honestly you just don't expect this to happen," Morales' cousin Carolina Castro said.

During the fight, Revuckas told detectives Eliza "mentioned she was pregnant," according to court documents. She was stabbed 70 times Investigators say after the stabbing, the suspect allegedly started a fire inside the home.

"Pure evil. I-I, none of us get it-she did not deserve this," Silva said. "No one deserves anything like this."

While the suspect's motive is not clear to Morales' family, what has been clear is the impact her loss will have on the family, including her surviving two-year-old daughter.

"Were just going to raise her daughter the way she was," Silva said.

Prosecutors intend to ask a judge to deny Revuckas pre-trial release during the postponed detention hearing on Thursday, saying in court documents he poses a real and present threat to community safety. His detention hearing was postponed from Wednesday due to the amount of evidence attorneys have to go through.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the victim's family.