Inside a Facebook Marketplace Meetup Gone Horribly Wrong, Ending with a Pregnant Mom Stabbed 70 Times

New details have surfaced in the fatal stabbing of a pregnant Illinois mother who was killed during a Facebook Marketplace sale at her family’s apartment while her husband was at work.

ABC 7 Chicago reported Thursday that Eliza Morales was stabbed 70 times Monday night in Downers Grove, Ill., a western suburb of Chicago. Morales was 30 and the mother of a 2-year-old girl. She was five months pregnant with her second daughter at the time of her death, according to local reports by WGN, NBC 5 Chicago and ABC 7.

Nedas Revuckas, 19, appeared in court Wednesday, Jan. 28, and was charged with first-degree murder, robbery, arson, homicide of an unborn child and cruelty to animals. The animal cruelty count stems from allegations that Revuckas also harmed Morales’ dog, which reportedly tried to protect her during the attack, according to WGN.

Police said Morales’ husband, Gabriel Morales, had listed a pickup truck for sale on Marketplace, and Revuckas came to the apartment intending to buy it. Authorities allege he became upset about the truck’s condition, according to ABC 7 and Fox 32. Investigators said the 19-year-old Westmont, Ill., man then “decided to take out his frustration on Eliza,” ABC 7 reported.

WGN reported that surveillance video showed Morales handing Revuckas a screwdriver so he could switch the vehicle’s license plates. Minutes later, footage showed him approaching the apartment door with the tool behind his back, according to the outlet, citing police. About 20 minutes later, smoke could be seen coming from the apartment door, the outlet reported.

Police and firefighters responded, extinguished a fire inside the apartment and found Morales dead at the scene.

ABC 7 reported that investigators believe Morales tried to stop Revuckas from forcing his way into the apartment and attacking her. Revuckas told investigators that Morales “mentioned she was pregnant” during the struggle, but police allege the stabbing continued.

Morales’ mother-in-law, Angelica Silva, described the attack as “pure evil,” ABC 7 reported. “None of us get it — she did not deserve this,” Silva told the outlet. “No one deserves anything like this.”

Gabriel Morales was at work when he received a call that his wife and unborn baby had been killed, ABC 7 reported. “I’m gonna spend the rest of my life missing her,” he told the station earlier this week. “I can get every second back with her and just continue to try to live through her for my daughter. And continue to be strong for my family.”

Morales’ relatives have set up a GoFundMe to help Gabriel Morales and the couple’s surviving 2-year-old daughter.

“The loss of a beloved wife, daughter, and mother — along with her unborn child — has left pain that words cannot fully express,” the family wrote on the fundraiser page. They described Eliza as devoted to her husband and child, and said she was known for her kindness and generosity. “She worked hard, not for recognition, but because she believed in building a strong, loving foundation for her family,” they added. “Everything she did was rooted in love.”