Minneapolis, Minnesota – Margot Lewis, a 32-year-old woman from Iowa, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder after police found the lifeless body of Liara Tsai wrapped in a blood-spattered blanket in the back seat of the vehicle Lewis was driving. The charges, filed in Hennepin County District Court, include both intentional and unintentional second-degree murder.
Tsai, 35, had a puncture wound to her neck and was discovered in the car with a blanket, tarp, and futon-like mattress. Prosecutors allege that Lewis stabbed Tsai inside her apartment. Surveillance footage from Tsai’s apartment building showed Lewis leaving the premises with Tsai’s dog in the early hours of June 22. The dog was found at the scene of the car accident.
It remains uncertain why Lewis allegedly committed the heinous act. Tsai’s former spouse described their relationship as “sordid and emotionally challenging.” When police searched Tsai’s apartment, they found disturbing evidence, including a bloody object on a bed, antifreeze and a small shovel, and a missing knife from the kitchen.
In addition to the murder charges, Lewis faces a separate charge in Olmstead County for crashing the car, which police believe belonged to Tsai. She has been charged with felony interference of a dead body and is currently held on a $1 million bond. Lewis has refused to communicate with authorities and, when confronted about taking fingernail clippings, resisted and physically attacked officers.
Tsai, remembered as more than just a DJ, was cherished in the community and recognized as a trans activist. An investigation into the motive behind the tragic incident is ongoing. Lewis is scheduled to appear in court on July 5. It is unclear at this time whether she has retained legal representation.