Iowa woman accused of fatally stabbing ex-partner in Minneapolis deemed competent to stand trial
MINNEAPOLIS — An Iowa woman accused of fatally stabbing her ex-partner in Minneapolis, then crashing the victim's car with her body inside in southern Minnesota, has been deemed competent to stand trial.
Margot G. Lewis, 32, was charged this summer with two counts of second-degree murder and a count of interference with a dead body in the death of 35-year-old Liara Tsai.
Tsai's body was found inside her vehicle, which Lewis crashed on June 22 on Interstate 90 in Eyota, just southeast of Rochester.
A Hennepin County judge ruled on Wednesday that Lewis' trial can proceed. Her next court date is scheduled for Oct. 21.
Details from Lewis' criminal complaint
Deputies responded to Lewis' crash to find her sitting "on a lawn chair in the median of the interstate."
According to the criminal complaint, a Minnesota State Patrol crash reconstruction determined Lewis, of North Liberty, Iowa, was traveling more than 100 mph on I-90 before the crash.
Witnesses at the scene told deputies there was a dead body in the back seat of the crashed car, "wrapped in bedding, a mattress, and covered with a tarp" with Tsai's head visible, the complaint states.
Tsai's dog was also found wandering around at the scene. The animal had a microchip which eventually led investigators to Tsai's Minneapolis residence, according to the complaint, where police "encountered a bloody scene."
The medical examiner's office later determined Tsai's cause of death was from a "gaping puncture wound" to her neck, and not from the crash.
The complaint states Lewis was taken to a hospital after the crash, where she refused to speak to investigators due to taking "a vow of silence," but agreed to "communicate in sign language." Investigators say Lewis then attacked officers when they attempted to get her fingernail clippings for evidence.
Remembering Liara Tsai
Tsai's friends told WCCO in June she had just moved to Minneapolis from Iowa.
"She was just always completely herself, and she wanted to inspire everyone around her to always be their most true and authentic selves," said friend Olivia Anderson.
Tsai was a crisis counselor and DJ who was just days away from playing the biggest event of her career in New York City.
"She was so connected with her humanity, and her divinity, and her love," said friend Levi Lake. "I really grieve that she won't be here to experience that."
The maximum sentence for a second-degree murder conviction is 40 years.
NOTE: The original airdate of the video attached to this article is June 28, 2024.
Local Domestic Violence Resources
Women's Advocates
wadvocates.org
Crisis Line: (651) 227-8284
St. Paul & Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Intervention Project
stpaulintervention.org
Crisis Line: (651) 645-2824
Minnesota Day One
dayoneservices.org
Crisis Line: 1-866-223-1111
Esperanza United
esperanzaunited.org
Bilingual crisis line: (651) 772-1611.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
If you or someone you know in the LGBTQ+ community needs support, there are numerous resources and services available through Outfront Minnesota, NAMI and Twin Cities Pride.