A woman was found guilty of murdering her transgender ex-girlfriend in Minnesota and taking the victim’s body into her lover’s car before intentionally crashing it.
Margot G. Lewis, 33, was found guilty of second-degree murder on Monday in connection with the stabbing death of Liara Tsai, 35, in Minneapolis last year.
The killer, from North Liberty, Iowa, was convicted in Hennepin County District Court and remains in jail before her sentencing.
Tsai’s former spouse told police that Lewis flew in from Boston on June 21, 2024, to stay with Tsai for eight days. The ex mentioned that Tasi and Lewis had a ‘sordid and emotionally challenging’ relationship, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
While a motive remains unclear, after the murder Lewis wrapped Tsai’s body in blankets, a sheet, a futon-style mattress, and a tarp, the court was told.
Lewis placed Tsai’s lifeless body and her dog into the victim’s car before driving south down Interstate 90.
Surveillance footage from Tsai’s apartment showed Lewis in the vehicle leaving around 4:35am on June 22 with the dog in the passenger seat.
After driving for some time, she smashed into a guardrail and authorities responded.
Liara Tsai, 35, was an activist and DJ who was murdered in June 2024 by her ex-girlfriend
Margot G Lewis, 33, was found guilty of second-degree murder on Monday over the death of Tsai
When cops arrived they found Lewis sitting in a folding chair that a bystander had given her and she opened the rear passenger-side door.
They found Tsai’s body hidden under a folded-down seat and discovered the dog wandering near the scene.
The State Patrol determined that Lewis had been driving in the median ‘for quite some time.’
‘The vehicle did not appear to make any maneuvers to prevent the crash.’
Investigators searched Tsai’s apartment and found significant amounts of blood.
They also discovered a bloodied metal and plastic object on the dead woman’s bed. They also noted a knife was missing from the victim’s butcher block.
The murderer was taken to the hospital around 7am after the crash and spoke to no medical staff or police.
The jury found aggravating factors in the case death that could potentially lead to an even longer sentence.
Lewis was found by police with the dead body after she crashed a car that belonged to Tsai (Pictured)
The activist’s dead body was found wrapped in blankets, a sheet, a futon-style mattress, and a tarp
Her sentencing is scheduled for November 18.
She still faces the charge of concealing a dead body in Olmstead County.
After Tsai was murdered, her community held multiple gatherings to honor her memory, according to MPR News.