Verdict reached for Minneapolis woman found sitting in middle of highway in grim discovery made in backseat of her wrecked car

A Minnesota jury has delivered its verdict in a case that shocked the state. According to Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), a jury declared Margot Lewis guilty of two counts of second-degree murder for the killing of 35-year-old Liara Tsai. Police discovered Tsai’s body in the backseat of a wrecked car. At the same time, Lewis was found sitting in a lawn chair in the highway median.

The Lewis case began on the morning of June 22, 2024, when law enforcement and bystanders responded to a crash on Interstate 90 near Eyota, Minnesota, in Olmsted County. At that time, investigators discovered Lewis, 33, the driver, sitting in a folding lawn chair placed in the median of the roadway, reportedly provided by a bystander.

As police learned, passersby who stopped to help discovered something amiss: a human body, wrapped in bedding, a mattress, and a tarp, was visible in the backseat of the car. Authorities found Lewis uncooperative at the scene of the crash, as she refused to speak to the police.

Who was Liara Tsai?

The victim in the case was later identified as Liara Tsai, a Minneapolis DJ and volunteer on a suicide hotline. Investigators determined that the cause of death was not from the crash itself, but from a “gaping puncture wound” to the neck with additional sharp force injuries that occurred earlier at Tsai’s Minneapolis residence. At Tsai’s apartment, authorities discovered a “bloody scene,” with saturated bedding and traces of blood in multiple rooms. A kitchen knife was missing.

As the investigation revealed, Lewis and Tsai were former romantic partners. The criminal complaint and court filings describe their relationship as “sordid and emotionally challenging,” according to The Minnesota Star Tribune. Tsai’s former spouse stated that Lewis had flown from Boston on June 21, 2024, to stay with Tsai for about eight days before the killing.  None of the criminal complaints spells out a clear motive.

Lewis maintains her innocence, claiming she found Tsai dead and made a “desperate and misguided choice” to move the body.

The Margot Lewis trial and verdict

After months of pretrial procedures, Lewis’s case went to a jury in Hennepin County. In late September 2025, the jury found her guilty on two counts of second-degree murder: one for intentional (but not premeditated) killing and another for killing in the commission of a felony.
Jurors also found that aggravating factors were present, allowing the court to impose a sentence exceeding the standard sentencing guidelines. Lewis also faces a separate charge in Olmsted County for interference with a dead body, which is still pending. Lewis’ sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 18, 2025.