Woman, who stabbed her partner she had a sordid relationship with to death and then put the body wrapped in a bed sheet in the vehicle before crashing on highway, was found guilty

Minnesota – In a harrowing case that left both Minnesota and Iowa residents shocked, a 33-year-old woman, identified as M. Lewis, has been convicted of second-degree murder for the brutal killing of her 35-year-old ex-girlfriend, L. Tsai, whose body was found wrapped in a bed sheet in the back seat of a wrecked car. The verdict was reached this week by a jury, following a trial that revealed disturbing new details about a relationship described by many as deeply volatile and emotionally fraught. Lewis now awaits sentencing, scheduled for November 18, and is also facing additional charges in another county in Minnesota for concealing a corpse.

The jury not only found Lewis guilty of second-degree murder but also identified aggravating factors in the case—giving the sentencing judge the authority to exceed standard guidelines when determining Lewis’s punishment. Prosecutors had argued that the killing was not only intentional, but coldly carried out while Tsai lay in her bed at home. Court records revealed that Lewis showed “unpredictable behavior” throughout the proceedings and while in custody, prompting heightened monitoring behind bars. Prosecutors described Lewis’s actions as methodical and callous—stabbing Tsai in the neck and then allowing her to bleed out before attempting to dispose of the body in a bizarre and tragic sequence of events.

The violent end to Tsai’s life began in her apartment, where Lewis had come to stay in late June 2024. Investigators believe that during that visit, Lewis fatally stabbed Tsai in bed and then, rather than calling for help, wrapped her body in a futon-style mattress, blanket, bed sheet, and tarp. The chilling aftermath was uncovered not by police initially, but by two Good Samaritans who stopped to help after spotting a crash on the highway on the morning of June 22. Lewis, found sitting in a lawn chair in the highway median, appeared dazed near the wrecked Tsai’s vehicle she had been driving.

As the two passersby checked the car, they were met with a horrifying scene: the body of a woman wrapped in layers of bedding, only her head exposed, positioned awkwardly in the back seat with her feet angled toward the driver’s seat. Dried blood was visible on the bedding and the mattress. When authorities arrived, they quickly confirmed the obvious—this was not a fatality caused by the crash, but a murder that had occurred earlier. Tire tracks on the road suggested that Lewis had been speeding when the vehicle veered off. The Minnesota State Patrol estimated she was traveling over 100 miles per hour before the collision.

The police department later executed a search warrant at Tsai’s apartment. Inside, they found a chaotic and disturbing scene: blood on the bed, a plastic and metal object coated in blood, and a knife missing from a butcher’s block in the kitchen. Also recovered was antifreeze and a small shovel, deepening the mystery surrounding Lewis’s intentions after the killing.

Tsai, known not only for her work as a DJ but also as a prominent community and human rights activist, was remembered by friends as compassionate, deeply thoughtful, and always reliable. One acquaintance, who had hired Tsai to DJ events in the past, said she had recently mentioned a friend from Iowa, whom authorities identified as Lewis, would be moving in with her temporarily. That “friend” turned out to be the person responsible for her death. When Tsai failed to appear for a scheduled gig the Sunday after her death, concern among friends quickly turned to alarm. What followed was the grim confirmation of what many feared.

Authorities say the relationship between Lewis and Tsai had been marked by emotional turmoil and instability. According to police reports, the relationship between them was “sordid and emotionally challenging.” This sentiment was echoed by prosecutors, who referred to the relationship as “tense” and “painful.” Though justice in the courtroom may offer some closure, the pain left behind in the wake of Tsai’s death remains profound. Friends, family, and community members continue to mourn a woman who, in life, had worked to uplift others—and whose final moments were shaped by betrayal and violence.