Family honors Eliza “Nicky” Morales and all femicide victims at candlelight vigil
More than six months after Eliza Nicole “Nicky” Almanza Morales was killed inside her Downers Grove apartment, her family gathered to reclaim her story; not as a victim of violence, but as a daughter, mother and beloved friend.
Morales, 30 and five months pregnant, was murdered on January 26, 2026.
Nedas Revuckas, 19, is accused of killing her after becoming angry about the condition of a pickup truck he purchased from Morales’s husband through Facebook Marketplace.
The candlelight vigil on August 30 at Wentworth Park, 5625 S. Mobile, Chicago, honored not only Morales and her unborn daughter Xochi, but all victims of femicide—the killing of a woman or girl because of her gender.
Her mother, Raquel Almanza, spoke to the gathered crowd about the woman her daughter was.
“Nicky was my first baby, my first love and my first best friend. She was bright, beautiful, funny and wise beyond one hundred years. She could read when she was only 2 years old,” Almanza said. “By the time she was 4, she had memorized the entire Selena movie.”
Almanza described a daughter who was talented and devoted to her family saying Morales was also gifted cook, guardian to her sisters and earned a bachelor’s degree in business management.
“She was caring, loyal, capable, and deeply loved by her family,” Almanza said.
As an adult, Eliza faced hardship but remained determined; her greatest joy was her daughter Zaila, Almanza said
In the final two years of her life, Morales called and FaceTimed her mother three times a day.
“I saved call logs for Zaila someday. I want her to see them and know how much her mother loved and her family,” Almanza said.
The loss:
“On January 26, 2026, Nikki was taken from us,” Almanza said. “I lost my first best friend, and the chance to hear her laugh, to watch her grow and discover who she would become. There are no words big enough for that kind of loss.”
Almanza also honored her granddaughter, Xochi, Morales’s unborn child. “She was real. She was loved before she was born. Because she’s Nicky’s baby and my granddaughter; our granddaughter. Her place in our family will always be held with love.”
A survivor’s message:
Sarah Brown a representative of All In Alliance, a community organization dedicated to preventing and ending domestic violence, spoke directly to Morales’s family about the journey ahead.
“I wanted to speak to you because I understand the weight of the journey you are on,” Brown said. “I am a survivor of domestic violence. And I have stood in the place where you are now, facing a future that feels uncertain, navigating a path that no one should ever have to walk.”
Brown, who testified before the Chicago-Cook County Domestic Violence Task Force about her own nearly seven-year journey through the court system to end her domestic violence experience, acknowledged the complexity of grief when children are involved.
“Eliza’s story didn’t end with her passing. It continues in the eyes of her child and in the dedication of those who loved her. I am sure when you look at her child, you see the beautiful legacy of a mother’s devotion,” she said.
Brown urged the family to see their role as protectors of Morales’s legacy.
“To the family, please know that your commitment to this child is the greatest act of love you can offer Eliza right now,” Brown said. “You are becoming the sanctuary that her child needs. You are holding the pieces of her story together so that as her child grows, she would know exactly how much they were hearing.”
Brown noted the sacred nature of Eliza’s family and friends’ mission.
“I am standing with you, standing with this community and hope you feel the strength surrounding you all, as you continue to honor Eliza by protecting the life she cherished the most,” she said.
Community commitment:
Alderman Silvana Tabares (23rd) said the vigil reflected the community’s resolve to support Morales’s family and prevent future tragedies.
“It’s wonderful to see the community come together to be here for the family and support the family knowing that they are not alone as they are going through the court case right now,” Tabares said. “Losing someone is so hard, and Eliza Nickole was such a beautiful person. I want everybody to continue praying for the family with the loss of their daughter, sister and their grandbaby.”
Tabares, who co-led the Chicago-Cook County Domestic Violence Task Force, said the work to combat violence against women has already yielded measurable results.
The task force launched in January when homicides against women were at an all-time high. “Due to the task force collaborating with the county, we were able to bring down homicides against women by 50 percent,” Tabares said.
The effort is expanding. “We need to continue that collaboration, so we’re starting up phase two where we’re going to be collaborating with our state partners,” she said.
One of the goals in phase two is to bring accountability and transparency to Cook County courts, which are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, according to the alderman.
“We need to be looking at the data and how all of that is affecting women in Chicago, in Cook County, and what we can do to help,” Tabares said.
A call for change:
Raquel Almanza used the vigil to call for systemic change in how communities respond to violence against women.
“We’re gathering in honor of those who were lost to violence against women and family violence,” Almanza said. “May we become a community that listens sooner, take survivors seriously, supports families, and teaches our children that love never requires fear, control humiliation or harm.”
She urged action beyond remembrance: “Let us put our energy into prevention, protection, healing, and real support for women and families who need help. Let us make sure people know they are not alone. With goodness in our hearts and clear intention, we can achieve what once seemed impossible.”
Almanza closed with a promise to her daughter: “Eliza, Nicole, I promise. I will keep speaking your name.”
Revuckas’s case was continued to Sept. 22, 2026 by a court order issued by the DuPage County Court, 18th Judicial Circuit on July 28.
The family has established a GoFundMe page, “Support for Eliza’s Family in Their Time of Loss,” to help with expenses as they continue to grieve and navigate life without her. Donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-elizas-family-in-their-time-of-loss.