A Minneapolis jury has convicted a 33-year-old Iowa woman of murdering Liara Tsai, a rising DJ in the city’s underground electronic dance music scene. On Monday afternoon, jurors found Margot Lewis guilty of two counts of second-degree murder — one with intent to kill and the other without intent — after less than a week of testimony and evidence.
The charges stem from the June killing of Tsai, 35, who had been a former romantic partner of Lewis. Court documents described their relationship as “tense” and “painful.” Lewis still faces a separate charge of concealing a body in Olmsted County, though it remains unclear how that case will proceed.
Jurors also determined that aggravating factors were present in Tsai’s death, giving Judge Paul Scoggin discretion to impose a sentence that exceeds state guidelines. Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18 at 1 p.m, The Star Tribune reported.
According to investigators, Tsai was killed on June 22, 2024. Her body was discovered wrapped in bedding and a mattress in the back seat of a car abandoned in southern Minnesota. Olmsted County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a single-car crash on Interstate 90 near Eyota. When they arrived, they found Lewis sitting in a lawn chair in the median. She refused to speak to officers at the scene.
Prosecutors argued that Lewis stabbed Tsai in her bed at her Minneapolis apartment and then left her to bleed to death. Jurors agreed with this account, convicting her on both counts of murder. Court filings noted that Lewis has shown “unpredictable behavior” in custody, requiring high levels of observation while in jail.
Tsai’s death shocked the Minneapolis music community, where she had quickly become a well-known figure. Friends and colleagues described her as an innovative DJ and a passionate advocate for self-expression and authenticity, according to MPR News.
“She encouraged everyone to be their most authentic selves,” one supporter said during a memorial event. Originally from Mauston, Wisconsin, Tsai had lived in Iowa City before moving to Minneapolis in May 2024, only weeks before she was killed.
In the aftermath of her death, the community held multiple gatherings to celebrate her life and music, remembering her as a beloved performer whose career and advocacy work had only begun to take shape. For many, the conviction of Lewis brings a measure of justice, though Tsai’s absence continues to be deeply felt within Minneapolis’s close-knit electronic music scene.