Pre-Trial Release Denied for Suspect Accused of Dumping Murdered Woman in Lake County

(Waukegan, IL) A man accused of murdering a woman, and dumping her body in Lake County, will remain behind bars. The defense for Juan Vega-Montoya said the charge he is facing in Lake County is not-detainable under the state’s SAFE-T Act, but the judge denied the pre-trial release motion. Vega-Montoya is accused of strangling Megan Lewis in late November in Chicago, then dumping her body near Old Mill Creek two days after the murder. Prosecutors say the killing was over a small amount of money, and that Lewis was pregnant when she was killed. The 37-year-old faces a charge in Lake County of concealing a homicidal death. Vega-Montoya is expected to face murder charges in Cook County, though they haven’t been filed at this point.

Tim Vander Tuuk, WLIP News (12-19-23)