A former Chicago attorney is now facing a first-degree murder charge in a horrifying case. The charge comes a year after his estranged wife, Caitlin Tracey, fell 24 stories to her death in his high-rise stairwell.
Police were called to the Chicago condo of Adam Beckerink, 47, on October 27, 2024. A resident made a gruesome discovery: a severed foot near a stair railing. Officers then found 36-year-old Tracey’s body at the stairwell’s base.
The Allegations and the Victims’ Fear
Authorities allege the death was no accident. They believe Beckerink killed Tracey on October 25, 2024, by “throwing her over the railing of the 24th floor.” An autopsy confirmed her injuries matched a fall from that extreme height.
Tracey’s family had long viewed Beckerink as an “abusive and controlling monster.” They told the Chicago Sun-Times their daughter lived in “constant fear.” Tracey even obtained a protection order in November 2023 following multiple alleged domestic battery incidents. She later dropped the order after he reportedly threatened a defamation lawsuit.
A Troubled Relationship Timeline
Despite the abuse allegations, the couple reunited and married on April 8, 2024. None of Tracey’s family attended the wedding. Just months later, Tracey reportedly tried to leave him, moving to Michigan to be closer to her parents.
The day before Tracey’s body was found, Beckerink filed a missing person report. He claimed he hadn’t seen her in a month. However, surveillance footage later showed they had been together just days before her death.
Beckerink, a former tax attorney and partner at Duane Morris LLP, was fired after Tracey’s death. He had also recently faced legal trouble in Michigan. He was sentenced to 93 days in jail there on October 20 after pleading no contest to domestic violence charges stemming from incidents at Tracey’s Michigan home.
The accused also reportedly tried to block Tracey’s family from holding her funeral, attempting to claim legal priority over her remains.
Beckerink remains in custody at Berrien County Jail in Michigan. He is being held on a $2 million bond for the out-of-state murder warrant. He has not yet entered a plea in the murder case.