Caitlin Tracey's husband charged with murder in her death

Exactly a year after Caitlin Tracey was found dead after falling more than 20 stories from her husband's South Loop high rise building, he was charged with first-degree murder in her death, Cook County court records show.

Tracey's body was found Oct. 27, 2024, at the foot of a high rise building with a severed foot and questions immediately swirled about her husband, Adam Beckerink, who had a history of alleged domestic abuse. Beckerink, 47, was sentenced by a Michigan court last week to 93 days in jail and two years of probation for domestic abuse.

Tracey's family welcomed the charges against Beckerink, calling them "another big step in the path to obtain justice for Caitlin." In a statement, her family thanked the detectives on the case and Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke.

"We dearly miss Caitlin as do her friends," the family said in a statement. "Our family hopes that during the murder case against Adam Beckerink, that the truth about the last months of Caitlin’s life and the events leading to her tragic death are revealed, so our wonderful daughter can finally be laid to rest."

Beckerink, a Chicago-based tax attorney who was fired as a partner at Duane Morris LLP after the case became public, was briefly detained by police following Tracey's death after police said he lied on a missing person report he filed for Tracey hours before her body was discovered. He said he had not seen her in a month, but his apartment building surveillance video footage had shown the two together on Oct. 24, days before she was found dead.

Before her death, Tracey had obtained an order of protection against Beckerink in November 2023 after multiple domestic battery reports to Chicago police. She dropped the order of protection after he threatened to sue her for defamation, according to a petition by her parents to obtain custody of her remains after her death. A Michigan judge granted Tracey's parents custody of her body and a Cook County judge made a similar ruling.

After Beckerink's sentencing for the domestic abuse charge, Monica Tracey, Caitlin's mother, said she saw a change in her daughter after she started dating him.

"Not long after the defendant pushed his way into Caitlin’s life, we witnessed the constant fear in our daughter,” Monica Tracey said during court proceedings in Michigan. “For over a year, we tried everything we could do to save her from him.”

Beckerink's attorney didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.