A Chicago man was charged Monday with killing his estranged wife, a year after she was found dead in the stairwell of his condo building and a week after he was sentenced to three months in jail after pleading no contest to domestic violence charges.
Adam Beckerink was sentenced last Monday in a courtroom in Michigan, where he charged with two incidents at Caitlin Tracey’s home there, WMAQ reported. He was also sentenced to two years probation.
Chicago authorities then issued an arrest warrant for Beckerink on Monday, charging him with murder in Tracey’s death on October 24, 2024.
Beckerink had reported Tracey missing on October 26, 2024, as CrimeOnline reported. Another tenant at the condo found Tracey’s severed foot in the stairwell the next day, and police found her body at the bottom of the stairs. Beckerink was held for questioning for two days, but no charges were filed.
Tracey had filed for an order of protection against Beckerink a year before her death, citing several incidents in which she accused him of abuse. She withdrew the petition after Beckerink threatened to sue her, court records show.
Twice in 2024, Beckerink was arrested in New Buffalo, Michigan, on domestic violence charges.
Beckerink and Tracey’s parents argued over her remains for two weeks after her death before a Michigan judge gave the parents custody for a funeral and burial.
Beckerink was arrested in March on domestic violence charges filed in Berien County, Michigan, where Tracey lived before and during her marriage.
According to WLS, Beckerink was sentenced to 93 days for domestic violence and contempt of court and probation for interfering with a 911 call made by Tracey.
Tracey’s mother, Monica Tracey, flanked by her husband Andrew, addressed the court, telling the judge she and her husband were “witnesses to the physical and psychological bruises and scars our daughter endured from this defendant.:
“But in the end, the coercive control he had over her was too great for her. She was lost. We feared for our safety, the safety of our other daughter, our son-in-law and our young grandson,” she said.
“Our daughter never stood a chance against this brute. She was beaten, bruised and battered by this brute. And then he is the ultimate controlling coward and took away her cell phone when she tried to summon help.”
The Chicago criminal complaint alleges that Beckerink threw Tracey over the railing of the 24th floor of the stairwell of his condo building, WMAQ said. She fell all the way to the ground floor, severing her foot as she fell. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Further information was not immediately available.
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[Featured image: Caitlin Tracey/handout]
