Inset, top to bottom: Kevin D. Motykie (Cook County Sheriff) and Katherine Torbick (Fox River MedSpa). Background: The area in Illinois where Motykie allegedly tortured and killed Torbick (WBBM).
A 56-year-old man in Illinois is accused of torturing and killing his longtime girlfriend shortly after she broke up with him in a prolonged attack of which he made an audio recording.
Kevin D. Motykie is charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault involving the death of 43-year-old Katherine D. Torbick.
According to a news release from the Schaumburg Police Department, officers responded to a residence in the 1700 block of West Weathersfield Way at approximately 9:20 p.m. on April 30 to conduct a welfare check.
The caller told the dispatcher they had been unable to get in touch with Torbick and were concerned for her safety. Police were already aware of a recent domestic violence incident at the home and knew that Motykie had a pending arrest warrant for aggravated domestic battery against Torbick.
Upon forcing entry into the home, officers discovered Torbick”s body with multiple signs of trauma. Motykie was allegedly located in the garage of the residence and immediately taken into custody.
Following a detention hearing on May 8, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved additional felony charges against Motykie for criminal sexual assault involving threats to the victim’s life.
A subsequent autopsy conducted by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office determined her death to be a homicide by strangulation, according to a report from the Lake & McHenry County Scanner.
Following the arrest, police reportedly found an audio recording device in Motykie’s pocket. During court proceedings, prosecutors reportedly alleged that the device contained a seven-hour recording of the fatal encounter, which began at 2 a.m. on the day of the murder.
On the audio, investigators could reportedly hear Torbick “screaming” for Motykie to get off her and begging him not to put her in handcuffs, CBS News reported. The recording allegedly captured Motykie accusing the victim of cheating while he beat, bound, and repeatedly sexually assaulted her. Torbick can reportedly be heard trying to escape before she is bound with duct tape.
The final four minutes of the audio allegedly captured Torbick being strangled to death.
Prosecutors said Torbick had long expressed fear for her life, reportedly creating a videotaped statement for law enforcement because she believed Motykie was going to kill her. On March 12, Torbick had filed a felony complaint against Motykie, and she had been hospitalized just days before her death following a separate attack.
In that prior March 16 incident, prosecutors said Motykie beat and strangled Torbick, threatened her with a knife, and forced her to write a suicide note to her 12-year-old son, according to the Scanner. Although an arrest warrant was issued a week later, Motykie was never taken into custody and reportedly continued to live in the home with Torbick.
The victim worked at the Fox River MedSpa in Algonquin, where colleagues described her as a valued member of their team. In a tribute posted to social media, the spa stated that Torbick “brought warmth, energy and genuine care to our workplace,” adding, “She mattered. She was valued. And she will always be part of our story,” the Daily Herald reported.
Motykie has a history of domestic issues, reportedly having had three separate orders of protection taken out against him by three different individuals. He was also involved in a civil legal feud with his brother, a California-based plastic surgeon, who accused him of stealing funds from a Barrington med spa business. Torbick had previously testified in that civil case as Motykie’s girlfriend.
The defendant is currently being held at the Cook County Jail without bond and is scheduled to return to court later this month.
