Attorney accused of killing wife a year after 24-story fall, IL officials say
A year after Illinois officials say his wife died from a 24-story fall from a high-rise, a Chicago attorney is charged with killing her, news outlets report.
Caitlin Tracey, 36, was found dead at the bottom of a stairwell in the luxury tower where her estranged husband Adam Beckerink lived at about 7:20 p.m. Oct. 27, 2024, according to investigators, WGN reported.
A tenant at the building first discovered a severed foot, which then led to them finding Tracey’s body, which investigators say showed signs of severe trauma, the outlet reported.
McClatchy News reached out to an attorney representing Beckerink for comment but didn’t immediately receive a response.
Beckerink is currently jailed in Michigan, where he was sentenced to three months on domestic violence charges related to incidents that occurred at Tracey’s home in 2024, the station reported. However, he is expected to be extradited to Illinois to face trial on the murder charge.
Beckerink, who was an attorney and partner with law firm Duane Morris LLP, was fired in the wake of Tracey’s death, the Chicago Sun Times reported.
Officials say Beckerink lied while filing a missing person report for Tracey shortly before her body was discovered, reporting that he hadn’t seen her for a month. But surveillance video showed them together at his building on Oct. 24, three days before she was found dead, according to the outlet.
A year after launching an investigation, Chicago police now say Beckerink killed Tracey by throwing her over the railing of a 24th floor stairwell, WLS reported.
Tracey’s mother, Monica Tracey, recently told a Michigan judge that family tried to save her daughter from Beckerink’s abuse, the station reported.
“No matter how much we tried to save her, she was caught in a cycle of control. He is a monster,” Monica Tracey said. “It isn’t just her death that haunts us. It’s the slow-moving destruction of her life.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Attorney accused of killing wife a year after 24-story fall, IL officials say."