Criminal Justice
Former BigLaw partner is accused of throwing his wife to her death from 24th floor stairwell
A former Duane Morris tax partner is accused in a criminal complaint of murdering his wife in his Chicago condo building by throwing her over a railing from a 24th floor stairwell. (Image from Shutterstock)
A former Duane Morris tax partner is accused in a criminal complaint of murdering his wife in his Chicago condo building by throwing her over a railing from a 24th floor stairwell.
Tax lawyer Adam P. Beckerink, 47, was named in an Oct. 27 arrest warrant issued exactly one year after the body of 36-year-old Caitlin Tracey was found at the bottom of the stairwell, report the Chicago Tribune, WGN-TV and NBC Chicago. Her foot had been severed.
Tracey’s family said in a statement the murder charge “is another big step in the path to obtain justice for Caitlin.”
The statement said Beckerink currently “sits in a Michigan jail” as a result of his Oct. 21 sentencing stemming from allegations of domestic abuse against Tracey at her New Buffalo, Michigan, home.
He had pleaded guilty in Berrien County, Michigan, to contempt of court and no contest to domestic abuse and interfering with a 911 call by Tracey. He was sentenced to 93 days in jail and two years of probation.
In a victim impact statement in the Michigan case, Tracey’s mother, Monica Tracey, called Beckerink a “monster” and said her daughter had been “beaten, bruised and battered by this brute.”
Beckerink was ousted as a tax partner at Duane Morris after the law firm became aware of domestic violence allegations, a spokesperson said in November 2024.
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