Chicago tax attorney accused of murdering wife at South Loop condo pleads not guilty

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago tax attorney accused of murdering his wife pleaded not guilty during an arraignment hearing Thursday.

Adam Beckerink, 47, is accused of killing 36-year-old Caitlin Tracey in October of 2024 by throwing her down a 29-story stairwell in the couple's high-rise condo building in the South Loop.

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Along with six murder charges, Cook County prosecutors have added multiple concealment of a homicidal death and false reporting charges against Beckerink, who has been denied bond since his extradition to Illinois following a domestic violence sentence in Berrien County, Michigan.

The new allegations state that Beckerink intentionally lied to police as they began their investigation, telling CPD his wife could have been in New Buffalo, Michigan, "knowing that he forced Caitlin Tracey down a stairwell shaft and killed Caitlin Tracey," according to the filings.

He appeared in court Thursday on the charges, and pleaded not guilty.

There were contentious moments in the courtroom, when the prosecution requested records to learn more about what Beckerink may have told medical staff when he was processed at the Cook County Jail.

His defense attorney, Todd Pugh, vehemently objected.

"Prosecution wants it because there may be something relevant to the case there. Maybe he's made a statement about his own mental capacity. Maybe he's made a statement about the crime itself. So no surprise, they'd be interested to see what there is," ABC7 Chicago chief legal analyst Gil Soffer said.

But Soffer says the prosecution is not automatically entitled to private medical records, and would need to show the judge they are crucial to the case.

"There is a privacy right on the part of a defendant, even a criminal defendant, even in jail, particularly if it's part of a mental health exam," Soffer said.

Beckerink's defense attorney asked the state to put their request in writing so they can properly respond. Then, there's the questions of admissibility.

"Well, if the defense wants to make the defendant's mental health, for example, state of mind, relevant to a defense, it will almost certainly be admissible and fair game. If the defense doesn't intend to do that and the state wants to make an argument that the defendant was acting consistent with a certain medical condition, they're going to have to make a compelling case for it," Soffer said.

Soffer says there will likely be many more battles like this given Beckerink's history and conviction of domestic abuse against Tracey in Michigan.

"This case is based on what we've seen, is not a slam dunk. So, the state's going to push hard to introduce evidence of prior misconduct, prior domestic abuse. Those are not gimmes for the state. It's not clear that all that kind of evidence will come in," Soffer said.

The judge is reserving her decision on whether the state will have access to Beckerink's medical records until the next hearing March 18.