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Former BigLaw accomplice pleads no contest to alleged home abuse of spouse who was later discovered useless in stairwell
By Debra Cassens Weiss
September 2, 2025, 3:24 pm CDT
A former Duane Morris accomplice pleaded no contest in Berrien County, Michigan, on Friday to fees of home abuse towards his spouse and interfering along with her 911 name. (Picture from Shutterstock)
A former Duane Morris accomplice pleaded no contest in Berrien County, Michigan, on Friday to fees of home abuse towards his spouse and interfering along with her 911 name.
The alleged abuse towards Caitlin Tracey occurred two months earlier than her physique was present in October 2024 on the backside of a stairwell in former accomplice Adam P. Beckerink’s rental constructing in Chicago’s South Loop. He has not been charged in her loss of life.
Representatives for Tracey’s household introduced the no contest plea together with Beckerink’s responsible plea to a contempt of court docket cost Friday for violating an order to not contact Tracey.
ABC 7 Chicago was in Michigan for the plea listening to; CWBChicago and Fox 32 Chicago additionally lined the plea.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 20.
Beckerink was ousted as a accomplice at Duane Morris in November 2024 after Tracey’s dad and mom alleged in court docket paperwork that Beckerink bodily abused their daughter in Michigan the place she lived.
Beckerink averted a trial scheduled to start Sept. 9 because of the plea. A decide had dominated in June that through the scheduled trial, prosecutors might play Tracey’s 911 name for assist in August 2024 and present police physique digicam footage exhibiting Beckerink’s arrest for home abuse on the Michigan house, ABC 7 Chicago beforehand reported.
A lawyer for Beckerink has mentioned Tracey “was the love of Adam’s life,” and there was no hyperlink between her loss of life and his shopper.
The Cook dinner County, Illinois, medical expert didn’t difficulty a discovering on Tracey’s reason for loss of life. The choices embrace accident, suicide, murder and pure causes, in line with CWBChicago. Tracey had a number of fractures, and her foot had been severed.
See additionally:
Former Duane Morris accomplice arrested on excellent warrant associated to Michigan assault case
Decide denies bid by former Duane Morris accomplice to cease his spouse’s funeral
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