Video of Caitlin Tracey detailing husband’s alleged abuse can be shown at his trial

Body camera footage that shows Caitlin Tracey telling police she was abused by her husband months before she was found dead at his South Loop condo building can be played at his upcoming trial in Michigan, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Adam Beckerink, 46, hasn’t been charged in Tracey’s death, which remains under investigation by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. She was found last October with a severed foot at the bottom of a stairwell in Beckerink’s high-rise building in the 1200 block of South Prairie Avenue.

Beckerink had previously been charged twice with attacking her earlier last year in Berrien County, Michigan, where Tracey lived. Prosecutors there asked Judge Gary Bruce to allow police body camera footage to be shown in court during a trial because Tracey can’t testify.

The video shows Tracey detailing Beckerink’s alleged abuse during his first arrest in January 2024, according to Anne Kavanagh, a spokesperson for Tracey’s family.

The judge said the footage can be entered as evidence and allowed the testimony of an officer who was present, prosecutor Amy Byrd said. Bruce also rejected a defense motion to dismiss the second domestic violence case.

Mitt Drew, a lawyer for Tracey’s relatives, said the family was “thankful for the court’s rulings, which ensure that Caitlin’s voice will be heard and that her abuser will be held accountable for his actions.”

Beckerink’s attorney didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Beckerink spent two days in Cook County Jail after he was arrested at his home in March for violating the terms of his release in the Michigan cases. Before he was extradited, prosecutors and his attorney said he was a suspect in Tracey’s death.

On Tuesday, Bruce ordered Beckerink held on $15,000 bond because he was charged with contempt following his arrest in Chicago, Byrd said. Beckerink, a licensed attorney in Illinois, could have been detained while awaiting trial.

Byrd said that may have been comforting for Tracey’s family, though she acknowledged Beckerink hasn’t missed court.

“These are hard decisions for the court to make, it is up to the judge to make that decision,” Byrd said. “It appears the public eye is on him and perhaps that is sufficient.”