In Berrien County, Michigan, Adam Beckerink was sentenced on Monday for charges related to domestic violence following the tragic death of his wife, Caitlin Tracey, at their South Loop residence.

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Beckerink opted not to go to trial, instead entering a no-contest plea to charges of domestic violence and interfering with a 911 call that Tracey had made.

As part of this plea agreement, the charges of resisting arrest that Beckerink initially faced were dismissed.

During the sentencing on Monday, Beckerink received a 93-day concurrent sentence for his convictions of domestic violence and contempt of court.

Considering time already served and the potential for good behavior, he may be eligible for release in as little as 72 days from the sentencing date.

Beckerink was sentenced to two years probation for interfering with a 911 call made by his wife.

Tracey’s mother, Monica, gave an emotional 15-minute impact statement in court. She was the only family member to speak in court.

“We are witnesses to the physical and psychological bruises and scars our daughter endured from this defendant. But in the end, the coercive control he had over her was too great for her. She was lost. We feared for our safety, the safety of our other daughter, our son-in-law and our young grandson,” she said.

She stood beside her husband, Andrew, and spoke directly to the judge about her son-in-law, saying he systematically manipulated and abused their daughter.

“Our daughter never stood a chance against this brute. She was beaten, bruised and battered by this brute. And then he is the ultimate controlling coward and took away her cell phone when she tried to summon help,” Dr. Monica Tracey said.

Speaking with steely resolve and the pain of a grieving mother, Tracey asked the judge to impose the strictest penalty he could against the man she says she believes is inextricably tied to her daughter’s death nearly one year ago, describing the abuse Caitlin said she faced in her application for a protective order against her husband, as a Chicago police detective listened in the Michigan courtroom.

“Strangling me, suffocating me, slamming my head against a cabinet, putting my head in a headlock, pulling me away from the door,” she said. “The defendant stalked her, brutalized her, terrorized her and psychologically isolated her from family and friends.”

The courtroom was packed with Tracey’s family and friends.

“It isn’t just her death that haunts us; it is the slow-moving destruction of her life. This is now our family’s ongoing trauma, which we are trying to manage,” Tracey’s mother said in court. “Instead of meeting my daughter for dinner, my husband and I visit her grave. There is no justice that can heal our pain.”

Beckerink said he missed his wife, and he was unable to grieve because he had to “protect himself.”

A new charge was also revealed in court on Monday.

Beckerink was charged with contempt for allegedly violating his probation while going to get a court-ordered drug test.

On June 7, he allegedly arrived intoxicated to get a drug test at a clinic in Chicago’s Goose Island. He was accused of being aggressive toward staff and allegedly defecated on the floor.

Beckerink was taken in handcuffs out of the court to begin his sentence on Monday.

Police body camera video from August 2024 shows Beckerink struggling with police and Tracey crying nearby after she had called police for help.

The video was played during a hearing in June when a judge ruled it could be shown at trial.

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Tracey was found dead in the stairwell of Beckerink’s condo building last fall. She had multiple skull and rib fractures. An assistant Cook County state’s attorney has said Beckerink is considered a suspect in her death, but has not been charged.

Her foot was partially severed and her body was pulverized after falling 24 stories.

Chicago police reports show Beckerink had reported his wife missing the day before, saying he hadn’t seen her in weeks.

However, information obtained by the ABC7 Chicago I-Team shows Beckerink was taken into custody by Chicago police for what investigators said were “inconsistencies” in the report he made.

A family spokesperson called this the first step toward justice for the Tracey family. Next week will mark one year since Tracey’s death.

If you need help or know someone in need of help, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for confidential support 24/7/365. The number is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). You can also text the word “START” to 88788.