Tech exec found 'pulverized' in luxury high-rise stairwell died from fall, medical examiner says
Caitlin Tracey, 36, died of "multiple injuries, fall from height" on Oct. 27, 2024, the medical examiner ruled. No one has been charged in connection with her death, as FOX 32 Chicago first reported.
Court documents filed last year state that "based on the condition of the remains, Decedent's body fell approximately 24 floors before landing at the bottom of a stairwell." Her "body was pulverized and her foot was severed from her body," attorneys for the family wrote.
Tracey's husband, Adam Beckerink, 46, was arrested in March on a fugitive charge stemming from a warrant in Michigan, where the well-known tax attorney was wanted on charges of domestic violence, resisting and obstructing and larceny, according to Fox 32.
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While Beckerink is not charged in connection with Tracey's death, his March arrest has highlighted a tumultuous past. An attorney representing Beckerink did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.
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The domestic incident stemmed from two 911 calls made last year in New Buffalo, Michigan, where Tracey and Beckerink lived during and before their six-month marriage, reporting domestic abuse and theft, according to FOX 32.
Husband Of Nurse, Mom Of Three Found Dead At Bottom Of Staircase Went For Beer After Finding Body: Police
Following her death in October 2024, police held Beckerink for 48 hours but ultimately released him. A legal battle later ensued between Tracey's parents and her husband.
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Court records revealed that Tracey filed a petition for an order of protection against Beckerink in October 2023. The couple married on April 8, 2024 "in a private ceremony" that did not include their family members, court documents say.
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Tracey's parents believe Beckerink "manipulated" Tracey "and purposefully isolated her from her family so that he could continue his campaign of abuse and terror unnoticed," attorneys wrote in court documents.
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"Plaintiffs have alleged that their daughter's partner, who may or may not be her husband, subjected her to ongoing domestic abuse and ultimately took her life," court records state. "Plaintiffs seek to have her remains sent to them to have a funeral and burial."
Friend Who Heard Murder Confession Thought Furniture Heiress Would End Up Dead In Love Triangle
A judge ultimately sided with Tracey's parents, allowing them to receive her remains and give her a funeral.
Beckerink in March waived his right to an extradition hearing to face charges in Michigan. It is unclear where that case stands as of Wednesday.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Chicago police asking if they have any persons of interest in Tracey's death, but they did not comment, directing Fox News Digital to Beckerink's arrest page showing his fugitive charge.
Tracey was chief people officer at Nousot, a data analytics company.Original article source: Tech exec found 'pulverized' in luxury high-rise stairwell died from fall, medical examiner says
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New York Post
17 hours ago
- New York Post
McCloskeys win back AR-15 rifle 5 years after Black Lives Matter protest confrontation
The St. Louis couple who went viral in 2020 for wielding guns as Black Lives Matter protesters marched outside their property have regained possession of their semiautomatic rifle. After a years long and complex legal struggle to reclaim their weapons after they were seized by authorities more than five years ago, police have returned the AR-15 to St. Louis lawyers Mark and Patricia McCloskey. Advertisement 'It only took 3 lawsuits, 2 trips to the Court of Appeals and 1,847 days, but I got my AR15 back!' Mark McCloskey posted to his X account on Friday, along with several photos of him carrying the gun. 'We defended our home, were persecuted by the left, smeared by the press, and threatened with death, but we never backed down.' In a separate X post, Mark McCloskey also shared a video of himself retrieving the rifle from a police station. 'That gun may have only been worth $1,500 or something, and it cost me a lot of time and a lot of effort to get it back, but you have to do that,' Mark McCloskey told Fox News Digital, adding he owns other weapons. 'You have to let them know that you will never back down, you'll never give up.' Advertisement 3 Mark McCloskey was given his AR-15 back FOX News He said he expects their pistol, wielded by Patricia McCloskey during the confrontation, to be returned by next week. The AR-15 ended up in the possession of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, while the pistol wound up in the possession of the St. Louis Sheriff's Department, he added. 'Each and every one of us owns a personal responsibility for our freedom and our democratic republic,' Mark McCloskey said. Advertisement In June 2020, a video of the gun-toting McCloskeys took the internet by storm after a swarm of Black Lives Matter protesters broke down an iron gate and ignored a 'No Trespassing' sign on their private street. 3 The couple went viral in 2020 for wielding guns as Black Lives Matter protesters marched outside their property. UPI 3 Their weapons were seized by authorities five years ago. UPI The couple, who said they felt threatened, armed themselves before heading outside to ward off the crowd, which was on its way to the former mayor's home. No one was hurt. Advertisement After the incident, the McCloskeys's were were seized by law enforcement, and they were charged with unlawful use of a weapon by St. Louis' former Democratic prosecutor, Kim Gardner. Shortly after that, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt moved to dismiss charges brought by Gardner. In 2021, the McCloskeys pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and second-degree harassment but later were granted a pardon by former Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. Last month, a Missouri appeals court confirmed the expungement of the McCloskeys' misdemeanor convictions, which, under state law, means it is as though the incident never happened, Mark McCloskey said. 'If you've been wronged, if you've been overreached by the leftist government — you can't give up,' Mark McCloskey told Fox News Digital. 'You can't let them get an inch.' The St. Louis Sheriff's Office and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Unearthed ‘Son of Sam' prison tapes reveal chilling details about serial killer David Berkowitz
Joe Berlinger wanted to understand how one man who seemingly came from a loving home went on to terrorize New York City. The Oscar-nominated director has launched a new true-crime docuseries on Netflix, "Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes." It features newly unearthed audio interviews between David Berkowitz and crime reporter Jack Jones, which took place in 1980 at Attica Correctional Facility. The three-part series also highlights a phone conversation Berlinger had with Berkowitz, 72, who is serving multiple life sentences for his murders. "David Berkowitz is very different from other serial killers," the filmmaker told Fox News Digital. "He wanted no human contact. He didn't want to know his victims. There's an anecdote about a snowstorm when he had a gun in his pocket. He came upon some people stuck in the snow, and he decided he'd rather be a hero than a killer, because he had a human interaction with those people. He is more about rage and alienation and having to express that rage." "I liken him to the school shooters of today rather than the sexual sadistic killer that most of these other serial killers are," Berlinger shared. "Serial killers, particularly Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer, needed to be intimate with their victims. Bundy and Gacy, in particular, got sexual gratification out of killing somebody and watching them die in their hands. Dahmer took that intimacy to the next level by consuming body parts. . . . But with Berkowitz, he needed to satisfy his rage." In the mid-1970s, Berkowitz, a postal employee, plunged the city into fear with a series of shootings using a .44-caliber revolver that killed six people and wounded seven. He appeared to target young women with long brown hair and couples canoodling in a lover's lane. The New York Police Department formed a 200-person task force to hunt down the killer, The Associated Press reported. Frightened women began cutting their hair short and dyeing it blonde, while many others rushed home before nightfall. He went on to send taunting letters to the police and the press, where he called himself the "Son of Sam" and claimed that a demonic-obsessed dog belonging to his neighbor had ordered him to kill. Berkowitz's reign of terror came to an end when he was arrested on Aug. 10, 1977. According to Berlinger, more newspapers were sold for the "Son of Sam" being caught than for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Berlinger said he wanted the film to also address rumors about the slayings that have persisted for decades. "There's still this belief that there were multiple Sons of Sams," Berlinger explained. "There's this conspiracy theory that there were multiple shooters, and they all belonged to a satanic cult. . . . It's preposterous. . . . It just further spurred me on to want to tell a clear-eyed, factual story about what happened. And just from a common-sense standpoint, the shootings stopped after Berkowitz was arrested. If there was a nationwide satanic cult, why weren't there more killings?" "There's just no forensic evidence to support that theory," Berlinger stressed. According to the docuseries, Berkowitz was brought up by Jewish parents in the Bronx. He was traumatized by both the startling revelation that he was adopted and the death of his adoptive mother from cancer. In 1971, he joined the army, and he distinguished himself as a talented marksman, reported. But after returning to New York, his mental health began to deteriorate severely. He was later diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. "I think it's a slippery slope to blame it on a bad childhood," Berlinger pointed out. "He had a good childhood by all accounts. He was just shocked that he was adopted. I had a rough childhood, and I'm the opposite of somebody walking around with a lot of rage and wanting to do terrible things." "Some people go through horrible experiences early in life and end up stronger and better," said Berlinger. "Others … end up doing terrible things. [What we do know is] that Berkowitz felt alienated and disconnected to the degree that he had to satisfy his rage." Berlinger admitted that at first, he was hesitant to speak with Berkowitz. WATCH: TED BUNDY'S EX-GIRLFRIEND INSPIRES HAUNTING NETFLIX BIOPIC ON THEIR ROMANCE: 'HE WAS A MASTER MANIPULATOR' "I debated whether it was appropriate to include his present-day thoughts, because it broke with the former," he explained, referring to his previous documentaries. "People are very sensitive about giving a platform to a serial killer. But … you are dissecting human behavior as a cautionary tale." Berlinger described Berkowitz as "disarming," someone eager to please and "wants to say all the right things." Still, it took some convincing for Berkowitz to speak out for the docuseries. And when he did during their phone conversation, there was one comment that Berlinger said took him aback. "It wasn't his final comment in the interview, but it's the final comment in the show," said Berlinger. "His chilling admonition to the younger David Berkowitz to just run and get help, meaning run from that horrible decision to get a gun and kill people randomly. I felt it was just so chilling, because it could have been so different for him." "The deeply sick, psychological disturbances of these other killers who liked looking into the eyes of their victims as they were expiring or eating body parts … it exists, but I don't think it's common," Berlinger continued. "But I do think youthful young men feeling disconnected, feeling rage, feeling unfulfilled - that's not uncommon in our society right now. I found that comment so chilling because it could have been so different had he just gotten help. I think with these school shootings, for example, there were so many signs where, if people had gotten help, maybe the outcomes would've been different." "… I think we have an epidemic of [poor] mental health in this country," said Berlinger. "I think young people, particularly young men – a lot of young men – feel alienated and lost. And I think that's important." GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB In addition to hearing Berkowitz speak, the film also highlights interviews with detectives, journalists, loved ones, survivors and others closely connected to the case. Berlinger said it was important for him to get the blessing of the survivors, in particular, to move forward with the project. "It's always important to include the victim's point of view in these shows," Berlinger explained. "I always reach out to victims and want their participation, or at the very least, their blessing. I have canceled shows in the past where the victims have said, 'This will hurt us if you do this.' And it was heartbreaking to hear the accounts of the survivors in this film. These were young people doing quintessential things that people in their youth do. This random act of violence snuffed out their hopes and dreams and reverberated for decades." Berlinger noted that the primary reason he agreed to reach out to Berkowitz was because of Wendy Savino. She was recently confirmed by the New York Police Department as Berkowitz's first known victim. The director wanted to see whether Berkowitz would weigh in on that shooting. "I believe that she was a victim of his," said Berlinger. "I can't say whether he believes it or feels a need to deny it." Berkowitz now claims he is a born-again Christian and feels remorseful. He previously appeared to relish the media attention he received and sold his exclusive story rights to a publishing house, reported. According to the outlet, New York State was the first to adopt a nationwide series of laws that take the proceeds a criminal earns from selling their story and instead gives them to a victims' compensation fund. It's unclear whether Berkowitz is sincere about being remorseful, but his message to his younger self has stayed with Berlinger. "When I asked him, 'If you could speak to the young David, what would you tell him? ' he said, 'Run, get help. I could have talked to my father,'" Berlinger recalled. "That touched me deeply," he said. "… If you're feeling rage or disconnection, and you're concerned about this level of rage that you live with every day, get help."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
The Horrors of Son of Sam's Murderous Reign of Terror
We were so scared. Cowering in fear is anathema to Bronx residents. We're bred to be tough; why walk when you can swagger? Son of Sam changed that. Serial killer David Berkowitz, who murdered six people and wounded at least seven, started in his home borough in 1976, before branching out to Brooklyn and Queens. The killings peaked in 1977 and terrorized a broken city, already filled with violence and teetering on bankruptcy. Berkowitz's crimes and his motivation are detailed in a three-part documentary series, Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes, on Netflix July 30. (There's no significant date being commemorated. The closest temporal tie is slight; the series drops the day after the 49th anniversary of his first killing.) Filmmaker Joe Berlinger created the Conversations with a Killer series, which has also explored the lives of Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer. Berlinger specializes in true-crime films and has done important work, including the Paradise Lost trilogy. In addition to helping free the West Memphis Three, Berlinger's documentaries have aided four others wrongly accused, saving some from death row. In no way does Berlinger suggest Berkowitz is innocent. The filmmaker's intent was to tell the story of Son of Sam, the name the killer used to refer to himself, and show him in the context of his times, when his actions paralyzed a city and ignited a tabloid war. 'Here was another opportunity to tell a story that we–our age–all remember because we lived through it, but the younger generation has only had a passing familiarity with,' says Berlinger, 63. 'And yet, if you go on these true-crime boards, even now, you'll see a lot of people believe that there were multiple Sons of Sam, that it was a cult. And I think that's an incredibly irresponsible story. One of my goals was to set the record straight.' This series shares audio recordings from Jack Jones, a former reporter at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, who conducted in-depth jailhouse interviews with Berkowitz. Conversations also features interviews with survivors of his attacks and relatives of his victims. Just enough news footage reminds those who endured fraught days and even worse nights what it felt like. For those too young to remember (and since three-quarters of the world's population is under 50, that would be most folks), the series offers an accurate reflection of the city in crisis. It shows the NYPD squad cars, blue-and-white Pontiac LeMans that always looked about to fishtail; cops sporting mustaches and sideburns, and young women with hair feathered in Farrah Fawcett-inspired dos (or in my case, a don't). It was a proudly outer-borough world that Saturday Night Fever copied, a place where Huk-A-Poo blouses were tight, elephant bells were wide, and platform heels were high. Natural fibers were nonexistent. Although the young women whom Berkowitz hunted were often out for a night at the disco, in the mid-'70s, venturing out of your home at all required moxie and faith. Violent crime was rampant, neighborhoods were burning, and the city was spiraling economically. The federal government refused to bail it out, as the famous Daily News front page headline blared, "Ford to City: Drop Dead." Life in the city was already grim, and a maniac with a .44 gun made it so much worse. Women with long, dark hair tucked it under hats—the killer was known to target brunettes. Besides interviews with those whose lives were shattered, someone identified as an expert on Berkowitz, and veterans of the NYC tabloids who covered the story, there's a reveal at the end that would be wrong to spoil. And it's worth watching for this, as it is to gain perspective on a time that seems so distant, yet Berkowitz remains incarcerated. Some of the documentary's re-enactments, particularly those of an imprisoned Berkowitz, feel forced. But the crime re-enactments work. This shadowy figure snuck up on young couples parked. He sidled up to their car and shot, point-blank, into the victims. He had no connection to them. Ultimately, Berkowitz had no connection to anyone, except perhaps Jimmy Breslin. The late great Daily News columnist owned this story, especially once Berkowitz wrote to him. Yes, this was a tragedy, an absolute reign of terror. Parents lost their children; lives were forever ruined. But for the NYC tabs, it was a bare-knuckle brawl as everyone was trying to get the scoop. Breslin had it. Berlinger shows a clip of other journalists sniffing about whether they would have written a letter to the killer in a newspaper column. Maybe they wouldn't have, but the killer hadn't written to them either, as he did to Breslin. A tabloid columnist who understands the pure gold of a scoop like this, albeit acknowledging the inherent tragedy, would, of course, write to him. This was not just a scoop or a story that those of us living through could not stop talking about. It felt like an epidemic of young women being slaughtered for no reason. The Bronx in particular felt more dangerous than usual, and that is saying something for those times. I grew up close to where Berkowitz did. Both of our families moved from neighborhoods of the Bronx that were burning to Co-Op City, a massive housing complex of brutalist architecture in the northeastern part of the borough. We attended the same high school; he graduated five years earlier. And he killed first in the neighborhoods he knew best. So, while I didn't know him or any of the young women slain, I have friends who lost friends. We were all so scared. In the summer of 1977, I had finished my freshman year at NYU and was renting a teeny room in an Upper West Side apartment. I went uptown regularly to visit my family in Co-Op. Getting off a bus one muggy evening, I spotted a pal and went to his car to catch up. Buddha wouldn't even let me get in, and we had been friends since eighth grade. Instead, he walked me to my building. (Yes, I have a childhood friend nicknamed Buddha even though his real name is Ralphie.) I had shoulder-length dark hair, and the Son of Sam had been targeting couples in parked cars. Just sitting with Buddha would have put us both in danger. 'The entire city was gripped by fear,' Berlinger says. 'I felt like you had to understand how common and normal it would be for a couple to be sitting in a car and to be preyed upon.' The re-enactments help tell this story, Berlinger notes, because 'when you get into the mind of this killer, this killer differs from the other killers we've profiled in the past. And also that's part of my fascination. You know, Bundy, Gacy, Dahmer, each in their own way, wanted to be intimate. They enjoyed the act of killing. This guy, he had to be distanced. He had to dehumanize them. And so, just to understand the psychology of that, I thought that understanding how somebody could just come up, go choose random people and just shoot them and run away, just how terrifying that was again.' And all these years later, even though he's locked away, some of that terror lingers.
