Authorities say Kevin Motykie was wanted in a March domestic battery case when police found Katherine Torbick dead.
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — A pending domestic battery warrant stood unresolved when officers found Katherine D. Torbick dead April 30 in the Schaumburg home she shared with the man now charged in her killing, police and prosecutors said.
The warrant is one of the key facts in the case against Kevin D. Motykie, 56, who is charged with first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault in Torbick’s death. Prosecutors say Torbick, 43, had reported a violent March attack by Motykie and had expressed fear that he would kill her. Weeks later, officers responding to a welfare check found her body and arrested Motykie in the garage.
The earlier case began after a March incident at the same West Weathersfield Way home. Prosecutors said Torbick told police Motykie attacked her after accusing her of cheating. She reported that he pushed her onto a bed, climbed on top of her, squeezed her neck until she could not breathe or speak and struck her in the face. Court records say he put his fingers in her mouth, tried to injure her eyes and moved her into the garage while holding a knife. Prosecutors said he gave her 20 minutes to write a suicide note to her son, who was asleep in the home.
Torbick escaped that night, according to the prosecution account. She ran to a neighbor’s house after Motykie took her phone, and the neighbor called 911. She was taken to a hospital, where injuries to her neck and face were documented. A felony complaint was filed, and an arrest warrant was issued March 16. Authorities later said Motykie was not located before Torbick was killed. Prosecutors also said audio evidence in the murder case suggests he returned to the home as early as March 22. That timeline has made the earlier report and the unserved warrant central to public attention around the case.
On April 30, a person who had not heard from Torbick asked police to check on her. Officers went to the home about 9:20 p.m. and forced entry after no one answered. Inside, they found Torbick dead on a couch with signs of trauma. Police said Motykie was in the garage. Officers took him into custody on the pending warrant and later on new charges tied to Torbick’s death. Prosecutors said he appeared highly intoxicated, slurred his speech and struggled to stand. He told officers he had taken lorazepam and hydrocodone, according to court records.
At first, police had the body, the visible injuries, Motykie’s presence at the home and the outstanding warrant. Prosecutors said a device found on Motykie added a detailed record of what happened. The digital recorder, recovered from his pocket, contained more than seven hours of audio that began about 2 a.m. and continued until 9:24 a.m., according to court accounts. Prosecutors said the recording captured Motykie restraining Torbick, accusing her of cheating, beating her, sexually assaulting her and threatening to kill her. The final minutes captured her being strangled, prosecutors said.
The Cook County medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide by strangulation. Court accounts also describe bruising and other trauma that prosecutors said were consistent with a prolonged attack. Police recovered handcuffs and a key from Motykie, according to the prosecution account. They also said duct tape was used during the attack. In the garage, officers noted a rope tied in a noose. Motykie had made statements about hanging himself during the recording, prosecutors said. The details are allegations in a criminal case, and Motykie is presumed innocent unless convicted.
The charges followed an on-and-off relationship that authorities said lasted about a decade. Motykie and Torbick lived together at the Schaumburg home, and Torbick had a 12-year-old son from a previous relationship. Prosecutors said Torbick began dating another man in early April. That man last heard from her around 8 p.m. the night before police found her and later went to the home when he could not reach her. He called police after she again did not answer. Court records say jealousy and accusations of cheating were repeated themes in both the March report and the April recording.
Torbick’s work life became part of the public record after her death. She had worked as a nurse for more than two decades and was employed by Fox River MedSpa in Algonquin. The business said in a public tribute that she brought warmth, energy and genuine care to the workplace. Coworkers said she loved being part of the team and would remain part of their story. Those statements added a human frame to a court file filled with dates, charges and medical terms. Prosecutors also described Torbick’s concern for her son during the recorded attack, saying she pleaded that she wanted him.
Motykie was ordered detained after a May 8 hearing in Cook County court. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said the added sexual assault charges involved threats to Torbick’s life. The case is proceeding in the Rolling Meadows branch court. Public reports listed a May 29 court date, and CBS Chicago reported Motykie was in court that morning. The next procedural steps may include arraignment filings, discovery, motions over evidence and future hearings on the recording, medical findings and prior domestic violence allegations. No trial date had been reported by June 3.
The case now stands at the intersection of two records: the March report that produced a warrant and the April investigation that produced a murder charge. Prosecutors are expected to use the earlier incident to show what they say was escalating violence. Defense filings may challenge parts of that history or how evidence was collected. As of June 3, Motykie remained detained, Torbick’s death was classified as a homicide and the unserved warrant remained a major question in the public account of the case.
Author note: Last updated June 3, 2026.