A Schaumburg nurse was allegedly sexually assaulted, tortured for hours, and strangled to death by her ex‑boyfriend while he recorded the attack, prosecutors said.
Cook County prosecutors identified the victim as 43‑year‑old Katherine "Kat" Torbick and said her body was found at a home in Schaumburg, about 30 miles northwest of Chicago, after officers performed a welfare check on Apr. 30.
Prosecutors said 56‑year‑old Kevin D. Motykie, Torbick's former boyfriend, was arrested at the scene and charged with first‑degree murder and multiple counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, according to People.
Authorities told a judge that investigators recovered a digital audio device on Motykie that contained more than seven hours of audio beginning about 2 a.m., and that the recording captured Torbick's pleas, the alleged sexual assaults, beatings, and the final minutes when she was strangled.
Assistant Cook County prosecutors said the last roughly four minutes of the tape include sounds consistent with the killing and the victim's final breaths.
Schaumburg police said officers forced entry to the residence because of concern stemming from a prior domestic‑violence incident involving the same couple earlier in April, and that Motykie was found in the garage and taken into custody on an outstanding warrant connected to a previous domestic battery complaint.
Prosecutors and court documents reviewed by news outlets say Torbick had filed a felony complaint after an alleged March assault and had been hospitalized following that incident.
During a detention hearing, prosecutors described the recorded audio as containing threats by Motykie and repeated accusations that Torbick was cheating, which prosecutors say prompted the hours‑long attack, TMZ reported.
Court filings and media reports say Motykie appeared intoxicated at arrest and later admitted taking prescription medications, including lorazepam and hydrocodone, according to prosecutors.
Colleagues and acquaintances described Torbick in news reports as a longtime gastroenterology nurse and a mother; local outlets noted her roughly 20‑plus years in nursing and that she leaves behind a son.
Local prosecutors said they will seek to use the recording as evidence and that investigators continue to process the residence and the device for additional forensic data.
Police and prosecutors urged anyone with relevant information or additional recordings to contact Schaumburg investigators as the case moves forward, and officials said evidence preservation and chain‑of‑custody for the audio will be key to prosecution.
Motykie's defense attorneys did not publicly respond during the initial hearings reported in court documents and local media; he remains held pending further proceedings, as per Independent.
