Man charged in 2018 stabbing death of woman in Joliet released under SAFE-T Act

JOLIET, Ill. - A man charged in the 2018 murder of a woman in Joliet has been released from the Will County Jail as he awaits his trial.

According to court documents, Christopher Beale was released last month and placed on electronic monitoring.

On Oct. 2, 2018, Beale was charged in the stabbing death of his estranged girlfriend. Since then, he has remained in Will County custody. However, last month, Judge Daniel Rippy agreed to Beale's pre-trial release with certain conditions.

Christopher Beale

In addition to being on electronic monitoring, Beale is not allowed to leave his residence unless he is going to work, or is attending court, a medical appointment or religious services. He is also allowed to go to the Illinois Secretary of State facility to obtain a new driver's license in the new year, the court documents said.

Judge Rippy says since pre-trial conditions were sufficient to protect the community and ensure that Beale would return for future court dates, he denied the state's request to have him detained as he awaits trial.

Following his release, Beale had a court date on Dec. 5, which the Will County state's attorney's office said he did attend.