Recent court documents reveal that Dr. Michael McKee was under scrutiny for several allegations of medical malpractice and negligence in the months leading up to charges related to the deaths of an Ohio dentist and his spouse.
Federal records indicate that McKee, a 39-year-old vascular surgeon, was named as a defendant in a civil rights and medical negligence lawsuit initiated on June 7, 2024, within the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. Additionally, state court documents from Clark County identify McKee as the primary defendant in an ongoing medical malpractice case scheduled for a jury trial.
Las Vegas attorney Dan Laird commented that McKee had previously managed to avoid legal repercussions before the alleged killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, 39, and her husband, Spencer Tepe, 37.
“They are usually very responsible individuals,” Laird remarked to WSYX. “It’s not common for them to vanish without a trace, which made this incident particularly shocking for us.”
Dr. Spencer Tepe, an Ohio dentist, and his wife, Monique, were found dead from gunshot wounds in their Columbus, Ohio home on Tuesday, December 30, 2025. Their two children were unharmed, and authorities suspect the deaths were not a case of murder-suicide. (Athens Dental Depot)
Laird shared with WSYX that in a 2023 lawsuit, reviewed by Fox News Digital, McKee was accused of failing to adequately train a physician assistant, resulting in a patient being injured during treatment and requiring emergency surgery.
The lawyer said that he was duped when McKee allegedly gave fake addresses and “questionable” state-issued phone numbers.
“Interestingly, the address that was given to us by the surgery group that he worked for turned out to be a fake address,” Laird told the local outlet, referencing Las Vegas Surgical Associates LLP. “It was an address that doesn’t exist.”
Laird shared that he repeatedly, for years, made efforts to contact McKee, even going to former colleagues, including Dr. Peter Caravella, who is also listed in the malpractice suit. Fox News Digital has reached out to Laird for additional details.
“He said he has no idea where Dr. Michael McKee is now,” Laird said. “He just disappeared.”
He just disappeared.
Michael David McKee, a 39-year-old from Chicago, is charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Dr. Spencer Tepe and his wife, Monique Tepe. (Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office)
The lawsuits were active in the months leading up to the deaths of the Ohio couple. Rob Misleh, Spencer’s brother-in-law, told NBC News that their family “quickly believed” that McKee was somehow involved in their deaths.
“He was an emotionally abusive person when they were together, that is all I know,” Misleh said.
Attorney Lindsay Richards, a former prosecutor, told Fox News Digital that while the civil lawsuit provides context since it appears that “his life was certainly spiraling out of control.”
“The prosecutor will likely only look to the civil cases to see if there is any overlap in behavior or if it caused mounting pressure or stress for this suspect. It puts his life in context to paint a picture for a jury. Likely this won’t have much influence, if any, on the criminal case beyond just understanding circumstances.”
“It does look like his life was certainly spiraling out of control, which is likely the only reason the prosecution would use these civil cases,” she said.
Spencer and Monique Tepe were preparing to celebrate their five-year wedding anniversary. (Rob Misleh)
McKee was arrested after allegedly killing the couple on Dec. 30, according to records. Police officers responded to a house located in Columbus’ Weinland Park neighborhood around 10 a.m. Dec. 30 and found the couple, both dead with gunshot wounds.
In the Nevada lawsuit, an incarcerated man alleges that McKee, while serving on the Nevada Department of Corrections’ Medical Review Panel, knowingly delayed medical care for a serious condition.
According to the complaint, reviewed by Fox News Digital, the plaintiff experienced ongoing pain and complications over an extended period and underwent multiple procedures that were allegedly ineffective.
Timeline of key events in the murder of Spencer and Monique Tepe. (Fox News)
The lawsuit claims approval for appropriate specialist care was repeatedly delayed despite the plaintiff’s worsening condition. As a result, the complaint alleges, the plaintiff ultimately suffered permanent injury, including the loss of a testicle. McKee and the other defendants named in the federal case deny the allegations. The claims have not yet been ruled on by the court.
Neither the federal civil rights lawsuit nor the state malpractice case has reached a resolution.
Michael McKee appears in court at Winnebago County Justice Center, Monday, January 12, 2026, Rockford, Illinois. McKee is facing extradition to Ohio for the murder of his ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband, Spencer Tepe. (WIFR via Pool)
Both Nevada cases were active during roughly the same period that McKee would later be charged in Ohio in connection with the deaths of his ex-wife and her husband. Authorities in Ohio have charged McKee with two counts of murder.
McKee was booked at the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois just before noon Saturday.
He’s facing upgraded premeditated aggravated murder charges in Ohio in relation to Spencer and Monique’s deaths.
General view of Winnebago County Justice Center, Monday, January 12, 2026, Rockford, Illinois. (Kamil Krzaczynski for Fox News Digital)
According to a document obtained by Fox News’ Bryan Llenas, McKee will not be transported to Franklin County, Ohio, by Monday, Jan. 19. The document said that the transport “will not be feasible,” and the court date previously set for Monday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m. is canceled. A new date has been tentatively set for Jan. 23 at 2 p.m.
