In a chilling case that has captivated public attention, an Illinois surgeon is facing serious allegations of murder after prosecutors claim he used a silencer-equipped firearm to kill his ex-wife and her current husband in their Ohio home, even as the couple’s children were present.
The accused, Michael McKee, 39, is charged with the fatal shooting of his former spouse, Monique Tepe, and her husband, Spencer Tepe, on December 30. The incident occurred in Ohio, and following a nationwide 10-day search, McKee was apprehended near Chicago.
On Friday, a grand jury in Franklin County, Ohio, officially indicted McKee. The charges include four counts of aggravated murder involving an automatic firearm with a silencer, as well as one count of aggravated burglary.
McKee appeared in an Illinois courtroom on Monday, where he chose to waive his right to an extradition hearing. He is expected to be transferred to Ohio soon, as reported by WSYX.
During a Wednesday press conference, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant revealed that McKee was still in possession of the firearm at the time of his arrest, underscoring the gravity of the allegations against him.
In a press conference Wednesday, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said the alleged killer still had the gun on his person when he was arrested.
Bryant said McKee was tracked from the murder scene with surveillance cameras, which led to a vehicle he owned.
‘Multiple weapons were taken from the property of McKee, and there is a preliminary link to one of the weapons that ties it to the homicides,’ the police chief said.
Michael McKee (pictured), 39, indicted on four charges of aggravated murder with the use of an automatic firearm with a silencer and one charge of aggravated burglary
McKee has been accused of killing his ex-wife Monique Tepe (right) and her husband Spencer Tepe (left) in their home in Ohio on December 30
‘What we can say, this was a targeted attack. This was a domestic violence-related attack, as we know McKee is the ex-husband of Monique Tepe.
‘We believe at this point we have the person responsible for the murders of Monique and Spencer Tepe, and that person is Michael McKee.’
The couple’s bodies were discovered at their $700,000 home. Monique was found shot once in the chest and Spencer suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Their one-year-old son, four-year-old daughter, and dog were discovered unhurt and are in the care of relatives.
Cops earlier revealed there was no sign of forced entry and said the supposed murder weapon was missing.
They found three 9mm shell casings at the scene and ruled out the deaths as a murder-suicide.
McKee was arrested after a 10-day manhunt that captured attention nationwide.
Ohio court records obtained by the Daily Mail reveal Columbus Police identified McKee as a suspect after his vehicle was caught on neighborhood video surveillance near the couple’s residence.
Monique and Spencer were killed ahead of their upcoming anniversary. The couple’s two children and dog were found unhurt in the house
Eerie surveillance footage shows a hooded figure walking calmly through a snowy alley near the Tepe home during the time the couple were murdered
He appeared in court in Illinois on Monday where he waived his right to an extradition hearing and is expected to be transported to Ohio in the coming days
McKee, a surgeon in Illinois, married Monique in 2015 but they divorced seven months later. In her complaint for divorce, Monique stated that she and McKee were ‘incompatible.’
Divorce documents viewed by Daily Mail show proceedings started in May 2017 and were quickly wrapped up by June.
The documents reveal he paid for her engagement and wedding rings and listed them as his separate property, stating he paid $2,500 for the engagement ring and $3,500 for the wedding ring.
The couples’ separation agreement included a requirement that Monique had to pay McKee $1,281.59 back for ‘miscellaneous debt’, with the added clause that if she did not reimburse him buy July 1, 2018, she would be hit with 23 percent interest.
A former FBI agent has suggested that, ‘deep-seated resentment and hatred’ may have been a factor in the evidently, ‘very personal’ crime.
‘When I look at this case, we knew it was going to be very personal. For somebody to go up into the bedroom and kill these individuals with a gun,’ retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told NewsNation.
‘This divorce happened about nine years ago. They were married for such a brief time, only seven months, so that is strange.’
The couple were killed ahead of their upcoming anniversary, the timing of which Coffindaffer said could have pushed McKee over the edge.
