Background: Spencer and Monique Tepe (Facebook). Inset: Michael McKee in court (Law&Crime Network).
A man accused of the murder of his ex-wife and her current spouse, an Ohio dentist, allegedly made chilling threats, telling the woman he could end her life at will.
Michael McKee, 39, was detained earlier this month and faces charges of aggravated murder linked to the deaths of Monique Tepe, 39, and her husband Spencer Tepe, 37. The couple was discovered shot dead in their Columbus residence on December 30, 2025. Their two young children were found unharmed inside the home. Newly released court documents, acquired by Law&Crime, reveal that police, who interviewed friends of the Tepes following the tragic incident, discovered McKee, Monique Tepe’s former husband, had a troubling history of issuing violent threats against her.
Authorities responded to the Tepes’ residence for a welfare check after Spencer Tepe, a local dentist, failed to report to work or notify his office on the morning of December 30, 2025. Officers arrived before 10 a.m. and found the couple dead.
The criminal complaint details accounts from Monique Tepe’s friends, who informed police of McKee’s abusive behavior and threats against her life following their 2017 divorce after a brief seven-month marriage. Monique had accused McKee of “forced unwanted sex and strangulation.” Furthermore, police reports indicate McKee threatened Monique, asserting he could kill her anytime and vowing to always remain connected to her, even claiming he would move next door.
During their investigation, detectives identified a suspect from neighborhood surveillance footage and a vehicle with “very distinct features.” This silver SUV was recorded entering the Tepes’ neighborhood before the murders and departing shortly after. Investigators noted the SUV bore stolen license plates from Ohio and Arizona.
Authorities successfully linked the SUV to McKee by tracing it through his previous and current addresses.
As detectives started tracking McKee’s whereabouts, they determined that the same silver SUV was seen in the Tepes’ neighborhood on Dec. 6, 2025. Police said he was reportedly not on the work schedule that day at the hospital in Chicago, where he was employed as a vascular surgeon.
On the same day, police said friends told them Monique and Spencer Tepe were at the Big Ten Championship in Indiana, along with several other couples. Friends of the Tepes said Monique Tepe went back to her hotel room early because “she was upset about something involving her ex-husband.”
Police also tracked McKee’s phone and determined that it had been left at the hospital, registering “no activity” for 17 hours from Dec. 29, 2025, until after noon on Dec. 30, 2025.
When police seized the SUV on Jan. 9, they observed “fresh scrape marks” on the window where they had previously seen a sticker in surveillance footage before the homicides.
McKee was arrested in Chicago on Jan. 10 and extradited to Ohio’s Franklin County, where he is in custody without bond. He was charged with four counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated burglary. His attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf during his court appearance on Jan. 23.
