A surgeon is accused of threatening and abusing his former wife before fatally shooting her and her new husband in their Ohio residence, according to recent court filings.
Michael McKee, aged 39, was taken into custody on January 10, in connection with the murders of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, also 39, and her husband, Spencer Tepe, a 37-year-old dentist. The tragic event unfolded on December 30.
The couple’s children were present in the home during the incident but were not harmed.
According to court documents released on Wednesday, Monique had confided in friends about McKee’s abusive behavior and threats against her life. These threatening behaviors reportedly occurred throughout their marriage, which began in 2015, and persisted even after their divorce in 2017, as reported by ABC 7.
A witness revealed to detectives that McKee had allegedly told Monique he could kill her at any moment, claiming he would always be her husband and would go so far as to buy the house next door to ensure he remained in her life.
Additionally, another witness alleged that McKee had physically assaulted Monique, including choking her and forcing her into unwanted sexual encounters during their marriage.
Additionally, the filing revealed that during that tragic night in December, McKee’s phone was left at his workplace, a hospital in Illinois, for 17 hours without any activity.
Investigators believe McKee was spotted outside his ex-wife’s home in Weinland Park, a neighborhood outside of downtown Columbus, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Columbus Dispatch.
Michael McKee, pictured above in his mugshot photo, was arrested earlier this month for aggravated murder in connection to the deaths of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe and her new husband, Spencer Tepe
Spencer and Monique Tepe, pictured above, were found dead with gunshot wounds in their Oho home on December 30
Investigators discovered surveillance camera footage that allegedly showed McKee outside his wife’s home on December 6, about three weeks before the Tepes were found fatally shot.
The couple was away that weekend to attend a Big Ten Championship Game in Indiana.
Friends who were with the couple at the time later told law enforcement that Monique left the game early that night because she was upset about something involving McKee.
McKee had allegedly been driving a silver SUV, which investigators spotted multiple times near his ex-wife’s home before she was murdered.
The affidavit noted that the SUV had a sticker on the window with a stolen Ohio license plate.
The vehicle’s registration was also allegedly linked to past addresses McKee had lived at and a hospital where he used to work.
Law enforcement previously said that they believed the couple was killed just before 4am. Their bodies were found around six hours later.
Monique told friends and family that McKee had been abusive and threatened her life multiple times while they were married in 2015 till even after they divorced in 2017, according to court documents
McKee, pictured above in court, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. He was arrested in Illinois after a 10-day manhunt
Monique was found with a gunshot wound to her chest, and Spencer suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Their one-year-old son, four-year-old daughter, and dog were found in the home unharmed.
Police were alerted to the incident when Spencer failed to show up for work at the dental practice that morning.
Dr Mark Valrose, who owns the practice, called the police from his vacation home in Florida to ask for a wellness check, according to dispatch logs previously reported by the Daily Mail.
Another caller, previously identified as a friend named Alexander Ditty, called just before 10am to report that he could ‘hear kids inside’ and he ‘thought he heard one of them yelling,’ according to the logs.
A few minutes later, Alex is heard telling dispatchers that there was ‘a body inside’ and that ‘he is lying next to the bed,’ and there was ‘blood next to him.’
Detectives ruled out murder-suicide after 9mm shell casings were found at the scene.
Investigators said they found surveillance camera footage showing McKee near the Tepe’s residence, pictured above, weeks before they were killed
Authorities said that a gun was found on McKee’s person when he was arrested. Police are pictured above at the crime scene
McKee was arrested in Chicago, Illinois, after a 10-day manhunt. He was later extradited back to Ohio, where he was indicted.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said after McKee’s arrest that he had a gun with him when he was detained.
‘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 at a press conference.
‘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,’ Bryant added.
Monique and McKee, pictured above, were briefly married in 2015. She said in court documents that they were ‘incompatible’
In Monique’s complaint for divorce, she said she was ‘incompatible’ with her then-husband, according to court records previously seen by the Daily Mail.
Ahead of a memorial service for the couple, a relative told the Daily Mail that McKee’s arrest was ‘absolutely not a shock’ to the family and they had been expecting it.
‘We are all breathing a bit of a sigh of relief, because they got him,’ they added.
McKee remains in custody in Franklin County and is being held without bond.
The Daily Mail has reached out to his representation for comment.
