Michael McKee threatened to murder his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, “many times” before his arrest for allegedly killing her and her dentist husband, Spencer Tepe, according to the victims’ family member.
“Monique was very vocal about being terrified of this guy [until her death],” the couple’s brother-in-law Rob Misleh told People about McKee, 39, in an interview that was published on Wednesday, January 14. “He was very emotionally abusive to her, to the point that it changed her as a person.”
Misleh also told the outlet that Monique, 39, had previously spoken to him about the verbal abuse she experienced from her ex-husband, whom she was briefly married to from 2015 until 2017.
The Tepes were found dead in their home in Columbus, Ohio, on December 30, 2025. After Spencer’s coworker requested a welfare check due to him not showing up to work, authorities located the couple deceased. Spencer, 37, had multiple gunshot wounds, while Monique was shot at least once.
Spencer and Monique’s two kids and dog were also home during the homicides. However, they were all unharmed, police said.
McKee was identified as a suspect after his car was captured via surveillance footage near the Tepes’ home. Authorities said that his vehicle was spotted “just prior to the homicides” and also when he “left shortly after.”
Once police confirmed that the car belonged to McKee, he was tracked down in Rockford, Illinois, and arrested for his alleged involvement in the killings. McKee was initially arrested on Saturday, January 10, on murder charges. One day later, his charges were upgraded to aggravated murder.
McKee made his first appearance in court on Monday, January 12, where he silently stood next to his lawyer as she said her client waived his right to an extradition hearing. Additionally, the attorney said that he planned to enter a not guilty plea.
Two days later, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said during a news conference that a weapon was found at McKee’s home that appeared to be the same weapon authorities believed was used to kill Monique and Spencer.
She added that authorities found “multiple weapons” at the residence when authorities searched it. However, Bryant did not specify what type of weapons or how many were found due to the ongoing nature of the case.
Bryant also said that the murders were “targeted.” She said, “This was a domestic violence-related attack.”
Police have made an arrest in connection to the murders of Ohio dentist Spencer Tepe and his wife, Monique Tepe, who were found shot to death in their home more than a week ago. Michael David McKee, Monique’s ex-husband, was taken into custody on Saturday, January 10, in Illinois, and has been formally charged with […]
After McKee was arrested, another one of Monique and Spencer’s family members told the Daily Mail that they “all expected” him to be arrested in connection to the deaths.
While Monique and Spencer’s loved ones have said they weren’t surprised by McKee’s alleged involvement in the killings, the surgeon’s neighbor expressed shock over his arrest.
“He did not seem like somebody who would do something like this,” neighbor Gera-Lind Kolarik told ABC 7 Chicago in an interview published on January 10. “I sat down with this man and talked with him at the pool, barbecuing, about what a beautiful day it is — and then he turns out to be [charged as] a killer. It’s kind of shocking.”
