The ex-husband of a woman found shot to death with her current husband on Dec. 30 in the Weinland Park neighborhood of Columbus has been charged with murder in the deaths.
Michael David McKee, 39, of Chicago, faces two counts of murder, according to Franklin County Municipal Court documents.
According to online court records, an arrest warrant was issued for McKee on Jan. 10. Winnebago County (Illinois) Sheriff’s Office records indicate he was booked into jail shortly before noon local time. He will remain there until authorities extradite him to Franklin County.
Winnebago County court records show McKee is scheduled for a hearing there on Jan. 12, likely an extradition hearing to begin the process of his return to Ohio.
Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37, died Dec. 30, just after their fifth wedding anniversary, after being found shot inside their home in the 1400 block of North 4th Street in Weinland Park. The couple’s two young children, both under the age of five, were found physically unharmed inside the home.
Columbus homicide detectives identified McKee through neighborhood video surveillance, police alleged in court documents. They tracked the suspect “to a vehicle that arrived just before the homicides and left shortly afterward.” They found the vehicle in Rockford, Illinois, and found evidence that McKee had the vehicle before and after the murders.
Columbus police have not publicly identified a potential motive in the couple’s deaths.
In a statement released after McKee’s arrest, the Tepe family thanked Columbus police for their “tireless” work in finding the suspect.
“Nothing can reverse the devastating loss of two lives, which occurred too soon,” the Tepe family said. “We thank the community for the continued support, prayers and compassion shown throughout this tragedy. As the case progresses, we are confident that the justice system will hold the person responsible fully accountable.
“Monique and Spencer remain at the center of our hearts and we carry their love forward as we surround and protect the two children they leave behind,” the statement said. “We will continue to honor their lives and the light they brought to this world.”
McKee and Monique married in 2015, according to Franklin County National Court records. She filed for divorce in May 2017 and the formal divorce decree was issued approximately a month later. Court documents indicate the divorce was amicable. Monique did not share any children with McKee, whom divorce filings identify as living in Virginia at the time.
Around 9 a.m. on Dec. 30, Spencer’s coworkers at the dentistry office where she worked in Athens called Columbus police after Spencer didn’t show up for work and no one was able to reach Spencer or Monique by phone.
An officer went to do a welfare check, but went to a home on Summit Street instead of Tepe’s home, according to Columbus police body camera video. About 40 minutes after that check, friends of the Tepes found them dead in their house.
Police have focused their investigation on the period between 2am and 5am on December 30, which is when they believe the couple were murdered. On Jan. 5, detectives released security camera video showing a person walking in an alley near the Tepes’ home during that period, calling them a “person of interest.”
That person is now believed to be McKee.
Medical license databases show McKee has active licenses in both Illinois and California. He is identified as a vascular surgeon at a practice in the Rockford area, the same area where his vehicle was found.
McKee went to medical school at Ohio State University and has family in the Zanesville area, according to publicly available information.
A public visitation for the Tepes will be held from noon to 3 pm on January 11 at the Schoedinger Northwest Funeral Home on Zollinger Road in Upper Arlington. An additional gathering for a celebration of life will be held from 3:30 to 6 pm at Due Amici in Columbus.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
