Murder charges against the cardiovascular surgeon ex-husband of a woman who was discovered shot dead alongside her new dentist husband in their home have been upgraded.
Michael David McKee, 39, was charged with two counts of murder over the killings of Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37, who were found gunned down in their home in Weinland Park, Ohio, in the early hours of December 30.
Spencer suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and Monique was shot once in the chest. Their one-year-old son, four-year-old daughter, and dog were discovered unhurt and are in the care of relatives.
McKee was on Monday charged with two counts of aggravated murder ahead of a hearing that afternoon.
The more serious charges mean he could be jailed for life without parole. He could also theoretically be sentenced to death but Ohio hasn’t executed anyone since 2018.
Cops earlier revealed there was no sign of forced entry or the supposed murder weapon, but police did find three 9mm shell casings at the scene. They said they did not believe the deaths to be a murder-suicide.
Although no official motive has been identified, former FBI agent has suggested that ‘deep-seated resentment and hatred’ may have been a factor in the evidently ‘very personal’ crime.
Monique, then under her maiden name Sabaturski, married McKee, a surgeon, in August 2015. The couple divorced seven months later.
Michael David McKee, 39, has been charged with two counts of murder over the killings of Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37, who were found gunned down in their Weinland Park home in the early hours of December 30
Spencer and Monique Tepe’s neighbor made a distressed 911 call just over a week before their murder
Eerie surveillance footage shows a hooded figure walking calmly through a snowy alley near the Tepe home during the time the couple were murdered
‘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.’
She added that she suspects that for McKee ‘it was a deep-seated resentment and hate that just built up and finally came to this conclusion.’
The couple were killed ahead of their upcoming anniversary, the timing of which Coffindaffer said could have pushed McKee over the edge.
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.
The couple was found in their $700,000 Weinland Park home the morning of December 30
Loved ones described the couple as ‘remarkable inside and out’
Spencer and Monique Tepe were shot to death upstairs while their two young children slept unharmed inside the family home
When the pair filed for divorce, they were living in different states, with Monique living in Westerville, close to her parents Ignatius and Nereida Sabaturski, and working for Nationwide.
McKee lived in Roanoke, Virginia, working for the Carilion Clinic. He was listed in the documents as practicing as a vascular surgeon at the OSF Cardiovascular Institute.
When the divorce documents were filed, they also included a ‘standard mutual temporary restraining order, requiring both parties to refrain from ‘harassing…interfering with, assaulting or doing bodily harm to the other spouse’.
The exes paid their own attorney fees and Monique paid the filing fee and fee for a private judge, in a bid to expedite the proceedings privately.
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.
Police tracked his car, which was registered in Illinois, and arrested McKee near Chicago on Saturday.
Police are seen carrying out their investigations following the couple’s killing
A summary statement of facts in support of probable cause, reads: ‘The suspect was then tracked to a vehicle which arrived just prior to the homicides and left shortly after the homicides.
‘Detectives were able to identify this vehicle further and link to Michael McKee. Detectives located the vehicle in Rockford, Illinois and found evidence of McKee in possession of the vehicle prior to and after the homicides.’
McKee is currently being held in Winnebago County Jail and is expected to appear in court Monday at 1.30pm local time (2.30pm EST).
Authorities are expected to begin the process to extradite McKee back to Ohio.
Columbus police discovered the Tepes on the second floor of their home on December 30 with gunshot wounds when officers conducted a wellness check.
Dispatchers first received calls of concern, including from Spencer Tepe’s boss, when he didn’t show up for work, which the boss said was ‘out of character.’
Police had released security footage earlier this week of a person of interest in a dark hoodie and light colored pants who was walking in an alley near the couple’s home between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. – the window of time in which investigators believed they were attacked.
Official reports from the Franklin County Coroner’s Office won’t be completed for several weeks, but a spokesperson has said that the couple died in an ‘apparent homicide by gunshot wounds.’
Friends say the couple shared a deeply happy marriage built on laughter, travel and family life
Concerned coworkers called police after Spencer (pictured) failed to show up for his shift at an Athens dentist’s office
Friends and family described the Tepes as a warm, kind and happy couple who were devoted to their children and ‘whose lives were filled with joy, love and deep connection to others’, per a family statement.
Monique and Spencer Tepe married in 2020, according to the couple’s obituary.
They were hailed as extraordinary people and proud parents with joy-filled lives.
Monique was a caring and bubbly stay-at-home mother, and Spencer was passionate about dentistry and taking care of his family.
The couple also hosted many gatherings of family and friends.
