The ex-husband of a slain Ohio dentist’s wife was arrested for allegedly gunning down the couple inside their home and leaving them for dead as their two young children cried, court records show.
Michael David McKee, 39, was arrested Saturday by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois shortly before noon and slapped with two counts of murder for fatally shooting Spencer and Monique Tepe inside their four-bedroom Columbus home on Dec. 30, according to court records.
McKee married Monique in 2015. She then filed for divorce in May 2017, according to Franklin County Domestic Court filings, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Records indicate the divorce was amicable, with the exes living in Virginia at the time.
Spencer, 37, and Monique, 39, were reportedly killed one month shy of their five-year anniversary.
“Nothing can undo the devastating loss of two lives taken for too soon,” the Tepe family said in a statement after McKee was arrested, the outlet reported.
“We thank the community for the continued support, prayers and compassion shown throughout this tragedy. As the case proceeds, we trust the justice system to hold the person responsible fully accountable.
“Monique and Spencer remain at the center of our hearts, and we carry forward their love as we surround and protect the two children they leave behind. We will continue to honor their lives and the light they brought into this world.”
The couple’s lifeless bodies were found after their frantic friends showed up at their home around 9 a.m. and made repeated 911 calls when Spencer, who worked at Athens Dental Depot, failed to show up for work.
Spencer was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds following the welfare check, with his wife suffering at least one shot to the chest, according to police records.
The couple’s 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son — who were also found crying inside — were both unharmed in the heinous slaying.
The violent attack happened between 2 and 5 a.m. on Dec. 30 in the upstairs of the home. No gun was discovered at the scene and there was no sign of forced entry, police said.
Eerie surveillance footage released by authorities showed a “person of interest” walking down an alley near the couple’s home in the early hours on the day of the deadly shooting.
Columbus investigators said they tracked a vehicle that arrived in the Weinland Park neighborhood where the couple lived before the double killing and later left for Rockford, Illinois, and identified that McKee owned the car, the local outlet reported.
Police have yet to identify a potential motive behind the fatal shooting.
Public records show McKee attended medical school at Ohio State University, holding medical licenses in both Illinois and California and living in various states since 2020, including Virginia, Nevada and Illinois.
He worked as a vascular surgeon in a practice in the Rockford area, where his vehicle was found, according to the outlet.
McKee will remain behind bars in Illinois until he is extradited back to Ohio.
