Authorities allege a vehicle connected to Monique Tepe’s ex-husband Michael David McKee was seen near her Ohio home around the time of the killings
NEED TO KNOW
- The investigation into the slayings of Monique and Spencer Tepe last month took a turn over the weekend as police arrested a suspect
- Michael David McKee is facing murder charges in connection to the crime
- McKee was previously married to Monique, and the couple began living separately just months into their marriage
The man charged in connection with the murders of a beloved Ohio dentist and his wife was once married to one of the victims for less than two years.
Michael David McKee, 39, has been arrested on murder charges in connection with the Dec. 30 killings of Monique and Spencer Tepe in Columbus, Ohio.
Monique, 39, was briefly married to McKee over a decade ago before she filed for divorce in June 2017, according to court filings reviewed for PEOPLE. The couple had wed in August 2015.
The filings reveal the former couple lived together for only eight months of that marriage, separating in March 2016.
In a divorce petition filed by Monique in June 2017, Monique claimed the two were “incompatible.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/michael-mckee-court-tepes2-11226-da912d6f11d54664ad739608809f88ee.jpg)
Related Stories
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/Michael-David-McKee-Spencer-Tepe-Monique-Tepe-011226-52584ecf37b9470fb3d4514a20915f76.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/Michael-David-McKee-011026-8ba958c1a32546ef9c87eb57e363f288.jpg)
Monique was found fatally shot alongside Spencer, 37, just feet away from their young children, ages 4 and 1.
The kids were physically unharmed, and their extended family previously shared with PEOPLE that they are grappling with how to explain to them the circumstances of their parents’ killings.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Authorities have not publicly stated a possible motive behind the killings, or whether there were any concerns the couple had regarding McKee prior to the crime.
McKee was initially charged with two counts of murder following his arrest on Saturday, Jan. 10.
This came after an investigation using neighborhood video surveillance led police to a suspect — who they tracked to a car that arrived before the deaths and left shortly after, PEOPLE previously reported, citing a criminal complaint.
Authorities were able to track the vehicle and link it to McKee, and once the car was located, police found evidence that McKee was “in possession of the vehicle prior to and after the homicides,” the complaint states.
The charges against him were soon upgraded to aggravated murder, according to a Jan. 11 court filing obtained by PEOPLE.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(736x244:738x246):format(webp)/Michael-David-McKee-Spencer-Tepe-Monique-Tepe-02-011226-b2b33f06004743b3988bf2bc0341cd6e.jpg)
McKee appeared in an Illinois court on Monday, Jan. 12, and his lawyer said that he plans to enter not guilty pleas to the charges, court officials told PEOPLE.
Clad in yellow and appearing grim, McKee also waived his right to an extradition — paving the path for his return to Ohio to face the charges, the Rockford Register Star reported.
His lawyer said he could be transferred to Ohio as early as this week, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
News
THE LAST WORDS BEFORE THE COMA: In the emergency room, Xavier Taylor reportedly whispered three names into a doctor’s ear — and investigators are now examining what those names could reveal about his final hours…
XAVIER TAYLOR’S FINAL WORDS BEFORE THE COMA: THE EMERGENCY ROOM MOMENT THAT LEFT HIS FAMILY SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS The story of Xavier Taylor has shaken a community that still cannot understand how an ordinary baseball warmup turned into a fight for a child’s life. Xavier, a 12-year-old youth baseball player from South Jersey, was rushed […]
TRIAL DATE MOVED UP — AND NOW THE CCTV HAS LEAKED: Emily Grace’s lawyer claims the evidence clears her name
DID HENRY NOWAK’S KILLER STILL HAVE ANOTHER KNIFE WHEN HE WAS ARRESTED? NEW EVIDENCE RAISES DISTURBING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT POLICE MISSED The murder conviction answered one question. Vickrum Digwa killed Henry Nowak. But the evidence now being discussed has opened another, deeply disturbing one: Was Digwa still armed even after police had taken him into […]
MY HUSBAND SHAMPED MY PREGNANT BELLY INTO A CHECKOUT COUNTER OVER A $14 BLANKET…
The Price of a Green Sheep Blanket Chapter 1: The Shattering of the Image The linoleum floor of the Walmart on Coit Road was a cold, unforgiving witness to the collapse of my carefully constructed facade. It smelled of industrial lavender, floor wax, and the sharp, metallic tang of my own blood. I couldn’t breathe. […]
THE 9:12 PM RESTAURANT TAKEDOWN: A Underworld Kingpin Watched My Eerie Calm During A Violent Hold-Up… Until He Recognized My Dead Father’s Shadow In My Eyes
PART 1 The gun was against her head before anyone understood what was happening. She didn’t scream. She didn’t beg. She looked at the masked man the way a surgeon looked at a problem — brief, analytical, already planning the next three steps. That was the first thing I noticed. Not the weapon. Her breathing. […]
DID THE ATTACKER CARRY A SECOND KNIFE? New evidence released in the case of Henry Nowak is raising questions about whether the suspect arrived with more preparation than investigators initially believed… 👇
DID HENRY NOWAK’S KILLER STILL HAVE ANOTHER KNIFE WHEN HE WAS ARRESTED? NEW EVIDENCE RAISES DISTURBING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT POLICE MISSED The murder conviction answered one question. Vickrum Digwa killed Henry Nowak. But the evidence now being discussed has opened another, deeply disturbing one: Was Digwa still armed even after police had taken him into […]
“I CAN’T BREATHE… PLEASE STOP”: The video of Henry Nowak’s final minutes has left even veteran investigators shaken
“HE SAID HE COULDN’T BREATHE…” — THE BODYCAM MOMENT IN HENRY NOWAK’S FINAL MINUTES THAT LEFT BRITAIN DEMANDING ANSWERS The video was not just difficult to watch. For many people across Britain, it was almost unbearable. In the final minutes of 18-year-old Henry Nowak’s life, the young university student was lying on a Southampton street […]
End of content
No more pages to load
