The Illinois surgeon charged with killing his ex-wife and her husband inside their home — with their two kids nearby — will be hauled back to Ohio to face murder charges.
A hulking Michael David McKee made a brief appearance in Illinois court Monday and agreed to be sent back to the Buckeye State, where he allegedly gunned down Monique and Spencer Tepe in the early hours of Dec. 30, the Rockford Register reported.
He was arrested in Illinois on Sunday for the grisly murders — which left the Tepes’ young children orphaned — and was charged with two counts of aggravated murder in Ohio.
McKee, handcuffed and sporting a yellow prison jumpsuit, did not speak during the two-minute hearing, besides stating his full name.
His public defender attorney said he intended to plead not guilty.
“Mr. McKee believes that the most expeditious manner in which he may defend himself against the charges pending in Ohio and to plead not guilty would be to waive his right to an extradition hearing,” public defender Carrie Poirier said.
He is expected to be transported to Ohio this week.
McKee was arrested nearly two weeks after the Tepes were found dead from gunshot wounds in their Columbus home. Neighbors called police after hearing their kids — 4 and 1 — crying inside. Both children were unharmed.
The grisly attack left Ohioans baffled, as there were no signs of forced entry and no indication that anybody would want to harm the happy couple — who were about to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.
But a person was seen on surveillance footage walking near the home around the time of the murders — between 2 and 5 a.m. — while a car also seen at the scene was allegedly traced to McKee in Rockford, Illinois.
McKee worked as a vascular surgeon in the Rockford area, and was briefly married to Monique for under two years before divorcing in 2017.
But the separation was apparently amicable, according to court documents, and no motivation for the alleged murder has been disclosed by police yet.
Monique married Spencer, a dentist, in 2020 and had their first child soon after.
McKee could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
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