The shocking Dec. 30 double murder of former Ashland dentist Spencer Tepe, 37, and his wife Monique, 39, in their Columbus home has drawn national attention — and speculation.
Monique’s ex-husband Michael McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon in Rockford, Illinois, was charged with two counts of murder and is being held in an Illinois jail awaiting extradition to Ohio.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant reported Wednesday that authorities believe they have recovered the murder weapon used in the case.
The couple’s two young children, a 4-year-old girl and a 1-year-old-boy, were found alive and unharmed in a separate room from where their parents’ bodies were discovered in their Weinland Park home. The duo, and the Tepe’s dog are being cared for by family members, according to multiple published reports.
Authorities have not stated a motive for the crime, which has led to widespread speculation considering McKee and Monique were married in 2015 and divorced in 2017.
Former Fort Worth Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead (and a Genasys spokesman) told Fox News Digital there’s a “multitude of reasons” McKee may have killed Monique almost nine years after the couple got divorced. Halstead said he has worked with Columbus police in the past.
Spencer Tepe had worked at Stone Creek Dental in Ashland before recently transferring to Columbus, where he was employed at Athens Dental Depot. Spencer and Monique Tepe were married in January, 2021.
“I think what’s going to be critical for the investigators is a lot of the online search capacity, a lot, are there any recent chats?” Halstead speculated. “Were there any changes in the suspect’s demeanor in the last few months, last few years that could start delineating some type of frustration, revenge, outrage, jealousy, depression, anything?
“But usually the long-standing separation from the relationship, something had to trigger.”
Spencer Tepe’s brother-in-law, Rob Misleh, told NBC News that Monique had spoken about McKee being emotionally abusive and the toll the relationship had taken. He said the family “quickly believed” McKee had something to do with the crime.
“It wasn’t like she had just completely forgotten about him,” Misleh said. “She would talk quite often about how terrified she was of him and how much he messed with her mental health. And it was lasting.”
McKee was an honorable-mention All-Ohio football player at Zanesville Rosecrans High Schoolwho also earned a degree from The Ohio State University. He has practiced medicine in multiple states, including Illinois, California and Nevada.
“He was an emotionally abusive person when they were together, that is all I know,” Misleh said of McKee.
Illinois authorities reported that McKee was arrested for the crime in a Rockford Chik-fil-A restaurant around 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 10.
Spencer Tepe was a Mason High School grad and also an Ohio State alumnus.
“I think it’s going to be a recent event that triggered the anger which started this planning. It’s not random by any means,” Halstead theorized.
“There was something that happened, whether it’s an episode or an argument or something that motivated this person to plan this and then carry it out.”
