Columbus, Ohio, is reeling after the shocking deaths of a married couple, Monique and Spencer Tepe.
Investigators now say the alleged killer, Monique’s ex-husband, may have stalked them for weeks before the fatal attack.
The case has captured local attention, highlighting the dark and dangerous intersection of domestic violence and obsession.
Michael McKee, 39, a surgeon, was arrested earlier this month for the deaths of Monique, 39, and her husband Spencer, 37, a dentist.
Authorities say he faces four counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated burglary. McKee has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Stalking and Suspicious Activity Weeks Before the Tragedy
Newly released documents reveal that investigators believe McKee had been keeping close tabs on his ex-wife and her family in the weeks leading up to the killings.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows McKee outside the couple’s Weinland Park home on December 6, nearly three weeks before the murders.
At the time, Monique and Spencer had traveled to Indiana to attend the Big Ten Championship Game. Friends say Monique left the event early, upset about something related to McKee.
The affidavit indicates that Monique had confided in friends about alleged abuse from McKee, including strangulation and sexual assault.
In one chilling instance, a friend reported that McKee had told Monique he could “kill her at any time,” that he would always find her, and that “she will always be his wife.”
The SUV That Raised Alarms
Investigators say McKee was seen multiple times near his ex-wife’s home driving a silver SUV with a stolen Ohio license plate.
The vehicle’s registration linked back to previous addresses McKee had lived at, as well as a hospital where he used to work.
Records also show that McKee’s phone went silent from December 29 until after noon on December 30, the day of the murders.
Law enforcement believes the couple was killed just before 4 a.m., with their bodies discovered roughly six hours later.
Discovery of the Tragedy
Monique was found with a gunshot wound to the chest, while Spencer had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Their young children, a one-year-old and a four-year-old, along with the family dog, were unharmed.
The first call to police came when Spencer failed to arrive at his dental practice.
Dr. Mark Valrose, the practice owner, called from his Florida vacation home to request a wellness check.
Shortly after, a family friend, Alexander Ditty, called 911 reporting he could hear the children inside the home.
He soon realized there was a body inside, describing blood next to it.
Detectives quickly ruled out murder-suicide after finding 9mm shell casings at the scene, pointing to a premeditated attack.
Arrest and Evidence
After a 10-day manhunt, McKee was arrested in Chicago and later extradited to Ohio.
Police Chief Elaine Bryant said McKee was armed at the time of his arrest and multiple weapons were seized from his property.
Preliminary evidence reportedly links one of those weapons to the homicides.
“This was a targeted attack,” Chief Bryant stated.
“This was domestic violence-related, as McKee is the ex-husband of Monique Tepe.
We believe we now have the person responsible for the murders, and that person is Michael McKee.”
A Troubled Past
McKee and Monique were briefly married before divorcing in 2015.
Court records show that Monique cited “incompatibility” in her divorce complaint.
Ahead of a memorial service for the couple, relatives expressed a mix of grief and relief.
“His arrest was absolutely not a shock to the family,” a relative told reporters.
“We are all breathing a bit of a sigh of relief because they got him.”
McKee remains in custody in Franklin County, held without bond, while the community continues to grapple with the tragic loss.
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