OH - Spencer and Monique Tepe found shot to death at home 2 children unharmed, Columbus, 30 December 2025 *ex-husband arrested*

[keek]

Is there a link that would indicate Monique kept in touch with McKee??

Such a short marriage, years ago and she had not only remarried but had children.

I would find it very odd if they kept in touch. MOO, IMO

She escaped him so I doubt it. He was abusive, she had her family come while he was not there and left. She had reason to fear him turns out, in that short marriage. They all had to plan that carefully. IMO

 

[warp3dwing]

What were the timestamps for the CCTV sighting in the alley?

Sorry, I hadn’t realized the timestamp wasn’t published. <modsnip>

 

[Sundog]

Did MM claim the engagement ring as part of the marital assets or expenses? I thought an engagement ring was a gift from the groom and upon marriage was her property?

My guess is that since they were only married for seven months, they divided their debts pretty much in half and that they likely put the rings on a credit card that still had to be paid off, likely with a high interest rate like most credit cards. As a resident, MM wouldn't be making much money at that time when they were married so they may have used credit cards for such a major purchase.

 

[airportwoman]

She escaped him so I doubt it. He was abusive, she had her family come while he was not there and left. She had reason to fear him turns out, in that short marriage. They all had to plan that carefully. IMO

That she left him 7 months after the wedding? That in itself wasn't suspicious to me. But that she rented a U-Haul and her family drove in to help her move out without telling him first speaks volumes.

 

[keek]

That she left him 7 months after the wedding? That in itself wasn't suspicious to me. But that she rented a U-Haul and her family drove in to help her move out without telling him first speaks volumes.

To have people and help to safely get far away then deal with the Div legal work and all aware of the why’s. It’s sickening then still, years later.

 

[crhedBngr]

View attachment 636641View attachment 636642

. . . . . HUH???

The filing of aggravated murder has disappeared?

JMVHO.

 

[JDG]

My guess is that since they were only married for seven months, they divided their debts pretty much in half and that they likely put the rings on a credit card that still had to be paid off, likely with a high interest rate like most credit cards. As a resident, MM wouldn't be making much money at that time when they were married so they may have used credit cards for such a major purchase.

Monique bought her own rings,

 

[Knox]

Is there a link that would indicate Monique kept in touch with McKee??

It was posited upthread as a possibility.

Such a short marriage, years ago and she had not only remarried but had children.

I would find it very odd if they kept in touch. MOO, IMO

That’s a hard no, IMO. She had her family come get her when she left him. Not like, hey can you help me move my stuff. More like come save me please, JMO.

I think once we learn more details, we’ll find she was afraid of him for good reason.

 

[Charlot123]

All I can say is,

If instead of taking more work and earning more money and going on more dates to find another woman like or similar to Monique, and it could be doable, he spent his days sorting out how to open his ex-wife’s lock to kill her husband and her…

He is not just a psychopath. He is seriously broken. And it will not serve as defense because he planned the murders, of course.

I understand that he was once allegedly in love with Monique. Why I say “allegedly”, it seems that he was too much about money for being a loving husband. Perhaps Monique hoped he’d change for her, but no.

So some proprietary-driven, obstinate man, got a divorce.

I thought, perhaps he was in a religious group that did not allow to remarry? But surely no such group would allow murder either, so, likely not.

He had so many ways to deal with his problem, oh boy.

 

[ttjo]

i assume they knew right away and confirmed with the video. Just kept quiet until he was apprehended. Must have been stressful as he could have been coming after other family.

I think so too. When BIL was on the STS show, Joel asked him about pumping the breaks on “ walking man” and BIL said not necessarily pump the breaks but dont get too excited it could be anybody, could have been a drunk guy… ( paraphrasing)
It stood out, but I wasnt sure what it was, now I think it could have been to sound like they had no idea.

I think releasing the video was good strategy, even though walking man was not really identifiable, By that time, the police probably knew so they release a non descript clip, maybe thinking the person who did it might squirm, while Police wait, and watch, to see if he would make some moves and show them consciousness of guilt.
Like making up a fake alibi.

 

[Betty P]

. . . . . HUH???

The filing of aggravated murder has disappeared?

JMVHO.

Ohio can be strange and unpredictable when it comes to these things. Fasten your seatbelts and hope for the best. It will probably turn out ok, but it helps that the case is getting a lot of national media coverage.

 

[Tortoise]

SBMFF

Yes.

Detectives noted in the court documents that McKee's car “arrived just prior to the homicides and left shortly after,” and that they were able to identify the vehicle and link it to McKee. The car was later located in Rockford, Ill., and officers said they found evidence that McKee had been in ownership of the vehicle throughout the incident.

Here’s How Police Identified Ex-Husband Suspect in Ohio Dentist and Wife’s Murders

Columbus detectives shared in court documents how they were able to identify and track down the suspect in connection with the deaths of Ohio dentist Spencer Tepe and his wife, Monique Tepe, who were found slain in their home on Dec. 30. Monique's ex-husband, Michael David McKee, has been...

people.com

People mag implies that it was a car owned by McKee, but the affidavit isn't so explicit. Being in possession of a car could also apply to a rental, and is not necessarily ownership. I think it could be either, and I'm more inclined to speculate that it was a rental vehicle, seeing as his own car arriving just before and leaving just after the murders would be a bit careless, unless he changed the plates. Also the words 'found evidence of McKee in possession of the vehicle prior to and after' could allude to it being for just a set window of time. I do think the police are being deliberately cautious not to release more info into the public domain than they absolutely need to, and although they've worked fast on this, the arrest wasn't as immediate as it might have been if they had his vehicle info. from very early on. MOO

From the affidavit -

..."This suspect was tracked to a vehicle which arrived just prior to the homicides and left shortly after the homicides. Detectives were able to identify this vehicle further and link it to Michael McKee. Detectives located the vehicle in Rockford, Illinois and found evidence of McKee in possession of the vehicle prior to and after the homicides."

at 0:49 in the KHOU 11 video

 

[su5ie]

No, it is a mandatory small fee, nothing specific to her case.

Thanks for your reply only seeing it now

 

[ssarahbg]

I think so too. When BIL was on the STS show, Joel asked him about pumping the breaks on “ walking man” and BIL said not necessarily pump the breaks but dont get too excited it could be anybody, could have been a drunk guy… ( paraphrasing)
It stood out, but I wasnt sure what it was, now I think it could have been to sound like they had no idea.

I think releasing the video was good strategy, even though walking man was not really identifiable, By that time, the police probably knew so they release a non descript clip, maybe thinking the person who did it might squirm, while Police wait, and watch, to see if he would make some moves and show them consciousness of guilt.
Like making up a fake alibi.

Yep. It kept him from running. They probably hoped he would go back to “business as usual” back in IL. Likely had eyes on him from a very early start.

 

[su5ie]

Yep. It kept him from running. They probably hoped he would go back to “business as usual” back in IL. Likely had eyes on him from a very early start.

Seems BIL was very tactical and astute and very much wanted justice for two family members that in my hindsight meant so much to him , I for one am very sorry I doubted him and I hope he can deal with his grief now privately and without media intrusion because sometimes when you allow the media ,YTubers included in ,they think its now an open all hours policy

I suppose at the same time I was just speculating on observations of his statements and I couldn't tell BIL was engaging in some kind of media diversion , he played a brilliant hand and hopefully will be able at some stage to use that publicity in a positive way to build his business and journalistic interests .

 

[academyrd]

Killing them both makes me think that they were both on his hit list. I don't think that it was just Monica he went after, and the only reason he shot Spencer was because he became a threat. I don't believe that for one minute. Had he just wanted to kill Monica, he'd have gone over to the house while Spencer was at work and done the job. But, since he snuck in in the middle of the night, knowing FULL WELL they'd both be home and asleep... that makes me think he hated Monica for leaving, and he hated Spencer for winning her love AND being happy as heck with him which was evident in all the pics I've seen of the 2 of them.

I'll bet he has NO memory of her enjoying her time with him as much as he's seen her do with Spencer. So he hated him too for "taking" what was once his.

All JMO.

I think he went in there and made sure to go after Spencer first so as to eliminate the larger threat. What I’m wondering is what he did from there. Did he try to “talk” to Monique and say something like “I told you I’d never let you leave” or something equality as horrifying? Did he get on top of her? She must has been so scared.

The details of how and where she was found have been very very limited. It makes me think it was something other than her just lying in bed. All of it is almost too horrific to consider.

 

[stmarysmead]

From the affidavit -

..."This suspect was tracked to a vehicle which arrived just prior to the homicides and left shortly after the homicides. Detectives were able to identify this vehicle further and link it to Michael McKee. Detectives located the vehicle in Rockford, Illinois and found evidence of McKee in possession of the vehicle prior to and after the homicides."

Just want to try tie a few things together to see what other ideas come to light.

One. this is charged as a PREMEDITATED murder. It was not spur-of-the-moment; it was planned. So wouldn’t a PLANNED murder have to contain an assurance that you could get into the house in the first place?

This was not some country home where one might leave the doors open and go to bed. This was in a ‘evolving’ neighborhood in a city the killer knew well. In his ‘premeditation’ he would most definitely expect this high value home for the neighborhood to have every security bell and whistle…alarm, lights, fancy locks, even a dog.

And it did.

No one, no matter how obsessed, is going to be making 10 hr round trips in the middle of the night on the off-chance that, one night, there might be a door someone forgot to lock. This was ‘premeditated’….he had to have had a pretty solid reason to believe he could get in. They could still have been at her sisters for New Years. He had to gave had the most crucial part of this murder PLANNED….the fact that they would be there…and assured entry.

So, that leads us to speculate how he could accomplish that?

First, is this killer still practicing in Chicago. If so, he can’t be driving 10 hrs every night. So he had to know that on Dec 30, he could expect them to be home, on their beds, without a party going on, or a couple of Navy Seals spending the night.

He needed very precise info.

And he needed to feel confident that he could get past all the security stuff. Who could/would give him that information? If he is this once-abusive spouse, unlikely to be relatives or close friends. How likely is it that he would know who their gardener, or babysitter might be…and get that info that way?

I don’t think we can entirely rule out M feeling pity for him, or thinking she could manage his moods as she did in the old days. That could provide info but not the entry codes.

He drove there that night, walked in, killed them, drove another 5 hrs home. Just luck? I doubt it. There’s another big piece to this puzzle,

 

[nhmemorymaker]

dbm

 

[academyrd]

I believe we have seen that they have the travel records showing he did go right back to IL (but I think it is the Daily Mail..which does have an apparent error already)
I do agree, however, having had family in both Columbus and Zanesville....hop skip.
And when I was at Ohio State you could get a ride anywhere through a wide variety of sources.

it is just a "thing" in Ohio--especially from central Columbus... you can get to any section of the state sooo easily and quickly via the interstates.
It does make me think he could have easily set up more clandestine travels with an Uber or some sort of ride share.

Uber would have had an immediate electronic paper trail tying him to the scene

 

[Sadi]

From the affidavit -

..."This suspect was tracked to a vehicle which arrived just prior to the homicides and left shortly after the homicides. Detectives were able to identify this vehicle further and link it to Michael McKee. Detectives located the vehicle in Rockford, Illinois and found evidence of McKee in possession of the vehicle prior to and after the homicides."

Just want to try tie a few things together to see what other ideas come to light.

One. this is charged as a PREMEDITATED murder. It was not spur-of-the-moment; it was planned. So wouldn’t a PLANNED murder have to contain an assurance that you could get into the house in the first place?

This was not some country home where one might leave the doors open and go to bed. This was in a ‘evolving’ neighborhood in a city the killer knew well. In his ‘premeditation’ he would most definitely expect this high value home for the neighborhood to have every security bell and whistle…alarm, lights, fancy locks, even a dog.

And it did.

No one, no matter how obsessed, is going to be making 10 hr round trips in the middle of the night on the off-chance that, one night, there might be a door someone forgot to lock. This was ‘premeditated’….he had to have had a pretty solid reason to believe he could get in. They could still have been at her sisters for New Years. He had to gave had the most crucial part of this murder PLANNED….the fact that they would be there…and assured entry.

So, that leads us to speculate how he could accomplish that?

First, is this killer still practicing in Chicago. If so, he can’t be driving 10 hrs every night. So he had to know that on Dec 30, he could expect them to be home, on their beds, without a party going on, or a couple of Navy Seals spending the night.

He needed very precise info.

And he needed to feel confident that he could get past all the security stuff. Who could/would give him that information? If he is this once-abusive spouse, unlikely to be relatives or close friends. How likely is it that he would know who their gardener, or babysitter might be…and get that info that way?

I don’t think we can entirely rule out M feeling pity for him, or thinking she could manage his moods as she did in the old days. That could provide info but not the entry codes.

He drove there that night, walked in, killed them, drove another 5 hrs home. Just luck? I doubt it. There’s another big piece to this puzzle,

Is it confirmed he drove directly to their house or was he already in town visiting his family who live in the area?