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

[Cool Cats]

Right, but what we don’t know is if the system was functional. Sometimes the signs are just to give the illusion of security ala a fake camera. Also possible they only armed it to keep tabs when they were out of town vs having it set 24/7 and disarming it every time you let the dog out.

Luckily, other people's security devices caught and followed the killer's car. The license plate likely was a big tip off too, unless the killer covered it.

Any video out there of the car? On MSM?

2 Cents

 

[LetsSolvIt]

Why would the ex not take the opportunity to carry this out against Monique when Spencer was at work? Why both?

I can hardly bear to type this awful proposed scenario but my thought is that Ex planned his shooting to torture both of victims.

Once in their BR, I can’t imagine him thinking his shots would be sufficiently accurate without flipping on a light, which would awaken and startle the couple but also make them aware of their coming fate. ADDED: I think their knowing HE was in control and HE was going to kill them would have added to his sick pleasure.

Ex first takes aim at the stronger victim, the man — Spencer — but that also forces Monique to witness her husband being shot and also experience a period of anticipatory fear and horror. There may even have been some words exchanged.

As his revenge toward Spencer, he then outright kills MT knowing a wounded ST could do nothing but watch and anguish. ST probably tried to get up to stop Ex, but being wounded, he couldn’t and that’s why he wasn’t fully in bed. To finish his “revenge” Ex gives ST the coup de gras.

UT someone mentioned Ex having had an Ohio hunting license, which indicates to me he had the potential and confidence for accurate shots — proven in this execution.

MOO.

 

[Cryptic]

Maybe the restraining order, if there was one, was impacting his license to practice.

I dont think a restraining order alone would impact his license. In the end, they are relatively easy to obtain and have the natural counter of: Evil ex told judge a lot of exaggerated stories. Yes, or course, I am complying with its terms.

Rather, he might of been impacting his license to practice. My guess is that the most successful doctors own and manage first rate practices. This could involve business skills and personality skills that some doctors just don't have.

My guess is that some Doctors who lack the personality and business skills to operate a successful practice may face a lot of challenges.

They can work at hospitals or practice groups, but problematic personalities can get them fired the same way they do for anybody else. Most are not renown enough to attract steady patients willing to put up with them despite their personalities (Certified mega jerk, but he is the doc' in Chicago for pulmonary diseases. Literally wrote the book. Maybe one day, he"ll choke on it- but... not before he treats me).

So, lacking the business skills and renown, these doc's may drift to employer to employer while racking up bills from badly managed practices? Resentment then builds...... .

 

[OhioGuy]

I can hardly bear to type this awful proposed scenario but my thought is that Ex planned his shooting to torture both of victims.

Once in their BR, I can’t imagine him thinking his shots would be sufficiently accurate without flipping on a light, which would awaken the couple.

Ex first takes aim at the stronger victim, the man — Spencer — but that also forces Monique to witness her husband being shot and also experience a period of anticipatory fear and horror. There may even have been some words exchanged.

As his revenge toward Spencer, he then outright kills MT knowing a wounded ST could do nothing but anguish. ST probably tried to get up to stop Ex, but being wounded, he couldn’t and that’s why he wasn’t fully in bed. To finish his “revenge” Ex gives ST the coup de gras.

UT someone mentioned Ex having had an Ohio hunting license, which indicates to me he had the potential and confidence for accurate shots — proven in this execution.

MOO.

We’ll probably never know exactly what happened inside that home unless a nearby camera caught sounds, but my hope is that the victims were never even awake. If this goes to trial I’m sure some details will come out regarding positioning when shot.

Now that this is a confirmed crime of passion, if the reporting of 3 total shots is accurate, does it strike anyone else as (making up a word) underkill? I’m not a gun expert but one shot to the chest doesn’t seem like guaranteed murder. Of course he could’ve waited around to make sure one shot did it.

 

[wibbleflea]

- project.web

Someone posted a screenshot of this on another website. I can’t cross-check with MM’s DoB but the only Michael McKee that comes up under any category using the search page here is this one, under vascular surgery.

If this is him, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t licensed – just that he hadn’t passed (possibly hadn’t taken) the board exams. The absence struck some people as unusual by the age of 39 but others felt it didn’t mean much.

 

[MassGuy]

I’m not either. We’re about 200 pages deep on this thread so I might’ve missed it, is it confirmed they had a security system? In a former home of mine there was an ADT sign there so we just left it up, but didn’t actually have ADT. I know when I go over to check on pets of vacationing family I have to disarm their system, but I think when they’re in the house it’s not set.

However this guy got in, he did so quietly and relatively quickly without setting off alarms or leaving any obvious signs of disturbance.

They were the first owners, and there was a SimpliSafe sign outside, so I think it's quite likely.

 

[warp3dwing]

I’m not either. We’re about 200 pages deep on this thread so I might’ve missed it, is it confirmed they had a security system? In a former home of mine there was an ADT sign there so we just left it up, but didn’t actually have ADT. I know when I go over to check on pets of vacationing family I have to disarm their system, but I think when they’re in the house it’s not set.

However this guy got in, he did so quietly and relatively quickly without setting off alarms or leaving any obvious signs of disturbance.

Yes, you can see the system in the Zillow photos and in the wedding video. You can see an extra control panel between what’s likely the alarm panel and the HVAC panel that wasn’t there in the Zillow pics (and possibly more wall sensors), so they may have added even more security since moving in

 

[Inthedetails]

Wouldn’t picking the lock and opening the door trigger the alarm system? I’m not too familiar with how these systems work.

Maybe it did and that's why there is a precise time of the incident? idk

jmo

 

[Charlot123]

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2026/01/10/michael-mckee-tepe-murders-ex-husband-columbus-ohio/88119793007/

One thing I posted earlier looking at his gait and body posture on the video was that he walked like an ex-atlete. He did play football, it seems, and well. And seemed to be a good student. So if he was popular in school because of his jock/preppy abilities, he might have flied under the radars, and noticeable problems surfaced later in life.

I think that we'll never understand "why?" since we are not prone to solving our personal problems by murder.

Probably the word "mine" means something different for McKee than for the most of us. Maybe he had to beg Monique to marry him, and in Spencer, she found a man who she was truly happy to be with. I thought that McKee did not have a good concept of boundaries and understanding that another human has the right for autonomy and respect, in partnership.

If Monique was his only wife, then he likely has some traits that make him "impossible to live with". If there was the second wife who also lasted a few months, then, doubly so. We all thought, OK, wife has left, go through therapy, finish residency, start dating again. It happens to many. But doctor/no doctor, maybe he was simply unwilling to spend money on dates and then came to the conclusion that "all women are after money", or such.

I suspect that two things that have contributed were: the forthcoming five-year-anniversary of Monique+Spencer's marriage and the end of the year. And, him being 39, one more year has passed, "what have I achieved", etc.

But ultimately, we'll never understand, because one's mind usually thinks along the lines of "minimizing the damage", not "maximizing" it.

 

[Voidz]

I’ve mentioned this previously. But I asked my locksmith relative to assess the photos. This is someone with 25+ years experience and deals with the aftermath of burglaries and home invasions and crime every day. So this is professional opinion.

In newer homes, basement egress windows they are sometimes left unlocked and are often partially concealed from view, which is why they are frequently considered a plausible access point in cases where no damage is found. They are usually considered emergency exits, so occupants want to ensure they can be opened quickly from the inside without fumbling with locks. Because these windows are below eye level, partially concealed, or located at the side or rear of the house, people often underestimate their visibility and assume they are unlikely to be used by anyone else.

Similarly, secondary exterior doors (such as rear, side, or balcony doors) are not always used daily and may be left unlocked or secured only by a latch. If these doors are closed when someone leaves, they can re-latch and later appear secure during inspection, despite having allowed access earlier. Which is probably why police said there was no sign of forced entry.

Example, if access was made through balcony door, when closed it will latch shut.

While the electronic lock on the front door is easy to override, the locksmith believes the rear door, the balcony door, or even the basement windows allowed access into the house for the above reasons.

He doesn’t believe the front door was the access point.

Regarding the alarm, some people don’t arm the alarm at night or when at home.

 

[warp3dwing]

Maybe it did and that's why there is a precise time of the incident? idk

jmo

Yeah, the system might be able to track and store code entries, alarm status, etc.

I’m purely guessing, but I think the 3:52 marker is the time of the actual murder sequence beginning.

 

[Kapua]

Exactly. I suppose like anything else, having extensive background "experience" is required to pull off such a feat as modern-day murder without a hitch. McKee's a newbie, and unless he simply didn't care about getting caught, his lack of planning is perplexing for anyone who's ever watched a case of Forensic Files.

You just can't drive in your own car cross-country on highways and toll roads to the proximity of a murder scene and get away with it.

That being said, there must have been some planning above and beyond a hoodie and facemask.

The big question for me is ingress* egress. Would the Tepes have let this guy in at 3:30 in the morning? Possible, but hard to believe, all things considered.

Would he have driven all that way in the simple hopes that they left the door unlocked AND the alarm off AND actually encounter that very scenario on the night he happened to be there? Seems unlikely.

Was he a McGuyver level lock-picking, sensor-dodging ninja? Highly doubt all that.

Was he hoping they set the code to something easy and was willing to beat a hasty retreat if wrong? Not this nutjob.

I hypothesize the one thing he did have in his proverbial back pocket was the entry code and alarm code (if different). How he got it is what I want to know, especially if this guy was persona non grata amongst the Tepe clan.

*Thanks for pointing out the typo, JDG

Regarding the house alarm. I have a house alarm that allows me to set it in "stay" mode or "away" mode. It's possible that the Tepes did not set the alarm to "stay" mode when they were home. Perhaps they only set it to "away" when they were not at home. MOO.

 

[Wishbone]

- project.web

Someone posted a screenshot of this on another website. I can’t cross-check with MM’s DoB but the only Michael McKee that comes up under any category using the search page here is this one, under vascular surgery.

If this is him, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t licensed – just that he hadn’t passed (possibly hadn’t taken) the board exams. The absence struck some people as unusual by the age of 39 but others felt it didn’t mean much.

Board certification by the ABS is a voluntary process that demonstrates a surgeon’s commitment to professionalism, lifelong learning, and quality patient care. The ABS offers board certification in surgery (general surgery), vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care, and complex general surgical oncology.

About the ABS - American Board of Surgery

Learn more about the ABS, an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1937 to provide board certification to surgeons.

www.absurgery.org

 

[Charlot123]

Source?

I think it was said something about the dog on that wedding video, in a joking form. My opinion was the same, that Monique got Spencer and the dog in the marriage, but I don't remember how they formulated it.

 

[Charlot123]

I didn't think it would be the ex either.
jmo

The Tepes' friends and families knew way more (and posted their suspicions initially, but restrained later). My concern was that McKee had such a common name that mistakes would be definitely made in sleuthing, and they were. I felt that it was someone known to both of them but isolated from their group of friends. My biggest concern was that it could have been something either Monique dated briefly and casually after her divorce, or Spencer dated in pre-Monique time. Such people tend to fall through the cracks.

 

[Knox]

Columbus utilizes ShotSpotter in certain areas; this close to downtown I’m sure they have it. Whether it would pick up gunshots from inside a residence, I’m not sure.

Curious how sensitive they are, as neighbors supposedly heard nothing. Went down a rabbit hole lol.

 

[indicolite22]

The Tepes' friends and families knew way more (and posted their suspicions initially, but restrained later). My concern was that McKee had such a common name that mistakes would be definitely made in sleuthing, and they were. I felt that it was someone known to both of them but isolated from their group of friends. My biggest concern was that it could have been something either Monique dated briefly and casually after her divorce, or Spencer dated in pre-Monique time. Such people tend to fall through the cracks.

People around Monique and Spencer who suspected the ex must have known her troubled history with him, but we didn't. No news outlets mentioned it.

 

[Kemug]

Do doctors/surgeons look down on dentists as being "not really doctors"? I should think it's quite possible that is how MM felt/feels.

 

[ttjo]

Anyone think hes talking?

 

[Knox]

Did anyone notice in the Obit, it says Spencer and Monique were married on 12/13/20?

Spencer and Monique met online and quickly grew their relationship into a solid foundation of love and respect with a side of goofiness. They were married on December 13, 2020 in a private family ceremony.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/columbus-oh/spencer-and-monique-tepe-12689273

It's a beautifully written tribute to them and I love they didn't the obits separately, but as a couple.