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

[PipeyRella]

Are there any credible sources that Michael McKee was adopted and that he was estranged from his adopted family, or is this just more speculation again?

Not confirmed and only speculation jmo. I've only seen comments from "friends of" saying this, as well as saying he didn't find out he was adopted until he was in college which is when friends and colleagues have reported noticeable changes in his personality, but nothing confirmed with documentation or from a news outlet or anything.

 

[su5ie]

Where is Michael David McKee from?​

Publicly available information shows McKee has family members in the Zanesville area. He attended Ohio State University for undergraduate and medical school.

McKee played football at Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans High School, where Ohio High School Athletic Association records show he earned honorable mention all-state honors his senior season.

eta link

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

Is this AI ,if so just edit to add it is as it will be deleted if its not headed as such

 

[Sundog]

Is this AI ,if so just edit to add it is as it will be deleted if its not headed as such

Not AI, from the Columbus Dispatch, someone posted it upthread.

 

[Cassie P]

Would he be able to figure out which days Spencer was in the office? “Hi I see on my calendar that I have my annual checkup with Dr. Tepe next week on December 30, just wanted to confirm the practice is open and he’ll be in since it’s close to the holidays?” Of course, even if he knows Spencer’s schedule, nothing to guarantee Monique wasn’t away with the kids given how close it was to Christmas.

No guarantee they’ll be at home the night prior to working, but more likely. With New Years Eve (plus OSU game) and New Years Day approaching, he might’ve had a thin window in which to do this on a ‘quiet’ night depending on when he would’ve been expected back in Illinois. All speculation until we know where he was in the days and hours directly before.

The timing of it is definitely odd to me.

On one hand, if he was in Ohio for the holidays that would make their home much more accessible to him vs driving 300 miles one way in a rage.

On the other hand, I think the week between Christmas and New Years is one of the least guaranteed times for people to be home. Regardless of what day of the week they actually fall on, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day always feel like a weekend to me. In my house and circle of friends, we always joke that nobody knows what day it is in that week between Christmas and New Years. If you asked me to pick a date I’m near certain people will be home, late December is near the bottom of my list.

I just posted the same comment. But I am more certain about it.

MM knew the drill in Columbus Ohio, a big football town.
He knew that the night of the 30th was the safest day of the holiday season to commit the crime. He knew it was very unlikely the Tepes would be hosting a party or attending one the night of the 30th. And in fact would most likely go to bed early.

Excitement all across the city was quite high due to the Cotton Bowl with OSU playing in a high stakes playoff game occurring on New Year's Eve. A double celebration. The parties, gatherings, etc would be held on the day and night of the 31st. On the 30th people would be getting ready for the parties the next day and probably going to bed early in anticipation o

Great posts!! I agree there is so much more to this. I have so many questions about MM. Did he intend to kill both of them or was Spencer his real target and Monique got in the way? Why did he do it on a frigid December week night, what was the significance of that time? Did they know their shooter?

I think he intended to kill both of them.
Both were the targets.
Dec 30th was the least likely date in Columbus over the holidays where a couple would not be throwing a party or going to one due
to NYE and Cotton Bowl the next night.
Perhaps the holidays gave MM an alibi for being in Cbus over the holidays.

 

[Inthedetails]

I hear ya about 'after 8 yrs'. But what stood out to me in the divorce decree (linked in @Knox's post HERE) is the June 2025 date. Regardless of why it spit out of the system 7-8 yrs later... the fact is it DID spit out. That to me is what I think triggered him. It was like ripping a bandaid off or reopening an old (semi) healed wound. Their divorce. Once again he's reliving that, angry she left and especially with the way she left. She's happy now with a new man. They have 2 lovely children. Did he want children that he never got from her?

He's seething, angry, and can't stop thinking about the injustice to him. How dare she leave him. When he sees her laughing in pictures he thinks she's laughing at him. Everything is about him. He has to do something to get back at her. Kill her husband in front of her (likely, and JMO) so she had to live through that... then (likely) beg for her life while he laughed in her face.

I'm sure he had some things to say to her. To get off his chest. This was his moment for vengeance. He was probably so angry and worked up that spit flew as he spoke. Rage filled his eyes and his cheeks burned red. He hated her for leaving him and she must die.

And die she did. RIP Monica and Spencer. Neither you or your young children deserved this.

Monique was beautiful but I notice a difference in her wedding pictures. She is a pretty bride in the wedding photo to her first husband but is absolutely beaming and gorgeously happy in the photos with her second husband.

I bet the perp has seen photos of her since marrying Spencer and her happiness likely ate at him.

Speculation, of course. I don't know what triggered him to act so heinously and wound so many.

jmo

 

[Cassie P]

I agree, but after 8 years?? You’d. think there has to be more recent activity than 8 years ago if they were talking about it. That divorce stuff, was it an admin glitch or not? I can’t remember if it had assigned a court date or if that was the malpractice suit.

If MM had suffered some recent career, money, relationship setbacks, it is possible he went back in time to revisit old hurts and grievances. If he is mentally ill and a substance abuser, these grievances could be irrational or fabricated.

 

[Cassie P]

It has been reported that he was in Zanesville, near Columbus for the holidays. So he had a week or so to do his dry runs and finalize his plans without anyone missing him at work back in Illinois.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that MM had done some dry runs and checked out the house and area prior to the night of the murder.

 

[Cassie P]

After looking at Section 2911.11 of the Ohio Revised Code which pertains to aggravated burglary, I believe this will be one of the aggravating factors for the aggravated murder premeditated charge that MM is currently facing.

Did MM steal something from the house??

 

[ttjo]

If MM had suffered some recent career, money, relationship setbacks, it is possible he went back in time to revisit old hurts and grievances. If he is mentally ill and a substance abuser, these grievances could be irrational or fabricated.

Yes, and from unconfirmed reports it doesn't sound like he had many friends, or people to talk to, maybe he just stayed stuck in that feeling of rejection, and he may have felt betrayed if she left without telling him , unable to see the reasons why she may have had to do that? I can see that if he never got a chance to talk to her about it after , he would fester.
When you cant change what you cant control, I think its harder to deal with.

 

[Inthedetails]

Did MM steal something from the house??

Burglary means entering the house with intention to commit a crime. It doesn't require stealing anything.

jmo (based on following WS cases)

 

[Gemmie]

Did MM steal something from the house??

You don't have to steal anything for it to be burglary. Robbery, yes.

Burglary is defined as the unlawful entry into habitable dwellings for purposes of committing theft or other felonies.

Burglary | Office of Justice Programs

www.ojp.gov

 

[indicolite22]

It has been reported that he was in Zanesville, near Columbus for the holidays. So he had a week or so to do his dry runs and finalize his plans without anyone missing him at work back in Illinois.

Can we have a source for the claim that he was in Zanesville for holidays?

 

[kwins]

Did MM steal something from the house??

Burglary doesn't necessarily involve theft. Burglary is committed when a building is entered unlawfully and with the intent to commit a crime. Theft could very well be the crime, but in this case, the crime was premeditated murderX2.

 

[su5ie]

Can we have a source for the claim that he was in Zanesville for holidays?

Where is Michael David McKee from?​

Publicly available information shows McKee has family members in the Zanesville area. He attended Ohio State University for undergraduate and medical school.

McKee played football at Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans High School, where Ohio High School Athletic Association records show he earned honorable mention all-state honors his senior season.

Source is the Columbus Dispatch, someone posted the link upthread.

Not AI, from the Columbus Dispatch, someone posted it upthread.

@indicolite22, I think this is it but I don't have link to Columbus Dispatch audio so not sure if its fact myself.
And having family in Zanesville doesn't prove he was visiting them

 

[whitelilac]

Regarding the the killer's entry into the house, a neighbor down the street was robbed last week. No sign of entry. She has a front door lock with a code situation like the Tepe's house.
During the investigation it was determined that the lock was opened, without the entry of the code, by means of either a magnet or the application of voltage.
Don't ask me how this works, I have no clue.
But after a bit of googling, I learned that there are several ways of hacking a code, as well as through these unusual mechanical means.

I suspect that the ex did a lot of online research to investigate methods, and this may very well be established by looking into his searches.

That is IF he did indeed gain entry by the front door.

I found this rather alarming and if I were to install a code lock, I would install extra layers such as adding one or two deadbolts.

 

[Sundog]

@@indicolite22, I think this is it but I don't have link to Columbus Dispatch audio so not sure if its fact myself.
And having family in Zanesville doesn't prove he was visiting them

Someone linked the Columbus Dispatch article upthread but it is paywalled for me. The Zanesville Times-Recorder published the same article about MM growing up in Zanesville, etc. No one said he was in Zanesville for the holidays, definitively, just speculating that if he still has family there, then he may have been visiting them at Christmas-time. He has lots of ties to the area - both Columbus and OSU and Zanesville where he grew up.

 

[ttjo]

Regarding the the killer's entry into the house, a neighbor down the street was robbed last week. No sign of entry. She has a front door lock with a code situation like the Tepe's house.
During the investigation it was determined that the lock was opened, without the entry of the code, by means of either a magnet or the application of voltage.
Don't ask me how this works, I have no clue.
But after a bit of googling, I learned that there are several ways of hacking a code, as well as through these unusual mechanical means.

I suspect that the ex did a lot of online research to investigate methods, and this may very well be established by looking into his searches.

That is IF he did indeed gain entry by the front door.

I found this rather alarming and if I were to install a code lock, I would install extra layers such as adding one or two deadbolts.

Wow, maybe he bought a couple and practised beforehand.
I am so glad I returned my coded lock.

 

[su5ie]

Someone linked the Columbus Dispatch article upthread but it is paywalled for me. The Zanesville Times-Recorder published the same article about MM growing up in Zanesville, etc. No one said he was in Zanesville for the holidays, definitively, just speculating that if he still has family there, then he may have been visiting them at Christmas-time. He has lots of ties to the area - both Columbus and OSU and Zanesville where he grew up.

Thank you and that's why I linked both your posts to show you were not saying he visited for the holidays just that Dispatch said he had family in Zanesville

 

[su5ie]

Wow, maybe he bought a couple and practised beforehand.
I am so glad I returned my coded lock.

I would say a lot of hardwares might sell out of deadbolts after this case

 

[Cassie P]

Burglary doesn't necessarily involve theft. Burglary is committed when a building is entered unlawfully and with the intent to commit a crime. Theft could very well be the crime, but in this case, the crime was premeditated murderX2.

Seems odd since burglary usually means theft. But they need to throw the book at this guy for everything he did wrong down to the smallest detail.