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

[maamager]

Really?! It looks low-end and sketchy to me.

This is the corner outside their house.....25 year old cars, wires and electricity poles all over the place, a wild west looking store.

If I were a doctor of dentistry of a great salary looking to raise my family in a nice area, this wouldn't be it.

But maybe Columbus just has that 'look' about it?

Photo courtesy of Google Street View.

MOO.

respectfully, this has been discussed at length throughout the thread. it’s a mixed, urban area with plenty of professionals and families living there. very close proximity to the OSU campus so throw in students as well. calling it “low-end” and “sketchy” based on aesthetics alone ignores the reality of how many city neighborhoods actually function. it’s a completely livable, normal area especially as far as major cities go.

my opinion as a columbus native.

 

[Ms Scarlett]

Really?! It looks low-end and sketchy to me.

This is the corner outside their house.....25 year old cars, wires and electricity poles all over the place, a wild west looking store.

If I were a doctor of dentistry of a great salary looking to raise my family in a nice area, this wouldn't be it.

But maybe Columbus just has that 'look' about it?

Photo courtesy of Google Street View.

MOO.

Looking up Weinland Park on a crime map will give you the answer.

 

[annpats]

Looking up Weinland Park on a crime map will give you the answer.

Ahh, I see. High on crime. <modsnip>, only 8.7% of people own their homes, and the median home value is $352,000.

Seems a strange place to live for a highly educated man with a doctorate in dentistry, a high-income salary, and very young child.....

MOO.

Statistics taken from Door Profit here: Weinland Park Crime Map - Columbus, OH Neighborhood Safety 2026 | DoorProfit

 

[annpats]

respectfully, this has been discussed at length throughout the thread. it’s a mixed, urban area with plenty of professionals and families living there. very close proximity to the OSU campus so throw in students as well. calling it “low-end” and “sketchy” based on aesthetics alone ignores the reality of how many city neighborhoods actually function. it’s a completely livable, normal area especially as far as major cities go.

my opinion as a columbus native.

See here. Statistics don't really say 'mixed' to me. They lean towards low end. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a strange choice for their family.

I suppose it's near the city centre. That's something. Location is key, after all.

Weinland Park Crime Map - Columbus, OH Neighborhood Safety 2026 | DoorProfit

Weinland Park in Columbus, OH has a crime score of D+. View detailed crime statistics, safety ratings, and compare with nearby neighborhoods.

www.doorprofit.com

 

[ErinC]

FWIW regarding crime/safety of the area. I don't live in Columbus but the piercing studio I use is a couple blocks from the area that this happened in. I have, and likely will again, driven up there by myself. While I don't dawdle on the walk (which is true of anywhere in Columbus) I also don't carry and I don't have the feeling that I could be jumped at any second. I'd call it somewhere in the middle, with extremes being "ritzy Dublin gated community" vs "ghetto". It's not somewhere I'd think of something like this happening at random. MOO

 

[maamager]

See here. Statistics don't really say 'mixed' to me. They lean towards low end. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a strange choice for their family.

I suppose it's near the city centre. That's something. Location is key, after all.

Weinland Park Crime Map - Columbus, OH Neighborhood Safety 2026 | DoorProfit

Weinland Park in Columbus, OH has a crime score of D+. View detailed crime statistics, safety ratings, and compare with nearby neighborhoods.

www.doorprofit.com

i’d suggest the CPD’s crime map (linked), not whatever source you linked.

third-party crime sites tend to oversimplify and skew perception. the CPD crime map shows that most incidents in weinland park are property crimes like car break-ins, not homicide. that context matters when assessing an area.

 

[maamager]

i’d agree with this. who in a major city doesn’t take precaution? i don’t care how safe somewhere is or isn’t, im going to asses the situation and prepare accordingly. this neighborhood isn’t the slums that people are interpreting it to be.

FWIW regarding crime/safety of the area. I don't live in Columbus but the piercing studio I use is a couple blocks from the area that this happened in. I have, and likely will again, driven up there by myself. While I don't dawdle on the walk (which is true of anywhere in Columbus) I also don't carry and I don't have the feeling that I could be jumped at any second. I'd call it somewhere in the middle, with extremes being "ritzy Dublin gated community" vs "ghetto". It's not somewhere I'd think of something like this happening at random. MOO

 

[Emmajunielilly]

Really?! It looks low-end and sketchy to me.
This is the corner outside their house.....25 year old cars, wires and poles all over the place, a wild west looking store.

If I were a doctor of dentistry on a great salary looking to raise my family in a nice area, this wouldn't be it.

But maybe Columbus just has that 'look' about it? I don't know.

Photo courtesy of Google Street View.

MOO.

That Google Street View is over 10 years old (from August 2015)

 

[stmarysmead]

They lived in a single-family home supposedly worth over $700,000 in a neighborhood where the median income is listed at $19,500.

I expect many of those neighbors could be students, but this disparity of obvious circumstances ……certainly is a piece of the ‘puzzle’ worth noting. If robbery was the intent, one of those 4 homes would certainly top any potential burglars list for having the most potential for a good haul.

But for a targeted killing, an urban neighborhood with many cameras, many students, up all hours, partying during a holiday break…would seem riskier to me.

Unless this was unplanned…something that just erupted with someone they willingly let into the house.
.

 

[ttjo]

They lived in a single-family home supposedly worth over $700,000 in a neighborhood where the median income is listed at $19,500.

I expect many of those neighbors could be students, but this disparity of obvious circumstances ……certainly is a piece of the ‘puzzle’ worth noting. If robbery was the intent, one of those 4 homes would certainly top any potential burglars list for having the most potential for a good haul.

But for a targeted killing, an urban neighborhood with many cameras, many students, up all hours, partying during a holiday break…would seem riskier to me.

Unless this was unplanned…something that just erupted with someone they willingly let into the house.
.

I watched a video walk through of the neighborhood that was done this morning, Almost every house had a ring camera, ( let’s hope some or all worked) Their neighbor had multiple cameras, and that front street is a one way, I have no doubt the police will figure it out in no time. If they haven’t already.

 

[ivegotcha]

Could it be for something as simple as custody of a dog?

could be as those dogs are not cheap... up to 5000 or more depending on size , age , and colors

 

[ivegotcha]

not sure if it was brought up but in the news videos of the area , across the street it showed "Zora;s House" that is a non profit they are open day and night ... wonder if they heard anything ..

 

[OhioSleuth614]

I spent the last hour or so reading through the posts here and decided to make an account to join the conversation.

I live two blocks from where this happened, in a newer home with a very similar design. I know the area has been discussed extensively. While I don’t think anyone would call it “super safe,” it’s y`10 years into a pretty intense period of gentrification. That said, I’ve never personally felt unsafe inside my home, though I have felt uneasy walking back after a night out. Most of the homes in the area were built with security systems installed, but many people we know don’t pay for monitoring. My fiancé and I like the neighborhood for its walkability and proximity to bars and restaurants we frequent, but being close to the “action” naturally comes with its own challenges.

I’d be happy to answer any questions about the area or the homes. I didn’t personally know Spencer or Monique, but I recently realized we do have mutual friends on Facebook.

As for the timeline, the updated CPD link now says they’re looking for video footage between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m.

 

[Ms Scarlett]

They lived in a single-family home supposedly worth over $700,000 in a neighborhood where the median income is listed at $19,500.

I expect many of those neighbors could be students, but this disparity of obvious circumstances ……certainly is a piece of the ‘puzzle’ worth noting. If robbery was the intent, one of those 4 homes would certainly top any potential burglars list for having the most potential for a good haul.

But for a targeted killing, an urban neighborhood with many cameras, many students, up all hours, partying during a holiday break…would seem riskier to me.

Unless this was unplanned…something that just erupted with someone they willingly let into the house.
.

They lived in a single-family home supposedly worth over $700,000 in a neighborhood where the median income is listed at $19,500.

I expect many of those neighbors could be students, but this disparity of obvious circumstances ……certainly is a piece of the ‘puzzle’ worth noting. If robbery was the intent, one of those 4 homes would certainly top any potential burglars list for having the most potential for a good haul.

But for a targeted killing, an urban neighborhood with many cameras, many students, up all hours, partying during a holiday break…would seem riskier to me.

Unless this was unplanned…something that just erupted with someone they willingly let into the house.
.

It does seem riskier with cameras but the person(s) still has to be identified. That’s more difficult to do at night, unless they get a license plate number. Also, as someone who knows a number of officers, there are many people who won’t willingly turn over the video footage from their cameras.

 

[DropthePuck]

Could it be for something as simple as custody of a dog?

could be as those dogs are not cheap... up to 5000 or more depending on size , age , and colors

Per the wedding video, Larry was Spencer's dog before they got married.

 

[OhioGuy]

They lived in a single-family home supposedly worth over $700,000 in a neighborhood where the median income is listed at $19,500.

I expect many of those neighbors could be students, but this disparity of obvious circumstances ……certainly is a piece of the ‘puzzle’ worth noting. If robbery was the intent, one of those 4 homes would certainly top any potential burglars list for having the most potential for a good haul.

But for a targeted killing, an urban neighborhood with many cameras, many students, up all hours, partying during a holiday break…would seem riskier to me.

Unless this was unplanned…something that just erupted with someone they willingly let into the house.
.

It was mentioned yesterday and a couple other locals agreed in subsequent posts. Yes, these homes are newer and more expensive than most of the others nearby, but IMO not to the point that they stick out or seem out of place. I used to live very close by this home and I currently have a handful of properties that are within walking distance of this home so I’m nearby often. 100+ residents over the years and not once have I had a safety complaint. I’d estimate the value of their home to be 750-825k.

It definitely isn’t a high income area, but I wonder if those income numbers are skewed by the proximity to the university since a lot of students have either zero income or work part time jobs that are low paying to begin with.

Not claiming to be an expert, we all have different experiences/expectations and I can only speak for myself. I live in the suburbs so I’m not even sticking up for the place I live. My occupation has me in different neighborhoods and I communicate regularly with my residents that live there. Like any other city, there are plenty of places in Columbus I would not take my kid, but he tags along with me to Weinland Park all the time.

 

[maamager]

I spent the last hour or so reading through the posts here and decided to make an account to join the conversation.

I live two blocks from where this happened, in a newer home with a very similar design. I know the area has been discussed extensively. While I don’t think anyone would call it “super safe,” it’s y`10 years into a pretty intense period of gentrification. That said, I’ve never personally felt unsafe inside my home, though I have felt uneasy walking back after a night out. Most of the homes in the area were built with security systems installed, but many people we know don’t pay for monitoring. My fiancé and I like the neighborhood for its walkability and proximity to bars and restaurants we frequent, but being close to the “action” naturally comes with its own challenges.

I’d be happy to answer any questions about the area or the homes. I didn’t personally know Spencer or Monique, but I recently realized we do have mutual friends on Facebook.

As for the timeline, the updated CPD link now says they’re looking for video footage between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m.

welcome fellow buckeye, and thank you for the update on the timing.

 

[TIGER0822]

Elaborate more? Are you saying LE dropped the ball?

Absolutely. An eg. A workplace I was at did a welfare check on a lady who similarly did not come into work or respond to messages. They found her deceased.

 

[MrsWatson]

Thank you, @OhioGuy and @maamager, for your very helpful local insight, since you both are familiar with the actual neighborhood, not just data about the neighborhood.
Much appreciated.

 

[browneyes]

It is common to do a welfare check on an absent employee . What is not common is a group of friends and co-workers doing a welfare check.

Respectfully, I disagree. I have watched so many Dateline, 48 Hours and 20/20 episodes where friends and or co-workers have gone to the house to check on someone, which then leads to a 911 call. IMO