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

[dotr]

Weinland Park on a crime map, lengthy. fwiw.

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[ChatteringBirds]

Who else thinks it’s bizarre that the person who discovered the body has somehow inserted themselves into the narrative by gaining access to the house and possibly contaminating the crime scene? I sense a red flag with this.

I might wonder if he had started saying things like, "I touched him and he's not breathing," but he said he wasn't getting close, so I don't think he was trying to contaminate the scene.

It doesn’t help matters that the videos and photos and everything about this case seems like AI. Even the news footage of the police investigating outside the house seems incredibly dated.

How does that affect the case?

 

[AH1122]

Am I remembering correctly that he worked in Athens, Ohio but chose to live in Columbus…which Google says is 74 miles away?

If office hours began at 8am, he would have to leave between 6-6:30 am every day. A long commute, but maybe that’s just my perspective.

It’s odd about work distance, especially in winter, 74 miles is quite a commute.

Driving an hour or more to work in Ohio is not super uncommon. I can’t speak to why he chose to work in Athens, but I can speak to why he chose to live in Columbus. There are no major cities that even come close to rivaling Columbus near Athens- they likely wanted to live in an area that was both urban and central, providing them with numerous opportunities and options (socially, educationally, for work, etc). In addition to that, once he left his neighborhood and got on the highway, it’s nearly a straight shot from his house to the dental office he worked in. While not necessarily fun on some winter days, those days are few and the highways get plowed/salted first.

 

[Alxx108]

Driving an hour or more to work in Ohio is not super uncommon. I can’t speak to why he chose to work in Athens, but I can speak to why he chose to live in Columbus. There are no major cities that even come close to rivaling Columbus near Athens- they likely wanted to live in an area that was both urban and central, providing them with numerous opportunities and options (socially, educationally, for work, etc). In addition to that, once he left his neighborhood and got on the highway, it’s nearly a straight shot from his house to the dental office he worked in. While not necessarily fun on some winter days, those days are few and the highways get plowed/salted first.

I second this for the commute. I have friends who would've been in dental school with Spencer at OSU, and my understanding is that the pay in more rural areas for dentists is way better without seeing nearly as many patients. This may have made the commute more than worth it.

 

[drdetective]

It does seem very clinical and cold, with no robbery or disturbance. Possibly shot in quick succession which is why no one noticed.

Maybe a professional hit but with mistaken identity?

It doesn’t help matters that the videos and photos and everything about this case seems like AI. Even the news footage of the police investigating outside the house seems incredibly dated.

You’re so right, it does seem like AI. Just hit me when I read this. Most photos of this couple are in and around their home and nowhere else.

 

[indicolite22]

You’re so right, it does seem like AI. Just hit me when I read this. Most photos of this couple are in and around their home and nowhere else.

That's probably because they were taken at the same event. Other photos might be private. Monique has a private IG and nothing recent on her FB.

 

[OhioSleuth614]

At one time it could have.

But..... some real estate values can fade fast. Today, interest rates are high, and sales are slowing. A real estate blight is starting to show up in TX, AZ, NC and CO.

Though there is no evidence that the blight is spreading to Ohio, one "crop" that could always pretty vulnerable to blight might be houses in gentrifying areas that were overvalued to start with due to speculation.

Such houses that once looked promising to "urban pioneers" can look un-promising fast if gentrification slows and a senseless beat down or two at the local school / streets slides the shaky gentrified zone back into the "iffy" category or worse

While I broadly agree with this statement it doesn't seem to fit what I've personally experience living in the area. Houses are remaining on the market for longer but they are still selling for prices higher than they were a year or two ago. I don't know their personal financial situation but I'm fairly confident they could have easily moved to a safer, cheaper, suburb very easily if they desired.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

The original run was dispatched at 9:10 as a 10-34 which is an unknown complaint. Most likely after the police left. Some of the friends must have made the choice to go into the residence and look around. The first officer stated he knocked on the front and the back and looked in the windows and saw nothing, but later stated after the officers came back that the back door was a 7a which means open door. This means that the back door was closed (for the first officer) but not locked( for the friends),that would explain how they saw the body on the floor. They went in looked around then retreated back out and called the police again.

I wonder if a friend had the code?

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Am I remembering correctly that he worked in Athens, Ohio but chose to live in Columbus…which Google says is 74 miles away?

Did they buy this home after they married? Has he changed jobs? Perhaps they just preferred an urban vibe but a quick look on Zillow shows much more house for one’s dollar in Athens.

M.did not work, but was she in school, working on a degree? Did she have babysitters that would have the door code?

If office hours began at 8am, he would have to leave between 6-6:30 am every day. A long commute, but maybe that’s just my perspective.

He bought the house about 6 months before they married, in May 2020. It appears to be only in his name. It was said that dentists in that practice worked 4 days, at least 1 other also lives in Columbus.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

While I broadly agree with this statement it doesn't seem to fit what I've personally experience living in the area. Houses are remaining on the market for longer but they are still selling for prices higher than they were a year or two ago. I don't know their personal financial situation but I'm fairly confident they could have easily moved to a safer, cheaper, suburb very easily if they desired.

I think being urban pioneers may have been a value given his work with youth, etc. Mooo.

 

[Sadi]

I wonder if a friend had the code?

I didn’t realize the back door was open and unlocked. Is this a fact?

 

[osu]

Well, that is interesting. Was that in one of the articles? Just say yes and I will go search. If both doors were locked then ingress and egress had to be elsewhere OR someone took the time to close and lock a door or close a self locking door when they left. AND there couldn't have been a broken or open window where LE could see it or no warrant would have been needed.

Can you break into a door and still be able to close and lock it on the way out, leaving no idication that LE could see when knocking on the doors? Could LE have missed a broken or open window?

The time of death will be important, IMO.

I have the same Yale electronic door locks on my home. They are in fact self-locking. I have mine set to lock 30 seconds after closing the door.

There is the main door code that my husband and I use. Our adult son has his own code as well as our neighbor/pet sitter who has her own code.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

I didn’t realize the back door was open and unlocked. Is this a fact?

I have not seen it reported. Most electronic locks lock automatically after a short period of time, no? Or can be locked by touching a button outside? So being unlocked seems unlikely?

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

I didn’t realize the back door was open and unlocked. Is this a fact?

No

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

I have the same Yale electronic door locks on my home. They are in fact self locking. I have mine set to lock after 30 seconds of closing the door.

There is the main door code that my husband a I use. Our adult son has his own code as well as our neighbor/pet sitter who has her own code.

Interesting, thanks.

 

[OhioSleuth614]

The friend said in the 911 call that it was all locked and was considering if he should break in...presumably he would have tried the handles to then state that it was locked.

I wonder if a friend had the code?

Exactly this. We live in the same area, and several neighbors, close friends, and family members have the code to our doors. We travel fairly often and have pets, so friends regularly stop by to check on them. If something were to happen to me or my fiancé, it wouldn’t be hard for a coworker or friend to get the code if they needed it.

 

[ivegotcha]

on these door codes so are we saying you can add many codes to it... ??? hum so if they just bought the house and they assume they are changing the codes when in fact they are just adding to it ... is this possible. so my question is when they bought the house did they change the locks completely or just change the codes... wow

 

[ErinC]

Who else thinks it’s bizarre that the person who discovered the body has somehow inserted themselves into the narrative by gaining access to the house and possibly contaminating the crime scene? I sense a red flag with this.

While I don’t think it’s an overreaction to do a welfare check, it seems weird that the police were already involved but he had to be the one who found the bodies, there is some type of self serving urgency, maybe as an alibi?

If it’s a close friend, I’ll understand the behaviour more, but if it turns out to be a co-worker, it’s very peculiar…

Medical workplaces can be a different beast tbf. I worked at a group home for the intellectually/physically disabled for many years. I can name right now at least two coworkers, probably more, who would have gone flying up the highway loaded for bear if I hadn't come to work and they hadn't been able to reach my husband. And they WOULD have broken down the door if police for some reason couldn't/would not at that time help. Anywhere medical issues are treated can really become a tight-knit unit. MOO

 

[Ms Scarlett]

Source: I’m related to a locksmith.

The only brand I would trust is the Iseo, a European brand. Also the Schlage CO100 and the Kaba Eplex - however, these are commercial locks.

I just typed out how to bypass most electronic locks (in a way that would not show you have bypassed it and would give you unlimited access), but have deleted, as it’s not ethical to share. I’m sure the hacks can be found online.

I 100% recommended having a key lock above your electronic door lock for added security.

Thank you!

 

[Cryptic]

. I don't know their personal financial situation but I'm fairly confident they could have easily moved to a safer, cheaper, suburb very easily if they desired.

I agree with you.

Whatever their immediate financial situation is, their long term financial situation is solid and high income. Thus, even in a blight scenario, they would not likely be trapped in a home (ie liquid cash, current interest rates and actual resale value wise)

As the real estate blight is not in Ohio, they would probably not need to "price it to sell" by a significant degree, nor would they have fundamental difficulties in finding another buyer. Reports from you and other posters indicate that though there are safety concerns, the area is still over all viable for urban pioneers types.

In the end, any "Ok- On paper, the house was worth "X". But we actually had to sell it for "Z" out of uhmm... "convenience" type losses would be pretty negligible in the long term for them.