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

[Voidz]

Accr

2-5 AM somehow makes this even worse. They were asleep in their beds when this happened. I’m getting Kohberger type vibes that she was actually the target although the anger was taken out on the male. I don’t know why. It just feels that way.

According to the brother in law, Spencer was an early riser. And when you take into account the long commute…

And there is no way I’d answer the door at that time.

Do any of you think the murderer was in the house for a long period of time? Hours? Or was it a case of in and out?

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

DBM

 

[Ms Scarlett]

2-5 AM somehow makes this even worse. They were asleep in their beds when this happened. I’m getting Kohberger type vibes that she was actually the target although the anger was taken out on the male. I don’t know why. It just feels that way.

I also recall reading somewhere a few years ago that some home invasions occur between 3-5am because it’s dark outside, people are usually in a deep sleep (vulnerable) and there’s less chance for neighbors to see/hear anything because they’re asleep, as well. I’m not insinuating that this was a home invasion, I’m just saying that it makes sense that the murders would have occurred during that timeframe.
I recall that Kohberger committed the murders between approximately 4am-4:30am, but he started driving around the house around 3:30am.

 

[indicolite22]

Wow, do you have a link to that post on Reddit?

Reddit (or other social media) is not an allowed source on the main thread.

 

[Sadi]

Accr

According to the brother in law, Spencer was an early riser. And when you take into account the long commute…

And there is no way I’d answer the door at that time.

Do any of you think the murderer was in the house for a long period of time? Hours? Or was it a case of in and out?

I’m wondering if it was one person only or two people etc.? I think it was in and out, nothing to support it though.

 

[osu]

My apologies if this has previously been discussed, but I was curious if Spencer’s friend who called 911 at 10:00am was an emergency contact? Did Spencer’s coworkers contact him?

I was just wondering how Spencer’s friend learned that Spencer had not shown up for work that morning?


‘Police received at least four calls from colleagues and loved ones starting around 9 a.m on Dec 30. In the first one, the owner of Spencer’s dental practice is heard telling an operator that Spencer is never late for work and always checks in before missing a day.

An hour later, a second person called 911 from outside the couple’s home. The caller, an unidentified male, said he could hear children inside the house but had no way of getting inside.

At 10 a.m., Spencer’s friend Alex Ditty, reported seeing a body inside before breaking down into sobs.

“There’s blood. He’s laying next to his bed, off of his bed, and there's blood. I can’t get closer to see more than that,” Ditty said, according to 911 logs.

~snip

MSN

 

[Sadi]

My apologies if this has previously been discussed, but I was curious if Spencer’s friend who called 911 at 10:00am was an emergency contact? Did Spencer’s coworkers contact him?

I was just wondering how Spencer’s friend learned that Spencer had not shown up for work that morning?


‘Police received at least four calls from colleagues and loved ones starting around 9 a.m on Dec 30. In the first one, the owner of Spencer’s dental practice is heard telling an operator that Spencer is never late for work and always checks in before missing a day.

An hour later, a second person called 911 from outside the couple’s home. The caller, an unidentified male, said he could hear children inside the house but had no way of getting inside.

At 10 a.m., Spencer’s friend Alex Ditty, reported seeing a body inside before breaking down into sobs.

“There’s blood. He’s laying next to his bed, off of his bed, and there's blood. I can’t get closer to see more than that,” Ditty said, according to 911 logs.

~snip

MSN

Good question.

 

[Speculaytor]

It’s all speculation at this point. If Spencer was found near a bed, it doesn’t mean it was the master bedroom.

I do believe the 911 caller said he could see him downstairs, on the floor next to the bed. I am not positive. However, looking at the layout, there are no bedrooms on the floor you are on at front door, only floor below, and floor above. I guess it is possible they climed the balcony to see this, but I would assume climbing over the fence, and looking through ground floor windows would be easiest, less disruptive and dangerous. He did say he could see through a window.

 

[Charlot123]

Well thats IF it was a robbery but nothing was taken , nothing ..... nope this was personal towards a person.... Almost short of saying it was a professional hit... why ? it was to clean, nothing touched nothing bothered... just in and out. Now how many of you have read in news reports of people killing someone they knew and with rage and destroy things, Here it was just to clean , who ever ordered this wanted no mistakes. MOO

I agree. It sounds personal. Take off adults and leave the kids. I wonder if there is any DNA.

 

[OhioGuy]

I'm curious what information LE has access to that has enabled them to narrow the span of time here. A three-hour window in the dead of the night, IMO, makes it less likely that either of the victims were awake and therefore more probable that they were helplessly vulnerable to the attack. I do realize that ST could have been awake at that hour given that he seemed to have a lengthy commute to the dental practice.

Possible evidentiary information I can think of:

Cell phone data
Video footage
Alarm auto-data (such as a door opening/closing)
Time of death (not yet announced, as far as I'm aware)
Apple/smart watch data (if either of the Tepes wore them)

Can anybody else add to this list?

JMO, but for me, this case serves as a reminder that, just as we don't know who among us are the predators, neither do we know which of us can become the prey, nor when or where. Sometimes life feels like a lottery.

All great points. I’m not real tech savvy, but I wonder if theres data on the phone/watch that essentially says “this person had a 5am alarm set and that alarm was never turned off.” I know when I wake up in the middle of the night, I sometimes tap my phone to see what time it is. I wonder if that is recorded and they know the victims had activity up until that point. It’s also possible a nearby camera recorded the audio of the shots at a precise time and they’re asking for video 90 minutes prior and 90 minutes after the event.

 

[Voidz]

I do believe the 911 caller said he could see him downstairs, on the floor next to the bed. I am not positive. However, looking at the layout, there are no bedrooms on the floor you are on at front door, only floor below, and floor above. I guess it is possible they climed the balcony to see this, but I would assume climbing over the fence, and looking through ground floor windows would be easiest, less disruptive and dangerous. He did say he could see through a window.

My locksmith family member who has assessed the photos says the balcony doors would be a highly probable access point into the house by the murderer.

 

[warp3dwing]

All great points. I’m not real tech savvy, but I wonder if theres data on the phone/watch that essentially says “this person had a 5am alarm set and that alarm was never turned off.” I know when I wake up in the middle of the night, I sometimes tap my phone to see what time it is. I wonder if that is recorded and they know the victims had activity up until that point. It’s also possible a nearby camera recorded the audio of the shots at a precise time and they’re asking for video 90 minutes prior and 90 minutes after the event.

All that absolutely is tracked. Backlight, phone orientation, alarms, all of it.

Depending on certain factors, it could take a while to forensically extract and parse the data.

 

[ttjo]

`

I do believe the 911 caller said he could see him downstairs, on the floor next to the bed. I am not positive. However, looking at the layout, there are no bedrooms on the floor you are on at front door, only floor below, and floor above. I guess it is possible they climed the balcony to see this, but I would assume climbing over the fence, and looking through ground floor windows would be easiest, less disruptive and dangerous. He did say he could see through a window.

I heard him say “ there is a body” he is laying in his bed …off his bed” That part “ his”. And him saying that he saw a body created confusion and speculation IMO. All I have ever read says only that they were found :” inside their house”

 

[Speculaytor]

Someone pointed out, on another site, the timing of the killing is odd if a targeted hit. Why not wait until Jan 1st, or the weekend when Spencer would be off work, and not missed, giving more time between event and discovery? Was it someone who wanted the kids to be found right away, to be safe and not alone? So, so many questions.

 

[Ms Scarlett]

This YouTube video contains some of LE’s radio traffic from the morning of the crime. I believe this confirms that the friend was inside the home when he saw Spencer.

At the 10:38 minute mark in the video, I believe the officer says, “ There was a 4A on the back door. I have three males inside. They were doing a check, so someone can…”
I cant understand the rest of his sentence.

Police code 4A = Open door/window.

 

[Ms Scarlett]

This YouTube video contains some of LE’s radio traffic from the morning of the crime. I believe this confirms that the friend was inside the home when he saw Spencer.

At the 10:38 minute mark in the video, I believe the officer says, “ There was a 4A on the back door. I have three males inside. They were doing a check, so someone can…”
I cant understand the rest of his sentence.

Police code 4A = Open door/window.

You can click the “Watch on YouTube” link to get to the video.

 

[threesevenninefour]

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…

How is it bizarre when the police had already been to the scene and left? The friend heard the children (that he likely had a relationship with) crying. I would think it was bizarre NOT to try to get in at that point.

MOO.

 

[OhioSleuth614]

I'm curious what information LE has access to that has enabled them to narrow the span of time here. A three-hour window in the dead of the night, IMO, makes it less likely that either of the victims were awake and therefore more probable that they were helplessly vulnerable to the attack. I do realize that ST could have been awake at that hour given that he seemed to have a lengthy commute to the dental practice.

Possible evidentiary information I can think of:

Cell phone data
Video footage
Alarm auto-data (such as a door opening/closing)
Time of death (not yet announced, as far as I'm aware)
Apple/smart watch data (if either of the Tepes wore them)

Can anybody else add to this list?

JMO, but for me, this case serves as a reminder that, just as we don't know who among us are the predators, neither do we know which of us can become the prey, nor when or where. Sometimes life feels like a lottery.

Knowing the area, I have to believe they have something on video. It just seems like it would be nearly impossible to get into their house and then out of the area without being captured by at least a few cameras. I’m cautiously optimistic that CPD has a suspect in mind and is tracking them while they continue building their case.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

This YouTube video contains some of LE’s radio traffic from the morning of the crime. I believe this confirms that the friend was inside the home when he saw Spencer.

At the 10:38 minute mark in the video, I believe the officer says, “ There was a 4A on the back door. I have three males inside. They were doing a check, so someone can…”
I cant understand the rest of his sentence.

Police code 4A = Open door/window.

Good find.

 

[ttjo]

This YouTube video contains some of LE’s radio traffic from the morning of the crime. I believe this confirms that the friend was inside the home when he saw Spencer.

At the 10:38 minute mark in the video, I believe the officer says, “ There was a 4A on the back door. I have three males inside. They were doing a check, so someone can…”
I cant understand the rest of his sentence.

Police code 4A = Open door/window.

It’s so hard to hear, does he say 4 on the back door or 7?