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

[JaimeInLA]

Please ask your observant daughter to take a look at his shoes / boots.

To me (very unfashionable and non trendy) they look like boots and have an industrial look to them. I thought they might even be steel toed boots- of the olde school, utilitarian sort. As a side note, some steel toed boot are designed with a more fashionable look.

That aside, many people who wear industrial boots of any sort are not inclined to select jeans based on fashion cuts ie "skinny". Selecting boot cut jeans is a different story.

Getting to the point....

Maybe the guy was striving for some sort of "look" between the skinny jeans and the seemingly industrial look shoes / boots? Has your daughter ever heard of such a look? Sort of say... a "punk" look variation?

Ok just showed her. She said she hadn’t noticed the boots at first, and had assumed they were hiking style sneakers. But now that you mention it, as he passes the camera and is walking away, you can see that they have a bit of a heel. Almost like a square toed cowboy boot with the jeans outside the boot. She said college boys at OSU “would never.” Haha. This confirmed her initial impression that this is a man in his 30s.

 

[hexicon]

It has been assumed that robbery was not a motive. But who would know if PART of her jewelry was missing, or anything else unknown. My father had a coin collection. Had someone taken 1/4 of it, my mother would never have known.

I mention this because that would be another reason to go to the bedroom. To steal small, easy to pass valuables. (Watches, wallets, jewelry, these days phones, tablets). Shot because Monique woke up and was shot, Spencer started to get up was wounded, then a final, fatal shot (why he was on the floor).

While it looks like targeted on the surface, I have to leave robbery on the table unless someone knew everything they owned and has accounted for all of it.

I agree that so far this seems the most likely. I think it is targeted in the sense that the killer knew that someone called "Doctor" lived there and targeted them for robbery because he assumed a medical professional would have prescription drugs, plus small valuables like cash and jewelry. Maybe the door was unlocked through a fluke or maybe there is a connection such as the perp being the relative of a cleaning person or dogwalker with access to the code. The perp hopes to surprise them in their bed and hold them up for drugs, then panics or lashes out when they explain they don't have any drugs in the house. In that scenario, the perp might not have actually taken anything at all.

Side note: JMO, but in addition to incorrectly assuming that a medical professional would have drugs, I think a prospective home invasion robber would be wrong about the amount of cash and jewelry at the house of an upper-middle-class person. People like that use banks and safe deposit boxes and might not have a ton of valuables lying around (which could upset a robber). In my area lower-income East and South Asian immigrants have been targeted for home invasions because they are less likely to use banks and they keep their assets at home as cash or gold jewelry.

 

[MntnHiker]

Assuming this wasn't a completely random, spur-of-the-moment, walking by and decided to murder two people, situation (which is still possible but I am leaning away from that), I am curious why THIS particular night was chosen for the crime. Was this revenge for a slight over something that happened very recently so still fresh in the killer's mind? Was the date symbolic to the killer for some reason?

Or if neither of those, why did they choose this night? It could be that due to the holidays, they believed other neighbors to not be around as they were out of town, perhaps even surveilling ahead of time? Does anyone know if the Tepes were planning to go out of town for the new year holiday, and maybe the killer felt this was their last shot for awhile? Had they tried to commit this crime other nights previously and something was off and just not feeling right, but this night felt good for them?

Just something I'm curious about. They chose a work night where Spencer was expected at work the next day (unless they were unaware he was working that day), which means his absence would be noticed pretty quickly vs. a weekend where maybe they don't have plans right away and it could be a day+ before the alarm is raised with friends/family/work.

 

[MassGuy]

I agree that so far this seems the most likely. I think it is targeted in the sense that the killer knew that someone called "Doctor" lived there and targeted them for robbery because he assumed a medical professional would have prescription drugs, plus small valuables like cash and jewelry. Maybe the door was unlocked through a fluke or maybe there is a connection such as the perp being the relative of a cleaning person or dogwalker with access to the code. The perp hopes to surprise them in their bed and hold them up for drugs, then panics or lashes out when they explain they don't have any drugs in the house. In that scenario, the perp might not have actually taken anything at all.

Side note: JMO, but in addition to incorrectly assuming that a medical professional would have drugs, I think a prospective home invasion robber would be wrong about the amount of cash and jewelry at the house of an upper-middle-class person. People like that use banks and safe deposit boxes and might not have a ton of valuables lying around (which could upset a robber). In my area lower-income East and South Asian immigrants have been targeted for home invasions because they are less likely to use banks and they keep their assets at home as cash or gold jewelry.

My issue is that there doesn't seem to be chaos here. In a situation like that I would expect more than 3 gunshots.

 

[JaimeInLA]

Very common to wear boots in winter weather in OH. Not wearing them is impractical and would stand out.

Actually, it’s not that common on campus. My daughter was in a sorority at Ohio State (the past 3 years) and you would be shocked to see what they wear to go out in the dead of winter. I’m talking tube tops and mini skirts. Girls do sometimes wear Ugg boots. But the boys really don’t wear traditional snow boots. They wear sneakers, even in winter. Nobody wants to clomp around the bars in bulky boots. My daughter says it would be very unusual for a typical frat boy type (who would be out after 2 AM) to wear boots. They want to all assimilate and it’s just “not cool” to dress appropriately for the weather. And it makes you too hot once you get where you are going.

It does appear this POI is wearing boots. Another reason to suspect he is older. Closer to the age of the victims.

 

[katydid23]

I’ve been trying to find scenarios that fit the little that we THINK we know.

What if someone they knew and cared about…came to the house, distressed, in trouble, or fearful and they not only let that person in…they offered him/her a place to sleep in the downstairs guest room. What if that person brought a gun with them, unbeknownst to the Dentist and his wife.

Suppose S came down early morning (before he got ready for work) to check on this person, and either startled him or an argument ensued. S is shot and falls by the bed. M might have started down at the sound of gunshots and became a victim as well.

The ‘guest’ leaves.

There have certainly been stories on here over he years where caring victims were killed by a disturbed individual that they were truly trying to help.

We have heard stories about ST being a mentor for younger males, like in Big Brother type programs. Maybe someone he has been helping is actually a troubled soul?

 

[kwins]

Someone left a reply on this video

, which states that the couple installed a child-proof keypad security lock that requires a code from the inside before the door can be unlocked and opened.

I'm assuming all the doors to the home had this type of safety lock.

 

[Voidz]

Assuming this wasn't a completely random, spur-of-the-moment, walking by and decided to murder two people, situation (which is still possible but I am leaning away from that), I am curious why THIS particular night was chosen for the crime. Was this revenge for a slight over something that happened very recently so still fresh in the killer's mind? Was the date symbolic to the killer for some reason?

Or if neither of those, why did they choose this night? It could be that due to the holidays, they believed other neighbors to not be around as they were out of town, perhaps even surveilling ahead of time? Does anyone know if the Tepes were planning to go out of town for the new year holiday, and maybe the killer felt this was their last shot for awhile? Had they tried to commit this crime other nights previously and something was off and just not feeling right, but this night felt good for them?

Just something I'm curious about. They chose a work night where Spencer was expected at work the next day (unless they were unaware he was working that day), which means his absence would be noticed pretty quickly vs. a weekend where maybe they don't have plans right away and it could be a day+ before the alarm is raised with friends/family/work.

The timing was convenient (deliberately or coincidentally) based on what I can only imagine to be lots of fireworks in the area since it was nearing New Years. My idiot neighbours were setting off fireworks at all ungodly hours leading up. I personally don’t believe the gun was silenced.

 

[MassGuy]

We have heard stories about ST being a mentor for younger males, like in Big Brother type programs. Maybe someone he has been helping is actually a troubled soul?

That's definitely an angle I'd be digging into if I was investigating this case.

 

[steeltowngirl]

It means it's cropped to be optimized for horizontal phone screens, nothing nefarious. But yes they probably have lots more footage that is not being released to the public. jmo

I hope so but..

The lack of answers has raised questions with the heavy amount of surveillance cameras in the area. Columbus Police have crime cameras installed at the intersection of N. 4th St. and E. 8th Ave., almost directly across the street from the Tepe's home.

Police release person of interest video in murders of Spencer and Monique Tepe

Police released a video showing a person of interest walking in the alley near the Tepe’s residence during the timeframe of the murders.

abc6onyourside.com

 

[JaimeInLA]

Assuming this wasn't a completely random, spur-of-the-moment, walking by and decided to murder two people, situation (which is still possible but I am leaning away from that), I am curious why THIS particular night was chosen for the crime. Was this revenge for a slight over something that happened very recently so still fresh in the killer's mind? Was the date symbolic to the killer for some reason?

Or if neither of those, why did they choose this night? It could be that due to the holidays, they believed other neighbors to not be around as they were out of town, perhaps even surveilling ahead of time? Does anyone know if the Tepes were planning to go out of town for the new year holiday, and maybe the killer felt this was their last shot for awhile? Had they tried to commit this crime other nights previously and something was off and just not feeling right, but this night felt good for them?

Just something I'm curious about. They chose a work night where Spencer was expected at work the next day (unless they were unaware he was working that day), which means his absence would be noticed pretty quickly vs. a weekend where maybe they don't have plans right away and it could be a day+ before the alarm is raised with friends/family/work.

Maybe simply because it was winter break. They were much less likely to be seen by college students who were out late at night. The population of that part of Columbus drops dramatically during the winter break because everyone leaves to go back home.

 

[BryanHall]

We have heard stories about ST being a mentor for younger males, like in Big Brother type programs. Maybe someone he has been helping is actually a troubled soul?

This is a possibility. However, I wonder why this person would walk through the neighborhood in the middle of the night and be sure they could get into the house without breaking in. He must be pretty sure to walk for blocks (it appears) to target this specific house. How did he know he could get in so easily?

 

[Voidz]

To me, the white patches around the dark parts of his knees look ripped to me, and these screenshots don't really do it justice but there is noticeable white portions of the pants akin to torn jean fabric. The dark parts look to me like there was maybe a sewn-in patch under the knee almost like the attached image, though agree it could also be mud or something. the bottoms of the jeans also look slightly more skinny cut which makes me think jeans over khakis

I wondered the same. I actually ran the image through AI and asked the question. Not saying it’s correct at all, but:

“No obvious knee holes. Any “patchy” appearance is very likely image quality + lighting, not damaged jeans.

If you want, I can also explain how compression and snow glare commonly create false “patch” effects in CCTV-style footage.”

 

[JaimeInLA]

Now that we know, both of the bodies were found upstairs, but that the friend only saw Spencer, do we think maybe the two bodies were not together?

I would really like to know if Monique was sexually assaulted. That would answer so many questions about the “why.”

 

[Fromeaster]

Now we know it's a man. I assume they let him in because they know him.

 

[Voidz]

This is a possibility. However, I wonder why this person would walk through the neighborhood in the middle of the night and be sure they could get into the house without breaking in. He must be pretty sure to walk for blocks (it appears) to target this specific house. How did he know he could get in so easily?

You know, I go back to what my locksmith relative tells me (it’s quite a good insight since he has to deal with crime scenes and burglaries and break-ins every day):

Most people don’t even know if a key has been stolen. For example, the override key on the Yale electronic lock may have been stolen by a troubled youth at that charity from his jacket or car or whatever - and Spencer may not even notice since he ways uses the code, not the mechanical key.

 

[nerosleuth]

Since there are two small children living in that home, did the home have a child proof keypad security lock on the front and back doors?

This is the kind of safety lock where small children cannot open the door from the inside without entering a pass code on the keypad.

North Fourth Street is a heavily traveled one way street that has heavy vehicular traffic all day long.

Folks are known to use both North Fourth Street and Summit Street as an alternative route to reach and leave Downtown Columbus when traffic on I-71 is backed up due to heavy traffic or accidents.

I also wonder if the house had heavy soundproofing to cut down on the traffic noise from North Fourth Street.

And if the house was soundproofed, it may explain gun shots weren't heard from the home.

 

[Ghostwheel]

Someone left a reply on this video

, which states that the couple installed a child-proof keypad security lock that requires a code from the inside before the door can be unlocked and opened.

I'm assuming all the doors to the home had this type of safety lock.

Thank you. I wondered about this as a friend of mine had one that also connected to door and window alerts for her D when she was 2-6 yo. Anything opened, an alarm sounded. But it was not an alarm system as one would normally think of one. It did not notify any company, just alerted the family.

I have no idea if the Tepes' was a single lock or a connected lock, though.

 

[KaylynnCouture]

Since there are two small children living in that home, did the home have a child proof keypad security lock on the front and back doors?

This is the kind of safety lock where small children cannot open the door from the inside without entering a pass code on the keypad.

North Fourth Street is a heavily traveled one way street that has heavy vehicular traffic all day long.

Folks are known to use both North Fourth Street and Summit Street as an alternative route to reach and leave Downtown Columbus when traffic on I-71 is backed up due to heavy traffic or accidents.

I also wonder if the house had heavy soundproofing to cut down on the traffic noise from North Fourth Street.

And if the house was soundproofed, it may explain gun shots weren't heard from the home.

Lots of good points here.

However if it was soundproofed then the caller wouldn’t have been able to hear the children crying from the outside.

IMO, a silencer was used. This perp knew what he was doing - got in, committed the crime, left nothing undisturbed, and casually walked off into the night.

 

[lawyerlurker]

I wondered the same. I actually ran the image through AI and asked the question. Not saying it’s correct at all, but:

“No obvious knee holes. Any “patchy” appearance is very likely image quality + lighting, not damaged jeans.

If you want, I can also explain how compression and snow glare commonly create false “patch” effects in CCTV-style footage.”

that makes sense to me, but I only see it on the front of the jeans, not the back. from your understanding, does that compute with image quality and lighting? I truly don't know and appreciate the insights. I just watched the video at .25 speed and I feel like there is a clear difference between front and back of pants. In the first screenshot below he is mostly facing front and the white and black color difference is notable, in the middle his left leg is blocking the right but to me there looks to be a difference between front and back of the knee, and in the third image he is fully facing away from the camera so we can only see the back and none of the white/black portions are visible. most notable difference to me is at :12-:14 of this video: