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

  • #1,341
I'm not surprised it didn't wake a 4 and 1 year old. Parents have all sorts of noise control happening for kids rooms, sound machines, sleeping with stuffies, etc. There is actually studies of young kids sleeping through smoke alarms for this reason. They sleep more deeply than us adults AND parents will do anything to make sure their kids stay asleep. Which usually means white noise, insulations and more.

What I"m MORE surprised by is that a dog didn't go berserk-o about this whole thing.
Who's to say the dog didn't? At least in the moment anyway. If the children slept through the gunshots, it would be a safe bet to say they slept through any noise the dog might have made, too. I haven't seen any neighbours report hearing the shots so again, wouldn't have heard the dog go berserk either. jmo.
 
  • #1,342
I don't think a suppresor was used.

We've heard that people haven't heard the gunshots, but there might be people who did but we don't know about them yet.

The kids might have awoken. For all we know, they yelled for mom or dad and nobody came so they went back to sleep.

And, neighbors might have heard but assumed it was a fireworks since it's New Year's season. Or people heard them but fell back asleep without concern when the noise stopped and they didn't hear sirens or additional ruckus.

I'm leaning toward random (but ready to change my mind when we learn more).

If this were targeted, wouldn't they have been shot in the head? Weren't they shot in the chest?

jmopinion
Why do you ask about head vs chest, I am just curious that you equate one being indicative of targeted? I am thinking chest because it is an easier, larger target than the head, especially if not directly next to them when they were shot. MOO of course.
 
  • #1,343
I also wonder if police think the suspect was in the house for a long time. The 2 to 5 time frame is interesting. If they have a smart watch that might give a time of death for one or both of the victims, then I wonder if they have maybe the times the door was open and closed or if they are using the video evidence they have with the guy walking in the alley as a starting point. Maybe that video was close to 2am and maybe a time of death was after that. Also, a thought if the person was in the house a while before killing the victims.

Does the key pad entry door record when the doors are opened and closed? If so they would have the exact times the doors were opened and closed.
I've been wondering that too. I'm assuming after the shootings, the perp would leave so I'm thinking the departure time is firmer than the arrival time.

I admit I'm recalling the horrific crime in DC when the perp was in the house for hours (and even ordered pizza...and left his DNA on the crust).

The shooting in the chest rather than the head (if that is true) is nagging at me. If targeted, why not go for the head, especially if he suprised them in bed?


jmo
 
  • #1,344
Video of several friends laying flowers at the Tepe home.

 
Last edited:
  • #1,345
Who's to say the dog didn't? At least in the moment anyway. If the children slept through the gunshots, it would be a safe bet to say they slept through any noise the dog might have made, too. I haven't seen any neighbours report hearing the shots so again, wouldn't have heard the dog go berserk either. jmo.
I guess I was just thinking a dog going berserk would be more likely wake the kids up than 3 short gunshots.

A dog going mental while his owners are murdered I'd imagine would go on for longer and be more of a noticed noise to them.
 
  • #1,346
Why do you ask about head vs chest, I am just curious that you equate one being indicative of targeted? I am thinking chest because it is an easier, larger target than the head, especially if not directly next to them when they were shot. MOO of course.
This is pure guessing, but a shot to the head is more than likely to be instantly fatal, while a shot to the torso might not be. If he didn't hit the heart or something vital, a person could possibly survive to torso shot, even if only a short time.

The torso hit seems like a panic shooting, to STOP someone.

Again, I'm not strong on any theory at this point, even as I lean toward random panic, not someone who deliberately entered the house to kill. I'm ready to change my mind when we learn more.

jmopinion, subject to change as we learn more
 
  • #1,347
He seems to be hitting himself in the head to get ahold of himself or sike himself up to do something maybe he knows is wrong but feels compelled to do for some other reason (money?)
I thought he might be blocking another camera?
 
  • #1,348
OMG. I took the police vid, paused it and took this screenshot that I then blew up. For a split second, twice, it seems he looks straight ahead and his face is captured by the camera. Look, can we make out a face? OMG?
Screenshot 2026-01-06 at 5.31.05 AM.webp
 
  • #1,349
I agree he was being very nonchalant, but haven’t we all decided that he is walking toward their house and not away from it in the video?
Sorry I was not aware of the directionality. I incorrectly assumed perhaps it was exit path, not entrance.

Thanks for the info. It is still showing a degree of calm. Someone on their way to commit a double murder, just walking down the street nonchalantly.
 
  • #1,350
I've been wondering that too. I'm assuming after the shootings, the perp would leave so I'm thinking the departure time is firmer than the arrival time.

I admit I'm recalling the horrific crime in DC when the perp was in the house for hours (and even ordered pizza...and left his DNA on the crust).

The shooting in the chest rather than the head (if that is true) is nagging at me. If targeted, why not go for the head, especially if he suprised them in bed?


jmo
With a dog in the house it also leaves me wondering if this person was known to the Tepe's because if someone was in the house before or after the crime for any length of time, did the dog not notice? I wonder if the dog was kenneled at night maybe? I know it's common for younger dogs, but I believe the Tepe's dog was older if I recall correctly the dog was his before they were married so at least 5 or 6 years old if the Tepes were married in 2021. I know we have always kenneled our dogs when they were in the chewing stage which lasts 2-3 years for labs (the dogs we've had) and as they age they settle down and are able to be out at night, but we would leave the kennel door open and sometimes they chose to lay in there, but were not locked in. I wonder where their dog slept at night. I'd say the dog couldn't have been too crazy or it likely would have been shot also. Even a non-aggressive dog would likely bark with a stranger in the house at night so did the dog know this person or was it just not even in the room/free in the house to be able to bark or try to get in the way of what was going on?
 
  • #1,351
OMG. I took the police vid, paused it and took this screenshot that I then blew up. For a split second, twice, it seems he looks straight ahead and his face is captured by the camera. Look, can we make out a face? OMG?View attachment 635376
Good find!
 
  • #1,352
OMG. I took the police vid, paused it and took this screenshot that I then blew up. For a split second, twice, it seems he looks straight ahead and his face is captured by the camera. Look, can we make out a face? OMG?View attachment 635376
Describe where you’re seeing face—interesting.
 
  • #1,353
Their choice to live in this area with small children strikes me as odd

I assume they felt an attachment to their very nice home and its memories, didn't want the stress and expense of moving, and it felt as safe as anywhere else to them. Not everyone lives from the fear of a hypothetical "what if."
 
  • #1,354
Good find!
Thanks. I have several shots. You can see the face 3 times from about 4-8 second mark on the police video. You can only catch it if you pause the video and go frame by frame with cursor. But, it is very obvious when you slow it down that 3 times the light catches his face as he comes into view and he looks slightly up to look ahead. Otherwise, he is looking down and hood obscures his face. It's like he is the new "Bridge Guy". I keep waiting for someone to enhance the video, or screenshots, and clean it up so we can see more.
 
  • #1,355
OMG. I took the police vid, paused it and took this screenshot that I then blew up. For a split second, twice, it seems he looks straight ahead and his face is captured by the camera. Look, can we make out a face? OMG?View attachment 635376
Great job.

To me, it doesn’t look like he’s wearing a mask. It looks like a male with potentially a goatee.
 
  • #1,356
Describe where you’re seeing face—interesting.
To me, it looks like right beneath the top of the hood, the dark oval shapes look like sunglasses, a nose, and then a mustache.

Probably not at all accurate, but I do see a face as well.
 
  • #1,357
The boots really stood out to me more than anything. Gen Z males don't wear boots much. I would guess this guy is 40+.
 
  • #1,358
OMG. I took the police vid, paused it and took this screenshot that I then blew up. For a split second, twice, it seems he looks straight ahead and his face is captured by the camera. Look, can we make out a face? OMG?View attachment 635376
Does it look like he has a mustache or is it just me?
 
  • #1,359
Does it look like he has a mustache or is it just me?
The picture is pixelated, so I am not sure what we are seeing beyond light skin. I do see what appear to be dark glasses, a nose, and possible mustache. I just grabbed several more screenshots that I will have to look at later.

If you look at the police video and pause it just as he is entering frame, then move the cursor frame by frame, very slowly, for several seconds you can see him move in slow mo, and catch him look slightly up to see ahead about 3 times. They are brief glimpses that are missed when watching the video at normal speed.

I have no doubt the police know more as they have more video, and capabilities to enhance that we don't. I imagine they don't release something too distorted as they would get too many tips. It would be nearly impossible to say much about this person in the video from the picture I captured. Maybe light skinned, but was light pointing on them making it appear that way? And if light skinned, that still doesn't necessarily mean white.
 
  • #1,360
Could someone have used a silencer and that’s why no one heard?
 

Guardians Monthly Goal

Staff online

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
220
Guests online
1,715
Total visitors
1,935

Forum statistics

Threads
637,077
Messages
18,709,146
Members
244,039
Latest member
MurdockRaven45
Back
Top