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

[Mayor Perk]

Yeah, I think he had a non-compete based on the lawsuit over non-compete from the dentist at office where S.T. previously worked.

I also wonder how long has he been at the new dentistry practice, because some articles say he recently started working there?

ST had a lawsuit against him from his previous employer? That's interesting. ST previously worked for a dental practice in Ashland, OH which is 80 miles north Columbus. Ashland is a 2.5-hour drive and some 140 miles from ST's employer in Athens.

It's interesting that both of his jobs were so far away from his homebase in Columbus.

 

[kwins]

Yeah, I think he had a non-compete based on the lawsuit over non-compete from the dentist at office where S.T. previously worked.

I also wonder how long has he been at the new dentistry practice, because some articles say he recently started working there?

FTC issued a ban on non-compete clauses in 2024, and any prior clauses were deemed unenforceable. FTC issues ban on noncompete clauses

An Internet Archive search of the dental office URL indicates that he started his employment by June 2024.

 

[3mber]

I’ve been lurking until now, but I’m going to jump into the fray—starting with the BIL.

All comments are my opinion only.

In a world where we constantly overshare on social media, this is what I see happening with the BIL. I think it’s about wanting attention and being in the spotlight, even if unintentional. That sounds harsh, but I’m not trying to be critical.

Is his openness helping keep the story alive? Yes, but not in the right ways. For the security and privacy of the family, and the integrity of the investigation, I feel he needs to dial it back.

Does the public need to know that the kids are staying with relatives? No. What if—hypothetically speaking—the killer is having thoughts of “M/S screamed my name when they realized what was happening. What if 4yo heard?” Or, “4yo knows me and knew I visited that night. What if she tells?” In that scenario, the safety of the children and their caregivers could be in jeopardy. Likely? Probably not. But possible. Because the killer and their motive is unknown at this time, protecting the family is paramount.

Regarding privacy, how many times have we seen families request privacy as they grieve the loss of a loved one to violent crime? More often than not, I’d say. If I were in a similar situation, I’d be very upset if a family member shared information so loosely and publicly.

Regarding the integrity of the investigation, well, let’s just say there’s a reason LE releases only pertinent information to the public. I don’t really think the BIL has said anything detrimental to the case so far, but who knows?

As a PR professional, I maintain that less is more.

 

[tricia]

Hi Everyone.
I had my friend take a picture of me begging. Scroll down and you will see it.
Please do not talk about the brother-in-law and even hint that he is a suspect or person of interest. He is not. If that changes, then yes, you can discuss him. If he is acting as a spokesperson, you can discuss what he is saying about the case. Imagine you have this horrific murder in your family, and you go online and see people you don't know suggest you are a suspect. Do you know how much stress that would add to a person's life in a time like this? Your words have power, and your words are forever on the Internet.
Change of topic.
On your desktop, scroll down a bit and look to your right. You will see our new interactive, comprehensive rules. If you are on your phone, just scroll to the bottom. This should really help you when you are posting on Websleuths.
Thanks, everyone. I do appreciate your cooperation
Tricia

 

[wibbleflea]

Relative Says Crying Woman Who Made 'Domestic Dispute' 911 Call '100%' Wasn't Ohio Dentist's Wife

Monique and Spencer Tepe were found fatally shot in their home in December.

people.com

Misleh, who is married to Spencer's sister, initially told the Surviving The Survivor Podcast that the 911 call was made during a house party at the Tepes home, but now clarifies to PEOPLE that the incident he recalled on the podcast was from years earlier, and he had mixed up dates.

However, he maintains definitively that the woman who made the 911 call in April is not Monique either, especially given the language on the call.

Earlier in the same piece:

"Whatever FOX News showed, I think it just maybe pinged at their address, that's probably a neighbor," he says. "It's so obviously not Monique's voice. It's not them."

 

[kwins]

ST had a lawsuit against him from his previous employer? That's interesting. ST previously worked for a dental practice in Ashland, OH which is 80 miles north Columbus. Ashland is a 2.5-hour drive and some 140 miles from ST's employer in Athens.

It's interesting that both of his jobs were so far away from his homebase in Columbus.

No, he did not. The lawsuit was a non-compete between a Dr. Ginn DDS and a Dr. Martin DDS.
Ginn vs. Stonecreek Dental Care. I would link to the case, but it was so lengthy due to appeals, it's just easier for interested people to search for themselves. Case was started in 2015 and did not resolve until 2019.

 

[tlcya]

Relative Says Crying Woman Who Made 'Domestic Dispute' 911 Call '100%' Wasn't Ohio Dentist's Wife

Monique and Spencer Tepe were found fatally shot in their home in December.

people.com

Earlier in the same piece:

this was my thought on the 911 call. This call could have been made by anyone from inside the residence or OUTSIDE the residence. Just because the call has been associated with that address does not mean it came from within the home and it does not mean the call had anything whatsoever to do with the now deceased couple. JMO

 

[Aquabot13]

I would suggest the family consider professional help so they do not further traumatize the child. Right now the 4 year old is going to cue off the adults around her. She does not understand the concept of death. She just knows all the adults are upset and acting oddly.

I'm with you - thankfully the BIL did mention in the interview clip someone posted today that they're consulting with child psychologists.

Still rubs me the wrong way for some reason. I'd expect a professional spokesperson or lawyer at this point, as well as a public-facing lockdown on the family, especially the kids.

There's really no need, especially right now, to be giving podcast interviews about how you don't know how to tell the kids that their parents are dead. He seems very lost despite psychologist involvement. It makes me wonder if the psychologist is a police resource and not somebody the family hired to work with the kids.

It makes much more sense, IMO, to close ranks, use the dad's lawyer connections to get a spokesperson, and release a simple "This is an indescribable tragedy. The family is appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from their communities. The children, of course, are the family's priority at this time. They are physically safe in the care of loving relatives and are receiving external support as appropriate. The family respectfully asks for privacy at this time as they continue to grieve and pursue justice. Please contact police directly with any tips." statement.

I understand clearing up misconceptions, but the whole thing is very chaotic. Even his reference to the kids staying with multiple family members over the last week is a little weird - why wouldn't you keep them stable during this? In the absence of a police request to move them, of course.

Part of me thinks the BIL is panicking and this is his fight or flight response and part of me thinks he likes to hear himself talk. I don't think he's involved, though.

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

Relative Says Crying Woman Who Made 'Domestic Dispute' 911 Call '100%' Wasn't Ohio Dentist's Wife

Monique and Spencer Tepe were found fatally shot in their home in December.

people.com

Earlier in the same piece:

So, it seems we indeed have two 9-1-1 calls from their home relating to domestic violence concerns in the years they’ve lived there.

 

[armchairagatha]

I’ve been lurking until now, but I’m going to jump into the fray—starting with the BIL.

All comments are my opinion only.

In a world where we constantly overshare on social media, this is what I see happening with the BIL. I think it’s about wanting attention and being in the spotlight, even if unintentional. That sounds harsh, but I’m not trying to be critical.

Is his openness helping keep the story alive? Yes, but not in the right ways. For the security and privacy of the family, and the integrity of the investigation, I feel he needs to dial it back.

Does the public need to know that the kids are staying with relatives? No. What if—hypothetically speaking—the killer is having thoughts of “M/S screamed my name when they realized what was happening. What if 4yo heard?” Or, “4yo knows me and knew I visited that night. What if she tells?” In that scenario, the safety of the children and their caregivers could be in jeopardy. Likely? Probably not. But possible. Because the killer and their motive is unknown at this time, protecting the family is paramount.

Regarding privacy, how many times have we seen families request privacy as they grieve the loss of a loved one to violent crime? More often than not, I’d say. If I were in a similar situation, I’d be very upset if a family member shared information so loosely and publicly.

Regarding the integrity of the investigation, well, let’s just say there’s a reason LE releases only pertinent information to the public. I don’t really think the BIL has said anything detrimental to the case so far, but who knows?

As a PR professional, I maintain that less is more.

If you take a step back and see what the BIL has been doing, it is just positive PR for how wholesome of a family the Tepes were. He is defending their reputation more than trying to find the murderer. In fact, he was trying to be neutral about the POI. No appeal from anyone in the family to find the murderer AFAIK. What does that tell you? I still think it is murder-suicide that the loved ones are trying to cover. JMO. We will know soon enough once the Police release all reports of their investigation.

 

[midwesttowest]

What did he say? I know links aren't allowed but hopefully it's okay to just discuss his words since he's been interviewing and such.

If you learn his name through news articles, he has a public Facebook. I’m not sure if I am able to share what was said by him or not!

 

[wibbleflea]

this was my thought on the 911 call. This call could have been made by anyone from inside the residence or OUTSIDE the residence. Just because the call has been associated with that address does not mean it came from within the home and it does not mean the call had anything whatsoever to do with the now deceased couple.

Agreed. And there’s some mix-up with public address records, from what I gather upthread, so it’s possible that a caller name, an approximate cellphone geolocation and imperfect public records led to inaccurate media reporting. (I’m speculating.)

 

[wibbleflea]

So, it seems we indeed have two 9-1-1 calls from their home relating to domestic violence concerns in the years they’ve lived there.

His point is that this call wasn’t from their home.

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

I'm with you - thankfully the BIL did mention in the interview clip someone posted today that they're consulting with child psychologists.

Still rubs me the wrong way for some reason. I'd expect a professional spokesperson or lawyer at this point, as well as a public-facing lockdown on the family, especially the kids.

There's really no need, especially right now, to be giving podcast interviews about how you don't know how to tell the kids that their parents are dead. He seems very lost despite psychologist involvement. It makes me wonder if the psychologist is a police resource and not somebody the family hired to work with the kids.

It makes much more sense, IMO, to close ranks, use the dad's lawyer connections to get a spokesperson, and release a simple "This is an indescribable tragedy. The family is appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from their communities. The children, of course, are the family's priority at this time. They are physically safe in the care of loving relatives and are receiving external support as appropriate. The family respectfully asks for privacy at this time as they continue to grieve and pursue justice. Please contact police directly with any tips." statement.

I understand clearing up misconceptions, but the whole thing is very chaotic. Even his reference to the kids staying with multiple family members over the last week is a little weird - why wouldn't you keep them stable during this? In the absence of a police request to move them, of course.

Part of me thinks the BIL is panicking and this is his fight or flight response and part of me thinks he likes to hear himself talk. I don't think he's involved, though.

People criticize families for hiring lawyers, and it’s well known that media attention can result in additional resources being devoted to a case. So, I can understand how he came to the decision (presumably with the family’s consent) to talk to the media. I just think the content of some of what he is sharing is unwise.

 

[Amy0077]

If you take a step back and see what the BIL has been doing, it is just positive PR for how wholesome of a family the Tepes were. He is defending their reputation more than trying to find the murderer. In fact, he was trying to be neutral about the POI. No appeal from anyone in the family to find the murderer AFAIK. What does that tell you? I still think it is murder-suicide that the loved ones are trying to cover. JMO. We will know soon enough once the Police release all reports of their investigation.

Very interesting. . .

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

His point is that this call wasn’t from their home.

He’s guessing, which is meaningless. He’s saying he doesn’t know anything about the call earlier last year, only that evidently there was a similar call a few years back that he did hear about. (Trying to talk your way out of saying too much often isn’t a successful strategy.)

 

[PGHJW]

If I’m understanding you correctly, I very much disagree that you should be settling a problem with your “man” in your own space vs calling 911, when a call to 911 is warranted. It is notable that when the 911 operator asked her if the fight had gotten physical, she said she hadn’t been “hit.” Physical violence often starts with shoving.

No, but if anyone has issues like that keep it in your home. That's the problem. Everyone is performative now. Everyone wants to make a scene. Why? Because everyone feels they're on a tv show. People who keep things private stay out of trouble.

 

[academyrd]

this was my thought on the 911 call. This call could have been made by anyone from inside the residence or OUTSIDE the residence. Just because the call has been associated with that address does not mean it came from within the home and it does not mean the call had anything whatsoever to do with the now deceased couple. JMO

Well how does 911 call address mapping work? If you are walking down the street your call gets assigned to the nearest house that your phone pings by? That seems.... error prone?

 

[moonglow123]

People criticize families for hiring lawyers, and it’s well known that media attention can result in additional resources being devoted to a case. So, I can understand how he came to the decision (presumably with the family’s consent) to talk to the media. I just think the content of some of what he is sharing is unwise.

Yeah, that's fair.

It's a fine line to walk because so many cases go cold and fall out of the media once another big story replaces them. I'm completely understanding of a family member wanting to give interviews and ensure the case gets the attention and manpower it deserves, as you said. And acting fast is important since people have short memories and may forget anything suspicious/notable they saw as more time passes.

I can't speak to his words potentially jeopardizing any future legal proceedings, that would be unfortunate if so. It does seem like the hate on social media is getting to him, so he may stop acting as the family spokesperson.

 

[microsleuth88]

FTC issued a ban on non-compete clauses in 2024, and any prior clauses were deemed unenforceable. FTC issues ban on noncompete clauses

An Internet Archive search of the dental office URL indicates that he started his employment by June 2024.

Absolutely inaccurate. That fell through and never happened. FTC Announces Rule Banning Noncompetes

Unfortunately, a large number of healthcare workers across many disciplines are currently under non-compete contracts.