Michael David McKee was arrested in Illinois after Spencer and Monique Tepe were found shot dead in Columbus home
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Fmr police chief outlines possible motives in ex-husband’s alleged murder of Ohio dentist and wife
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A former police chief revealed the “multitude” of reasons why an ex-husband may have allegedly killed an Ohio dentist and his wife, saying something recent likely triggered him.
Michael David McKee, 39, was arrested in Rockford, Illinois, after allegedly killing both Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, on Dec. 30. Both were found dead with gunshot wounds in their Columbus, Ohio, home. McKee is Monique’s ex-husband, according to court records.
Court documents show Monique filed for divorce in 2017, just two years after the pair got married on Aug. 22, 2015. McKee has lived in various states, including Virginia, Nevada and Illinois, since 2020, according to public records. McKee recently moved to Chicago, Illinois, and was a vascular surgeon in the Rockford, Illinois, area.
McKee, who appeared in a Rockford, Illinois, courtroom on Monday afternoon, waived his extradition rights, and his attorney indicated he’ll plead not guilty after going back to Ohio. He’s charged with two counts of premeditated aggravated murder charges in Ohio in relation to Spencer and Monique’s deaths. McKee was booked at the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois just before noon Saturday, jail records show.
OHIO DENTIST MURDERS: ALLEY VIDEO, NO FORCED ENTRY FUEL INSIDER FEARS, EXPERTS SAY
Ohio dentist Dr. Spencer Tepe and his wife, Monique Tepe, were shot and killed inside their home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. Monique’s ex-husband, Michael David McKee, right, has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder. (Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office/Rob Misleh)
McKee appeared emotionless when he entered the courtroom on Monday, only saying “Yes” to the judge when asked by the judge to confirm his identity.
Court documents say police identified McKee by linking him to a car that arrived in the Tepes’ neighborhood shortly before the murders and left just after the homicides. That car was located in Rockford, Illinois, and authorities found evidence linking it to McKee. While McKee worked at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, he had an apartment in downtown Chicago.
Former Fort Worth Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead and a Genasys spokesman told Fox News Digital there’s a “multitude of reasons” McKee may have killed Monique almost nine years after the couple got divorced. Halstead said he has worked with Columbus police in the past.
FRANTIC 911 CALLS DETAIL MOMENTS BEFORE COLUMBUS DENTIST AND WIFE FOUND DEAD: ‘THERE’S A BODY’
Michael McKee appears in court at Winnebago County Justice Center, Monday, January 12, 2026, in Rockford, Illinois. McKee is facing extradition to Ohio for the murder of his ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband, Spencer Tepe. (WIFR via Pool)
“I think what’s going to be critical for the investigators is a lot of the online search capacity, a lot, are there any recent chats? Were there any changes in the suspect’s demeanor in the last few months, last few years that could start delineating some type of frustration, revenge, outrage, jealousy, depression, anything, but usually the long-standing separation from the relationship, something had to trigger,” Halstead said.
Halstead said in similar cases he’s covered, there was financial strain or some type of jealousy issue, but said McKee’s alleged murders of Spencer and Monique goes well beyond that.
Spencer and Monique Tepe were preparing to celebrate their five-year wedding anniversary. (Rob Misleh)
“I’ve seen these in times, in cases before, sometimes it’s relative to financial strain, financial hardship or something that the divorce was causing. This does not look like it would be the case here, but investigators are gonna have a lot of digging to find out potential motive other than just an ex-husband or jealousy,” he said.
However, Halstead said something recently had to have triggered McKee to allegedly kill the couple, and says it’s not “random.”
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“I think it’s going to be a recent event that triggered the anger which started this planning. It’s not random by any means. There was something that happened, whether it’s an episode or an argument or something that motivated this person to plan this and then carry it out,” Halstead said.
The couple was killed one month short of celebrating their five-year wedding anniversary, Rob Misleh, Spencer’s brother-in-law, told WSYX.
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