A weapon linked to the deaths of an Ohio dentist and his wife was found at the property of the woman's ex-husband, an Illinois surgeon charged in the fatal shootings, police said Wednesday.
After his arrest, multiple firearms were seized from the property of Michael McKee, one of which police think is the murder weapon, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant told NBC News.
McKee is the ex-husband of Monique Tepe, 39, who was found dead with her 37-year-old husband, Spencer Tepe, last month at their Columbus home.
He was arrested 400 miles from the crime scene Saturday and charged with two counts of aggravated murder. He appeared in an Illinois courtroom Monday and was represented by a public defender who said he plans to plead not guilty.
Bryant said she could not comment on a motive.
“What we can say, this was a targeted attack," Bryant said. "This was a domestic violence-related attack."
Columbus police did not have previous reports or calls involving the ex-husband at the Tepes' home, which the couple moved into in 2020, Bryant said.
McKee, 39, and Monique Tepe married in 2015 and divorced because of "incompatibility" two years later, after they were already living separately, records show.
Family members said they lived together for only seven months and alleged that McKee was emotionally abusive.
"It was so impactful that she had to leave the relationship so abruptly and get out because she was so worried," said Rob Misleh, Spencer Tepe’s brother-in-law.
Bryant said McKee's vehicle was seen on security video near the Tepes’ home "just before the murders."
Police have said there were no signs of forced entry at the house. Officials have not provided details about how McKee entered his ex-wife's home.
"This being such an ongoing and very fluid investigation, it's really important for us to make sure that we share the things that aren't going to compromise the case," Bryant told NBC News.
The couple were discovered dead at their Columbus home on Dec. 30 after worried friends and colleagues called authorities.
A friend of Spencer Tepe’s called 911 after he stopped by the Tepes' home to check on him and found him lying next to his bed in a puddle of blood.
The couple's otherwise unharmed children could be heard crying in the background, according to a transcript of the call.
"We have two little children who have lost their parents, a family that will never be the same," Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther told NBC News on Wednesday. "I’m going to ask the people of Columbus to continue to lift up and pray for this family."
McKee was arrested by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Rockford, Illinois, about 90 miles west of Chicago, where he is listed as a vascular surgeon at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center.
As of Wednesday, McKee was being held in the Winnebago County Jail in Illinois, police said.
Ginther said he would be extradited to Columbus but did not provide an exact date.
McKee is expected to be formally charged when he arrives in Columbus.
