Ten days after the apparent shooting deaths of an Ohio dentist and his wife, police announced an arrest in the case, identifying the suspect as her ex-husband.
Michael David McKee, 39, was arrested Saturday and charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, who were found dead in their Columbus home last month.
McKee and Monique Tepe had married in 2015 and divorced two years later, records show.
A funeral visitation for the couple took place Sunday in Upper Arlington, Ohio.
Here’s what we know about the case.
What happened?
The couple was discovered dead at their Columbus home on the morning of Dec. 30 after concerned friends and colleagues of Spencer Tepe’s called authorities.
The dentist’s boss called at 8:58 a.m., according to a transcript of the call, and described his employee as reliable and always on time but said he hadn’t shown up to work and no one could reach him.
“We’re very, very concerned because this is very out of character, and we can’t get in touch with his wife, which is probably the more concerning thing,” he said.
Roughly an hour later, a friend of Spencer Tepe’s stopped by the family’s home for what he described in a 911 call as a wellness check.
According to a transcript of the call, the friend found Spencer Tepe lying next to his bed in a puddle of blood. The couple’s two young children could be heard screaming in the background as the friend spoke to the dispatcher.
Police arrived shortly after and the couple was pronounced dead at 10:11 a.m., according to an incident report.
Authorities later said the kids were unharmed.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office said the couple’s preliminary cause and manner of death was an apparent homicide by gunshot wound.
Who were Spencer and Monique Tepe?
Spencer Tepe worked at a dental practice in Athens, Ohio, where he focused on comprehensive dentistry and implant therapy, according to a company biography. He was fluent in Spanish and was committed to serving others, a family statement said.
Monique Tepe had a background in childhood education, family said, and loved baking. The family statement described her as a “loving patient, and joyful mother whose warmth defined her.”
“Together, Spencer and Monique shared a beautiful, strong, and deeply happy relationship,” the family said. “They loved to travel, to laugh, and to build a life rooted in love. They were proud parents of two beautiful children and their beloved Goldendoodle, and they created a home filled with warmth, happiness, and connection.”
“We are heartbroken beyond words,” the family added. “While no outcome can ever undo this loss, our family is committed to seeing this tragedy fully and fairly brought to justice, and to honoring Spencer and Monique by protecting the future of the children they loved so deeply.”
A family friend, Phyllis Williams, remembered Monique Tepe as “a very beautiful soul.”
“She and Spencer loved each other dearly, and they were soulmates,” she said Sunday.
Following news of McKee’s arrest, the family called it “an important step toward justice for Monique and Spencer.”
“Nothing can undo the devastating loss of two lives taken far too soon,” the family said, while thanking police and the community for support.
“Monique and Spencer remain at the center of our hearts, and we carry forward their love as we surround and protect the two children they leave behind,” the statement said. “We will continue to honor their lives and the light they brought into this world.”
What do police say?
Investigators believe the couple was killed between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., a three-hour window in which a person of interest was recorded on a security camera walking in an alley next to their home, the police department said last week.
The brief video shows a person walking in the alley wearing light-colored pants and a dark hooded jacket. Police did not confirm Saturday whether McKee is believed to be the person seen in the video.
In an interview with Spectrum News, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant appeared to explain the gap in time between when Spencer Tepe’s boss called and when his friend stopped by, saying that an officer who was initially dispatched to their home went to the wrong address.
“He did everything that he was supposed to do, knocked on the door, check the backyard, all those things, but it was not the right location,” she told the outlet.
Who is Michael McKee?
McKee, who resides in Chicago, and Monique Tepe shared no children together.
He’s being held in the Winnebago County Jail in Illinois, according to authorities, and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether he has retained a lawyer.
McKee is a medical doctor specializing in vascular surgery, according to online license records. He is licensed in California and Illinois, and was previously licensed in Nevada, but that license expired in June.
He graduated from the Ohio State University College of Medicine in 2014, the records show.
He was listed as a vascular surgeon at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois, a city about 90 miles northwest of Chicago. OSF Healthcare said it is “cooperating with authorities.”
His medical license records show no disciplinary history or malpractice. His criminal record shows only traffic-related tickets.
Calls to numbers listed for his family members went unanswered Saturday.
