COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – More information is being revealed about the man accused of killing his ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband Spencer Tepe in Weinland Park.
Chicago resident Michael McKee, 39, was arrested Saturday and charged with two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of the Tepes. McKee and Monique Tepe got married in August 2015 and divorced in 2017, according to court records.
McKee, like Monique and Spencer Tepe, was an undergraduate student at Ohio State University before he enrolled at OSU’s medical school. McKee had no previous criminal history as multiple reports show that he is a licensed surgeon in both Illinois and California and had a license in Nevada.
Michael McKee
An employee directory for OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Ill. lists him as a surgeon for the hospital. Officials with OSF Healthcare are cooperating with authorities for the investigation.
McKee was arrested in Rockford on Saturday morning and was booked into the Winnebago County Jail before noon. He has a scheduled court appearance in Illinois on Monday, where the process of extradition back to Ohio is expected to formally begin.
Court documents said that Columbus police identified a suspect through a neighborhood surveillance video. Detectives found a vehicle that was tracked by police, which was linked to McKee in Rockford.
Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, were found dead from gunshot wounds on Dec. 30 inside a home on North 4th Street in Columbus. Their two young children, aged 1 and 4, were also discovered physically unharmed in the house.
Spencer and Monique Tepe (Courtesy Photo/Rob Misleh)
Spencer Tepe was a dentist in Athens, while the family of Monique said she had a background in childhood education. Visitation for the couple was held Sunday afternoon in Upper Arlington, followed by a celebration of life at Due Amici in downtown Columbus.
Neighbors in Weinland Park expressed gratitude that a suspect is in custody.
“They were a happy family, they were a lovely family,” Weinland Park Civic Association president Tanya Long said. “The neighbors loved them. The community apparently embraced them, and we want justice served to the fullest extent of the law.”
“It is really heartbreaking, and so I’m glad that we’re getting justice for them and I hope we get more justice for them,” neighbor Anya Parker said.
The family of Spencer and Monique Tepe shared a statement saying, “As the case proceeds, we trust the justice system to hold the person responsible fully accountable. 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.”