Public records show that on Saturday (January 10), law enforcement issued an arrest warrant for Michael David McKee, who resides in Chicago.
On December 30, a woman was found shot to death alongside her current husband in the Weinland Park community in Columbus, Ohio. McKee is identified as the woman’s former husband.
According to documents, authorities tracked down McKee through community surveillance footage and ultimately apprehended him in Illinois, where he is currently being held in a county jail.
Court records from Franklin County, Ohio reveal that 39-year-old Michael David McKee from Chicago is facing two murder charges.
Records from the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois show that he was taken into custody shortly before noon local time, awaiting extradition back to Franklin County. McKee is scheduled to appear in court on January 12, likely for an extradition hearing to initiate the process of returning him to Ohio.
Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37, were killed on December 30, shortly after their fifth wedding anniversary. The couple left behind two young children under the age of 5, who were found unharmed at home.
Columbus homicide detectives identified McKee through community surveillance footage.
Police stated in court documents that they traced the suspect’s vehicle, which “arrived shortly before the killings took place and left shortly after.” The vehicle was found in Rockford, Illinois, where evidence linking McKee to the car before and after the incident was discovered.
Columbus police have not publicly disclosed the potential motive for McKee’s alleged murder of the couple.
The Tepe family released a statement through local media, expressing gratitude to the Columbus police for their work on the case and stating that “two lives taken too soon is heartbreaking, and nothing can ever make it right.”
The statement continued, “Monique and Spencer will forever live in our hearts, and we will carry on their love, protect the two children they left behind, and the light they brought to this world.”
According to records from the Franklin County Family Court, McKee and Monique married in 2015, with Monique filing for divorce in May 2017. The divorce was finalized amicably a month later without children, and divorce documents indicated McKee was residing in Virginia at the time.
Around 9 a.m. on December 30, Spencer’s colleagues at a dental clinic noticed he had not shown up for work, and attempts to reach Spencer or Monique by phone were unsuccessful. They called Columbus police to report them missing.
Columbus police surveillance video showed an officer initially going to the wrong address, and approximately 40 minutes later, friends of the Tepes found the couple dead in their home.
Authorities focused their investigation on the timeframe between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on December 30, believing the couple was killed during this period. On January 5, detectives released surveillance footage showing someone in an alley near the Tepe’s residence during that time, referred to as a “person of interest” by the police.
It is now believed that this individual is McKee.
Medical licensing records indicate McKee is a vascular surgeon with active licenses in Illinois and California, working at a clinic in the Rockford area where his vehicle was located.
Public information reveals that McKee attended Ohio State University College of Medicine and has ties to Zanesville, Ohio.