| title = Murders of Monique and Spencer Tepe
| title = Murders of Monique and Spencer Tepe
| location = [[Columbus, Ohio]], U.S.
| location = [[Columbus, Ohio]], U.S.
| date = December 30, 2025
| date = 2025
| image = Monique and Spencer Tepe.jpg
| image = Monique and Spencer Tepe.jpg
| fatalities = 2
| fatalities = 2
2025 double homicide in Columbus, Ohio
| Murders of Monique and Spencer Tepe | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Date | December 30, 2025 |
| Deaths | 2 |
| Victims | Monique Tepe Spencer Tepe |
| Motive | Under investigation |
| Accused | Michael David McKee |
| Charges | Aggravated murder (4 counts); Aggravated burglary (1 count) |
On December 30, 2025, Monique Tepe, 39, and her husband, Spencer Tepe, 37, were found shot dead inside their home in Columbus, Ohio, after Spencer failed to arrive for work and a welfare check was requested. Their two young children were discovered unharmed. The investigation soon focused on Monique’s ex‑husband, Michael David McKee, 39, who was arrested in Illinois on January 10, 2026, and later indicted in Franklin County on four counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated burglary. The criminal proceedings remain ongoing.
Background
Spencer Tepe was born on December 9, 1988, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He completed both his undergraduate studies and his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at Ohio State University. He worked in the field of dentistry, practicing in Athens, Ohio, where his work included comprehensive care and implant‑related procedures. He also maintained interests in competitive activities, particularly soccer and golf, and was fluent in Spanish.[1][2]
Monique Sabaturski was born on October 14, 1986, in Chicago, Illinois. Her family moved to Worthington, Ohio, when she was one year old, and she was raised there. She participated in soccer and running during her youth and developed an interest in horses and reading. She attended Ohio State University, where she pursued a master’s degree in early childhood education.[3] Monique married Michael McKee in August 2015; they separated in March 2016, and she filed for divorce in June 2017.[4]
Spencer and Monique met online and later married in December 2020. They lived in Columbus, Ohio, and had two children together.[1][5]
Discovery
On the morning of December 30, 2025, concerns were raised when Spencer did not arrive for work and could not be reached. At 8:58 a.m., his employer, who was on vacation, contacted Columbus police from out of state to request a welfare check after staff informed him that Spencer had not shown up and after he was unable to reach either Spencer or Monique. An officer was dispatched at 9:10 a.m. and arrived at 9:15 a.m., but went to the wrong address, knocked, received no response, and closed the call at 9:22 a.m.[6]
At 9:56 a.m., a man who had gone to the correct address phoned police, reporting that he could hear the couple’s children inside but could not get into the home. Two minutes later, at 9:58 a.m., a female co‑worker driving to the residence also contacted authorities to express concern. At 10:03 a.m., a 911 call reported that someone had entered the house to check on the couple and had seen Spencer unresponsive on the floor next to the bed. Police were dispatched again at 10:04 a.m. and located Spencer, 37, and Monique, 39, deceased. Columbus Fire Department Medic 7 formally pronounced both victims dead at 10:11 a.m. No signs of forced entry were found, no firearm was recovered, and three spent 9 mm casings were collected at the scene. Their two young children and the family dog were found unharmed inside the home.[6][7]
Investigation and arrest
Police released surveillance footage on January 5, 2026, showing an unidentified man walking through an alley near the Tepe residence between 2 and 5 a.m., the estimated window of the murders. Police later identified Michael David McKee, 39, Monique’s ex‑husband, as the man allegedly seen in the footage. Investigators compared the video with vehicle‑tracking data showing that a car associated with McKee arrived in the neighborhood shortly before the killings and left soon afterward; the vehicle was later traced to Rockford, Illinois, where McKee was employed. He was arrested in Illinois on January 10, 2026, the same morning a criminal complaint was filed in Franklin County Municipal Court formally charging him with the murders of Spencer and Monique, later updated to aggravated murder with premeditation. Investigators subsequently recovered multiple firearms from his residence, and at a January 14 press briefing Columbus Police stated that a preliminary NIBIN comparison produced a potential link between one of those weapons and the homicides. A Franklin County grand jury returned a multi‑count indictment on January 16, and McKee was booked into the James A. Karnes Correctional Center on January 20 ahead of a scheduled court hearing on January 23, where he pleaded not guilty.[8][6]
According to an affidavit, surveillance footage from December 6, 2025, captured McKee allegedly entering the area immediately surrounding the Tepe residence while Spencer and Monique were out of town. The couple had traveled to Indiana with friends for the Big Ten Championship game, and during the evening Monique returned to their hotel room earlier than the rest of the group. Spencer later told a friend that she was “upset about something involving her ex‑husband” before he went back to check on her. The affidavit states that the man seen on the footage approached the property through the rear alley and departed after a period of time, and it also noted that McKee was not scheduled to work at the hospital that day.[9]
References
- ^ a b “Spencer and Monique Tepe”. Dignity Memorial. 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ Stelloh, Tim; Lenthang, Marlene (January 11, 2026). “What to know about the killings of Ohio dentist Spencer Tepe and his wife, Monique, and the charges against her ex-husband”. NBC News. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ “Spencer and Monique Tepe”. Dignity Memorial. 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ Asma-Sadeque, Samira; Spargo, Chris (January 23, 2026). “Monique Tepe and Her Ex Separated After 7 Months of Marriage. Nearly 10 Years Later, He’s Charged with Murdering Her and Husband”. People. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ Spargo, Chris (January 15, 2026). “Monique Tepe Spoke of ‘Wrong Relationships’ in Wedding Vows Before Killings”. People. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ a b c Anderson, Kyla (January 22, 2026). “Follow the Spencer and Monique Tepe murder timeline”. 3140 News. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ Sederstrom, Jill (January 12, 2026). “This Clue Led Police to Arrest Ex-Husband in Murder of Ohio Dentist Spencer Tepe and His Wife Monique Tepe”. Oxygen. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ “Illinois surgeon pleads not guilty to the killings of his ex-wife and her dentist husband in Ohio”. CNN. January 23, 2026. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ Spargo, Chris (January 27, 2026). “Suspect in Killings of Ohio Dentist and Wife Allegedly Went to Their Home Weeks Prior, While Couple Was at Football Game”. People. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
