A newly unsealed affidavit reveals an Ohio surgeon accused of murdering his ex-wife and her new husband had allegedly been stalking the couple for weeks, entering their home while they were away and escalating a years-long campaign of obsession that ended in a double homicide. Dr. Michael McKe, 43, now faces four counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated burglary in the December 30 shooting deaths of Spencer and Monnique Tepe.
The chilling details emerge from court documents unsealed in Franklin County, painting a picture of a man prosecutors allege could not accept the end of his brief marriage. The affidavit suggests McKeās fixation culminated in a brutal home invasion in the early morning hours, but that his alleged surveillance began much earlier. Police now believe he traveled from his Illinois home to the Tepe residence in Columbus on December 6 while the couple attended the Big Ten Championship football game in Indianapolis.
According to the affidavit, video evidence places McKe at the Tepe home for several hours that evening. Friends told investigators Monnique Tepe left the game early and returned to her hotel, upset about something involving her ex-husband. This alleged intrusion weeks before the murders forms a critical part of the stateās narrative of premeditation, showing McKe was familiar with the property and its occupantsā routines.
The document also delves into the history between McKe and Monnique Tepe, who were married in 2015 and divorced in 2017. While the divorce appeared amicable on paper, friends and family described a far darker reality to police. Multiple witnesses told detectives McKe had been abusive during the marriage and made numerous threats afterward.
One witness recounted Monnique Tepe alleging forced unwanted ššš and strangulation. Another stated McKe told his ex-wife āhe could šš¾šš her at any time and would find her and buy the house right next to her, that she will always be his wife.ā These alleged threats, once dismissed as the bitter words of a failed relationship, now carry terrifying weight.
Spencer and Monnique Tepe were found shot to death in a second-floor bedroom of their home on December 30 after Spencer, a dentist, failed to arrive at work. Their two young children, ages four and one, were unharmed inside the house. There was no sign of forced entry, a key detail that remains under investigation.
The police investigation quickly turned to McKe, a vascular surgeon who had been living and working in Rockford, Illinois. Authorities released a person-of-interest video showing a man with a distinct gait walking near the Tepe home around the time of the murders. Detectives now assert that man is McKe.
Investigators tracked a silver SUV with stolen Ohio and Arizona license plates, which they link to McKe, arriving and departing from the area near the time of the homicides. The vehicle was later seized from his workplace parking lot in Illinois. Police noted āfresh scrape marksā on the window where a temporary Arizona tag had been āhastily removed.ā
A significant piece of circumstantial evidence involves McKeās cell phone. According to the affidavit, his device showed no activity for a 17-hour period encompassing the murders and was left at his workplace in Illinois, suggesting a deliberate attempt to avoid digital tracking during his alleged trip to Ohio.
Following his arrest at a Chick-fil-A in Illinois on January 9, police searched McKeās Chicago apartment. Inside, they reported finding multiple weapons, including one that has a preliminary forensic link to the Ohio crime scene. McKe was extradited to Ohio and appeared via video feed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court last week, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges through his attorney.
The case has sent shockwaves through the community, revealing the hidden terror behind Monnique Tepeās first marriage. Spencer Tepeās brother-in-law, Rob Miesle, acting as a family spokesperson, told Law&Crime that Monnique rarely spoke her ex-husbandās name, referring to him only as āher ex-husbandā and describing him as āa monster.ā He noted the previous marriage āchanged her as a person.ā
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant confirmed her department had no prior reports or calls involving McKe from the Tepe household, indicating Monnique may not have formally reported the historical threats. This absence of a paper trail underscores the silent dread that allegedly persisted for years.
McKeās defense attorney successfully argued for no bond to be set at the initial hearing, reserving the right to address it later. The prosecutionās case, as outlined in the affidavit, constructs a timeline of obsession, from alleged threats and šŖš«š¾š¼š® nearly a decade ago to covert surveillance weeks before the killings, culminating in the violent deaths of two young parents.
As the case proceeds, major questions remain, including the precise motive for the timing of the attack and how McKe allegedly gained entry into the home without force. The Tepe children are now in the care of family members. The next steps in the legal process will determine if the wealth of circumstantial evidence laid out by prosecutors can meet the high standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.